Interactive narrative specialist inkle is a UK-based company that few people would recognize. Those who have played games such as Sorcery!, Heaven's Vault, Overboard!, and 80 Days will understand the unique hype around A Highland Song, which was recently showcased at the Nintendo Direct. It's the latest game by inkle, and whether you are Irish or not, you're bound to get your eyes caught immediately when you start playing the game.

A Highland Song is reminiscent of a short trip and a wonderful experience to play a game based on Celtic Traditions. In contrast to the meandering roads that life tends to hurl at us, the hills in A Highland Song are, fortunately, a little bit simpler to explore. The art style is just stunning, and an intriguing narrative is presented in the game, which is braided together with compelling elements of Scottish culture, history, and tradition. It is a story that manages to keep its level of interest throughout its entirety. Conversations ring with depth and clearly indicate the developer's brilliance; as you progress through the game, you discover more about Moira's backstory scattered throughout the dialogue.

A Highland Song puts you in the shoes of Moira McKinnon, a young girl embarks on her first journey over the Scottish Highlands in search of her distant uncle, Hamish, who resides in a lighthouse. My attention was immediately drawn to the serenity that pervaded the game. With steady progress, you're ascending mountains, discovering caverns, and deciphering local legends and history as you make your way out of the ocean.

From the gameplay point of view, this game is not very complicated. There is a stamina bar that will eventually deplete depending on the amount of damage you have sustained and the weather conditions that you are currently experiencing. This bar is responsible for determining how long you can climb or how long you can sprint before you need to take a break. If you want to do anything else, the only things you can actually do are jump, climb, and sprint. Afterward, you'll encounter a few context-sensitive elements, such as navigating a rocker over water, engaging with an object that could unlock a shortcut, or even receiving some background information about the location you're now in.

Moira will be led by players through a wide number of different pathways, some of which will present you with significant challenges that you will need to face. The majority of your voyage will consist of platforming in the hopes of ensuring Moira's safety. After all, she is just human and susceptible to being hurt by the situations in which she finds herself. If you are too impetuous with your running and jumping, you will most likely end up dying prematurely.

This means that you will be performing the same portions repeatedly. In addition, the Scottish Highlands are known for their severe weather, which you will have to contend with. Moira is sensitive to being harmed by weather conditions ranging from rain to snow. Therefore, it is essential to your success to find a place to take shelter if there is inclement weather or throughout the night.

The manner in which the stages are presented in A Highland Song is outstanding. As you progress through the game, you will come across various artifacts. Some of these items will require you to locate a shortcut later on, while others will turn out to be maps that you will need to mark yourself. A number of locations and shortcuts will be highlighted on these maps. To begin, however, you will need to ascend to the highest points in the area so that you can survey the land and attempt to set a mark in the area where you believe the map is pointing.

Even though I can see why some players would prefer a more conventional map, I really enjoy how this approach immerses you in the world of Moira as you explore it, just like she has never been here before. The game allows you to indulge your inner adventure by exploring your content, finding items, completing every map, and discovering all the secret locations. With so many potential branches and paths, the world is your oyster.

Whenever it comes to the parts of the game that are more focused on rhythm, they are executed quite well for the most part. The music is stunning, and it features a stirring soundtrack written by Lawrence Chapman in collaboration with TALISK and in collaboration with Fourth Moon. Having said that, one of the gameplay features that I enjoy the most is the rhythm minigame sections that involve a deer. These sections are an incredible joy to participate in and one of my favorites.

Long areas of land will be available for you to run across, and you will typically be joined by a deer or two. As soon as you begin, a traditional Celtic song will begin to be played with a variety of woodwind instruments, as well as the fiddle or violin. Any Scottish or Irish person will immediately become enthralled by this music, and the fact that it includes a brief time platforming sequence that either sinks or jumps up to the beat makes it even more enjoyable. I hardly ever hear or see anything like this when I play a game. But there's a small hiccup during the running rhythm sections—the game has you hold B and then leap by alternating X and Y, which isn't exactly natural.

On the other hand, there are a few concerns that I feel compelled to bring out. First, it is not always evident which elements you can take and which are just stressful aspects of the situation. A few times, I was racking my brain trying to figure out where I should walk, just to find out that there was a path right next to me that blended into the backdrop or the foreground. I was completely confused. I also felt that climbing in certain parts was really challenging. This was because certain trails were included in the circle while others were in the background, and the colors were pretty much the same.

It is necessary to tilt the analog stick oddly in the appropriate direction, which, unfortunately, does not always function as well as one would wish it would. There are, however, times when the game may be rather boring. Although I believe it works to its advantage with the maps, there will be times when you will be running aimlessly, slowly climbing mountains you have already visited, only to find out that the trail leads to a dead end. The inclusion of a map system would have benefited A Highland Song for players who'd buy this game as a regular platforming experience.

As a result of the fact that I frequently found myself disoriented among the hills, the game required me to match specific peaks and mountains to over one hundred various map fragments that are dispersed across the game. These eventually lead to identifying new pathways, which are frequently more efficient than prior ones. In all honesty, it wasn't very useful in bringing me to where I wanted to go to make progress, despite the fact that it's a very clever notion.

Due to the absence of a map system that was adequately implemented and the absence of a predetermined path to follow, I frequently got lost, making it feel like it was practically impossible to get back on track. In addition, the highlands have a significant number of regions that are virtually identical to one another. Consequently, I discovered that I was frequently pondering whether or not I had been in this location before, whether or not this region was new, whether or not I was heading in the right direction, and so on.

Although I believe that the advantages of not being held by the hand outweigh the disadvantages, it is still something to take into consideration. A Highland Song is a rhythm-based game that frequently soars, but the platforming sections did not do much to motivate players during the game. Even though Scottish and Irish GIC are two distinct languages, there were so many parallels between the two that I could form a general understanding of what these locations were called. I know that it did not relate to me in terms of culture. Still, I liked every single second of it, from listening to the music to reading the language, or even down to the smallest details, such as Moira mentioning different types of chocolate or different brands of chips, which made me appreciate it.

On the surface, A Highland Song is really stunning. Occasionally, it possesses a charm reminiscent of Studio Ghibli's style. Additionally, the game has a number of incredibly helpful accessibility features, such as settings that prevent the player from tripping and falling, as well as options for the level of difficulty of the rhythmic aspects. In conclusion, everybody willing to tolerate the game's shortcomings can take pleasure in playing with the settings most suitable for them.

A Highland Song, all things considered, is an admirable but imperfect attempt. Although I found the rhythm-based passages enjoyable, the platforming was a little below my expectations. The absence of a decent map system was another source of frustration; nonetheless, players who are patient and ready to persevere through these obstacles will discover a stunning collection of compositions, wonderful visuals, and fun rhythm-based sequences. At the end of the day, I could not claim with complete certainty that A Highland Song is an incredible game, yet it does flirt with the possibility of being an excellent game. There is a lot of fascinating information about Scottish folklore, and the visuals are stunning.

Despite everything mentioned, A Highland Song is a game with a special place in my memory. The fact that it is a peaceful journey through the Scottish Highlands or has stunning hand-drawn images is not why it is so popular. Throughout the entirety of this game, the Celtic way may be found in every single aspect. Seeing the Gaelic language on the screen and listening to the traditional music as you run over the highlands are great experiences.

And even though A Highland Song is set in Scotland, the Celtic Banner encompasses all of Scotland's folklore language and traditions. This is something that Irish gamers rarely see in games, and they are going to absolutely adore it. If you don't have that cultural understanding, it has certain gameplay distinctiveness that could prevent you from enjoying it, but after you look past those quirks, you will find that this game offers a wonderful experience.

Azfar Rayan (@AzfarRayan)
Senior Editor, NoobFeed