PC Gamer - UK (2022-04)

M

uch like the weird, irresistible
draw of Scandi interior design,
certain games just have a pull.
Sometimes all it takes to get me
invested is an axe, some runes, and a
mellifluous Northern European
accent regaling me with tales of gods
and giants and sacred wells. Jotun
provides all these things and more,
feeding me Norse myths while I
scamper about hacking roots and
thumping rocks. It’s not taxing stuff

• and the puzzles feel like they’re
  dragging things out when I’d rather
  be bothering monsters – but there’s a
  pleasantness to Jotun that’s like the
  perfect minimalist chair in the corner
  of a neutral room. Simple but
  clean, like hygge for your
  eyes, fingers and thumbs.

JOTUN

68 00

T

here was a period during the

late ’90s when it was near-

impossible to buy a T-shirt that didn’t

have a bold Japanese design

emblazoned on the front. We rarely

knew what they said. And we never

looked as cool as we hoped. But

revisiting the gorgeous, sumi-e

artwork of Okami is a reminder of

why we got obsessed in the first

place. Much like this review, Okami

has a languid start, but it’s deeply

compelling once you get into it – the

sort of game where you’ll want to

paint over every maligned element

with your magic brush just to get that

sense of refreshing completion. And,

unlike a shirt from 1997,

Okami feels authentic, artistic

and pleasing to revisit.

OKAMI

82

T

he Telltale formula is so

established it’s almost a modern

fable itself, distilled and retold until

little remains in our collective

consciousness beyond the memes.

But it’s a system of interactive

storytelling that still works, especially

in a setting as compelling as

Fabletown. The QTE fights feel

slightly unsatisfying and some

choices lack meaning, but everything

else here has aged with dignity – the

art style, in particular, still

gels brilliantly with the

noir-ish comic book setting.

THE WOLF AMONG US

80

86

THEY’RE BACK

EXPECT TO PAY
£4

DEVELOPER

Moon Studios GmbH

PUBLISHER

Xbox Game Studios

NEED TO KNOW

I

t would be easy to be massively

cynical about Ori and the Blind

Forest, with its withered trees

and forest spirits and tragic

coming-of-age narrative. It’s

achingly sincere. And it wastes no

time before stamping on your

worthless human heart, crafting

vulnerable, loving protagonists who

are immediately ripped apart. But

raising even a slightly questioning

eyebrow at such a wholesome game

feels wrong, like armpit-farting

cover versions of Enya songs. Ori

deserves better.

We probably don’t need to talk about

how beautiful it all is, although it’s

worth pointing out that screenshots

barely do it justice. There’s a glowing,

heartfelt warmth to it all that’s like

ASMR for the eyes. The arresting

presentation is deceptive, too – it

looks and sounds like the sort of

game where you hold right and a

cosy story engulfs you. But Ori and

the Blind Forest can be a spiteful,

flinty game at times, with collectibles

hanging near horribly-placed spikes

and sections that require some trial

and error to pass. It can also be a

tricky game to get to grips with: the

early sections present you with an

array of dials, wheels, and abilities

that could be drip-fed more elegantly.

The openness of it can be

intimidating. As a Metroidvania it’s

entirely possible to traipse off in

entirely the wrong direction before

realising you haven’t got the abilities

you need to progress. Thematically,

that openness feels right, hammering

home the idea that you’re lost in an

uncharted fantasy landscape. And

once Ori’s arcane systems

and open world begin to

make sense, the result is

really sublime.

TREESY LOVER

Heart-crushing sincerity in ORI AND THE BLIND FOREST

BELOW: (^) Turn the game off here and the sadness can’t hurt you.
They’ll hurt my family
if I make a smokey
bacon joke.