Northern Journey Review

[@MandaloreGaming]

Northern Journey on Steam - store.steampowered.com/app/1639790/Northern_Journey/ Maybe the real treasure were the spiders we found along the way.

[@thesprucemoose7905]

Hey Mandalore what's your favourite Shrek film?

[@ukaszgrzesik7231]

Feels like a good occasion to once again ask if you plan to do a vid about other Ice Pick Lodge game: The Void (aka Tension, aka Turgor)? Flawed execution to be sure but one of more unique games I ever played.

[@Rifqiethehero]

Amongus

[@vlkafenryka]

@@thesprucemoose7905 You

[@thesprucemoose7905]

@@vlkafenryka I've never felt more honoured.

[@johnhock620]

Interestingly, the developer of this game made a vlog about his development process, and indeed his hobbies include hiking, free diving, and archery. He even went so far as to photograph native plants where he lives and turn them into the textures and foliage you see in the game. It's remarkably genuine. The developers' name on youtube is Slid Studio btw.

[@LegoSkeleton]

Other favorite bit from the making of: He considered following tutorials and making a couple smaller games first which is the smart thing that everyone recommends, but decided he wouldn't be able to keep his interest up doing that so he went straight to making this as his first project ever basically.

[@russellnesbitt7139]

Archery makes a lot of sense. I build medieval crossbows as a hobby and I was amazed by how realistic the ones in the video were. Some of them were obviously invented, but the rest were dead on the money in terms of scale, shape, and design. I might have to pick up this game just to get some inspiration from his designs.

[@Grasses0n]

I saw that video. He seems like a really eccentric person. It's quite inspiring how much work he put into this. Truly a passion project to see his vision realized.

[@SomeKindaSpy]

I love that so much. I need this dev to make more games, this was great. Buying it now.

[@Laucron]

​@@russellnesbitt7139 you build crossbows? That's pretty rad

[@TJ-to1ce]

Happysad isnt something the dev came up with btw. It is a direct translation of a norwegian expression that describes a type of mood that sits in a very strange place, swinging from being kinda depressing to oddly funny/happy. I don't think it is something you would find in a dictionary, it is more like a weird slang term, but you can find it used in articles of newspapers now and again when reviewing some peculiar media.

[@LordDragox412]

It's also a Polish rockband apparently.

[@gothic..]

what's the original term, if you know?

[@gunnarschlichting9886]

It is kinda similar to melancholy or bittersweet? Because I know what you're talking about, and it is hard to explain completely.

[@TJ-to1ce]

@@gothic.. Gladtrist, the D being mostly silent. It is literally the norwegian words for happy (glad) and sad (trist) smushed toghetter.

[@TJ-to1ce]

@@gunnarschlichting9886 Yeah its hard to nail down. Its something you might say to describe the experience when watching a movie that made you laugh, and then 5 seconds later go "Well that's a bit sad." Or reminiscing about a memory that makes you happy, but feeling sad that those times are gone.

[@electricbayonet2]

4:31 “there will be no more living or airbreathing spiders” I am deeply suspicious of how specific this statement is. Edit: AND I WAS RIGHT TO BE

[@picahudsoniaunflocked5426]

I'm making this my new "meeting total strangers" line. Just walk up to random folks & say, "I promise from this moment on there will be no more living or airbreathing spiders in this experience."

[@GmodPlusWoW]

You fight all kinds of trolls in this game alongside the bugs, but the Flute Player is one of the biggest trolls in the realm.

[@purushottamkumarsharma5044]

Good video

[@LostStarzOfTheSky]

New and previously unseen types of spiders!

[@RoyalBaconist]

One part I liked about this game is that it didn’t go for usual Viking fantasy tropes but instead it’s more dark and mysterious Nordic folksy style that I like a lot more.

[@LegoSkeleton]

Playing the game i could tell that it was made by someone that had grown up with these kinds of stories rather than someone who had read up on it later in life from an outside perspective.

[@SpecterVonBaren]

Forest Nords versus Sea Nords.

[@henningeide8355]

You might like the game Unforgiving: A Northern Hymn. It's darker, and a first person horror based on Swedish folklore (wich is very similar). There's also the Norwegian game Through the Woods, that is similar, but not as polished. And a "Little Nightmare" type game called Bramble: the Mountain King (wich is well promoted, and better known). It's a good game.

[@serenity8839]

The solo devs are like the wizard of the game dev community, i cant understand how they do what they do! an i both fear an respect there insanity.

[@light819]

It's just refreshing to actually see a single person's vision be realized and not be watered down or diluted which is the norm

[@Senior_autismo]

Its called passion something which aaa devs lack because they have to listen to the some old farts called investors who could care less if the game is good or not as long as they can buy their new yacht.

[@NoNameAtAll2]

survivoship bias there's just too many of them

[@KoylTrane]

Gallons of booze and crates of weed is what you need

[@Assassin5671000]

Kojima's games are a bit like that usually with the backing of manpower and money. And now with his own studio he can probably bring fourth his vision more.

[@tomorbataar5922]

As a Norwegian I don't understand why I gave this game a pass until now. Looking at this it seems the dev nailed the creepy factor of Norwegian folklore and nature. It's something often lost in translation when Scandinavian folklore creatures gets represented in games and media, even trolls are supposed to creep you out and not just be a dumb giant brute. So fun seeing domestic devs actually representing Scandinavian folk tales correctly, with this game, Bramble and Through the Woods.

[@Athalwolf13]

A lot of Scandinavian or Norwegian lore being misrepresented can be probably traced back to DnD or LOTR

[@chstens]

@@Athalwolf13 And more recently Marvel, as sad as that is. That aside though, this game feels like home

[@EnviedShadow]

There isn't really a "correct" way to represent mythologies, but more diverse interpretations going mainstream are always neat.

[@andrewmeyer3599]

​@Rumms1 LOTR is an amalgamation of multiple European mythologies. While accurate to say Tolkien was inspired by said folklore is way more respectful to the man and what he was trying to achieve. Now, the Witcher series does kinda twist shit, like trolls being absolute dipshits

[@davidfasthands474]

I think my favorite representation of trolls in video games has been pathfinder kingmaker, even there they’re kind of dumb brutes, but their king has some stuff going on in his brain

[@danilooliveira6580]

another evidence that art direction and aesthetics will always be more important than graphical fidelity.

[@davixx1995]

But graphical fidelity can be forced and bought off a hell of a lot more easily. Proper art direction? That would mean treating artists with respect... can't have that, it's not directly and measurably profitable. Hell, artistic intent is not even a quantifiable metric, so it doesn't really exist in the executive's eyes. But if the next big game has double the polygons? Fuck yeah the fat cats will figure it'll sell at least twice as much.

[@thisguy8597]

@Bandog what about half life?

[@manboy4720]

@@thisguy8597 i played half life 2, and i thought 'the textures and models aren't anything amazing'. but the world and soundscape and aesthetics of the environments are VERY well done. the first time you leave the station and you see THE CITADEL? that's fucking rad, the citadel is one of the coolest looking buildings in any game.

[@eliwilson1146]

TOTK knew it

[@1r0zz]

@Okabe Rintaro I played it day one. Half life 2 was never “realistic”. The only truly good graphics moment we’re in the “dlc” lost coast. Doom was “photorealistic”, and the more artistic driven. And the better one of the two. There also was far cry, true. Also better graphics than hl2.

[@milramas]

I LOVE when folklore is portrayed as a balancing act between creepy and quirky

[@StrikeWarlock]

Amusingly enough, I've assumed that the reason why schizophrenia episodes tend to be whimsical outside of the US is because they're not as fixated to Good vs. Evil as we are, which causes people in the US who do have it to vilify their mental disability and it proceeds to react in kind.

[@ColdHawk]

@@StrikeWarlock- Now THAT is one of the most interesting takes I have ever heard. What is your background, friend?

[@dopaminecloud]

@@StrikeWarlock There is no sin without piety. Very old wisdom.

[@SirBlackReeds]

@@StrikeWarlock What are you talking about? Have you seen how much pop culture has tried to push moral relativism into the forefront?

[@eshanroveran7850]

@@StrikeWarlockinteresting observation and I’m sure it has an effect to some degree but I think you should also keep in mind you don’t really see any true schizophrenia in the US And I mean in the sense of you only see how Americans display schizophrenia in media. In reality schizophrenia for people in the US it’s pretty much the same it’s rarely every overtly negative The only schizophrenia that’s across the board negative in its delusions would be that of Paranoid Schizophrenic delusion as that one is pretty much negative no matter what But yea my point is our media might portray it negatively but on a person to person basis it is still often “whimsical” My cousin has mild schizophrenia and he lived a solid life, has his own online business selling his art. He says the craziest shit sometimes but it’s never outright negative or “scary demons!” But more strange spiritual shit It’s very interesting to say the least

[@Fiveth0us]

I played this like a week ago. It instantly jumped to my top 3 games of all time. truly unique, inspiring and extremely atmospheric game. Sometimes I feel like I can "smell" the rainy forest you walk thru. Soundtrack is aslo solid 10/10. Mindboggling how a one man, without previous experience could create all that.

[@MandaloreGaming]

I also felt like I could smell Greenlit in particular. The man is a legend.

[@Padlock_Steve]

the power of unreal 4 tutorials and a strong vision

[@rexrip1080]

@@Padlock_Steve Well, that is how I learned it... Then 5 came out and all that time I spent drinking and learning was basically for nothing, they automated a good portion of it...

[@Tom3kkk]

@@MandaloreGaming the dev is actually making a devlog of his new game on his youtube channel, so we can expect more from him, and he is really working hard on it!

[@n0isyturtle]

of all time? really?

[@ComfySal]

Ever since Pathways Into Darkness the "I've got a bone to pick with you!" is possibly beating Electric Marv for space in my brain. I love it.

[@XSniper74184]

Shoot I missed it, where was it?

[@savagekrosa]

​@@XSniper74184 9:49

[@XSniper74184]

@@savagekrosa many thanks. I suppose I no longer have a bone to pick with you.

[@SuperHansimann]

@@XSniper74184 🦴

[@picahudsoniaunflocked5426]

WHY CAN I HEAR THIS IN MY HEAD JUST FROM SEEING THE REVIEW ONCE

[@Skritt-Stonemaw]

It can not be overstated HOW MANY SPIDERS ARE IN THIS GAME IT IS SPIDERS ALL THE WAY DOWN

[@THEFurfoot]

It's all spiders? Always has been.

[@EnmebaragesiUklama]

They should add a notice while starting a game just like the ones about epilepsy: "Small percentage of people can experience a fear of spiders..."

[@alessiomessersi2964]

Most games recently: "Let's have arachnophobia mode so that people who are deathly afraid of spiders can play too." Northern Journey: "Face your fears, weakling!"

[@CheshireCad]

@@alessiomessersi2964 Satisfactory: "Arachnophobia mode turns the spiders into glitchy jpegs of cats, with warped meows instead of screeches. The constant skittering, which you can hear from half a mile away, remains the same. Enjoy!"

[@katrinatheinsane6869]

To quote that one crazed cultist that loves you for some reason, "RAIN OF SPIDERS!"

[@badroady]

10:30 I think it's pretty cool that when the witch falls she starts to flip end over end. Y'know, like she was affected by momentum and gravity? Too many games just have falling animations like an old-school Mario character, ramrod straight as the plunge into the unloving abyss.

[@Jaydee8652]

You Ringrolled me!

[@DestroyedArkana]

I think that IS her falling animation, not physics.

[@SashaMinkh]

Also, was that scream one of the horses from Charlie the Unicorn?

[@headphonic8]

@@DestroyedArkanait is, but at least the effort was made. I know AAA games where they have the physics but don't even bother with an animation

[@CollinMcLean]

I love Nordic settings. They manage to strike an incredible balance between "Beautiful fairytale wilderness from your grandmother's old story books" and "Mushroom induced nightmare damned by your ancestor- FUCK ME WHAT IS THAT?!"

[@FidgetTheMidget8P]

I stayed up watching Midsomar last night and I kept thinking this during the video

[@EinherjarV]

I think it's obvious I also love Nordic setting. >.>

[@An_Actual_Rat]

I'm from Scandinavia and I'm really fond of our mythology, but less and less people remember it. It's really cool and full of weird things but most people just use vikings and "trolls" that are usually just "angry ape that heals fast".

[@CollinMcLean]

@@An_Actual_Rat You've got your giant brutish trolls, your multi-headed angry old ladies swirling a cauldron of fish soup, your shape shifting trouble makers that probably like to milk your cows for fun, and the ones that delight in stealing socks for whatever reason. Plus Vittra (that actually like milking cows, I was making a joke the first time), näkks, mara, tomte, skogsra, and my favorite the Linormr because giant serpent dragon monsters are always awesome.

[@EinherjarV]

@@An_Actual_Rat That is hits home for me. most people also do not know human sized Elves are from their, modern dwarves, drugar, the legend to Fafnir....

[@prideofclouds]

The Ring death screen gag made me laugh way too hard

[@Kyezoar]

I absolutely love that death screen cause... it's such a good punchline.

[@Jimbo55151]

A quick google search of “most common Norwegian spiders” has shown me why the creator would despise them and wish to see arachnidcide Edit: half the the comments are talking about spiders being cute and the other half are people wanting spiders burned to death. Perfectly balanced.

[@mahdiadib9295]

now i feel like im being crawled on..... thanks...

[@Dorsidwarf]

googled this term and found a bunch of real neat spiders to enjoy thanks :)

[@serenity8839]

yer shouldn't have followed your lead on that google search. o_o

[@stickmakerman]

why did I google that myself

[@diddlydoodlywalrus6167]

Dorsidwarf and Mahdi Adib two sides of the spectrum

[@PaulC-Drums]

Bro I've been WAITING for a big KZbinr to do a video on this game. The single person who made this game deserves so many accolades for making such an interesting, unique, charming, and extremely fun game. Very stoked that you made this video. Northern Journey was my favorite game in 2021 and one of the best gaming experiences in my life. It satisfied this intangible, nostalgic itch while also providing a constantly evolving and surprising experience that made me happy to turn every corner to see what was next.

[@DakotaofRaptors]

It feels like a dream I had back when I was a wee lad - and I found myself in Wonderland talking to giant butterflies and flower caterpillars.

[@HansAlRachid]

Oh hey Northern Journey! Stumbled across that game a bit over a year ago - the dev is one of the most helpful and forthcoming individuals I ever had the pleasure of troubleshooting with. When I had some issues with my resolution settings he and I had a quick back-and-forth and he immediately came up with a fix on the Steam forums, all-around a great guy. Really happy he's getting such a hefty PR push! Especially since he's got another project in the works at the moment that looks really promising.

[@masonqin]

Mandalore mentioning Outer Wilds AND 13 Sentinels both being his favorite games to go in totally blind, which were completely the same as my own choices, made me love him more than ever :D

[@HellecticMojo]

I was especially surprised because he doesn't really like anime things and 13 sentinels is basically every scifi anime into 1 game.

[@tritamtran7264]

ok

[@Zyrachiel]

I literally just finished rewatching the Ring review before this went up, so I was READY for that death screen

[@metroidOO7]

So glad to see someone cover this game. I played it over a year ago after i saw Duskdev recommend it. Totally enthralling despite the jank. Whats wild is that pretty much all the assets were created from scratch by the solo dev. He went out and made textures from the environment around him in norway. Then in unreal he painted all the lighting manually. Its insane.

[@termitreter6545]

Yeah, this game is low res, the animations arent quite AAA niveau... but the variety, level of quality and creativity of the visuals is really impressive.

[@hastur-thekinginyellow8115]

The thing is too that there really isn't that much jank. I think the only reason "jank" gets mentioned is in case someone who is only used to Triple A games happens to want to try it, so they're not "surprised". Most or less everything in the game is exactly how it was intended to be... weird. Or perhaps "happysad" is a better motif.

[@michaelgtho]

Went into this game with no expectations last year and it ended up ascending to one of my favourite games of all time. I’m so happy that Mandy is gonna give so much exposure to this game and it’s hardworking dev!!

[@LegoSkeleton]

I played this back in winter 21-22 and been wishing it would get more exposure because it really deserves it, so happy to see Mandalore give this some spotlight.

[@heartysquid]

Man...Ring really left its mark on you didn't it...that bit near the fates especially.

[@michaelandreipalon359]

Needs more railcart deaths!

[@andrewhoff8782]

That and pathways into darkness. Can't help but feel like he's got a bone to pick with that game.

[@fus132]

Salmon and the trout!

[@burnttoast26]

*MINERALS FOR GLUG*

[@Sparxter626]

Walsung. Erda now wants you to find a piece of the Norns' thread. You are already heading in the right direction. But take care. In their kingdom time is continually confused and rearranged

[@Josip2811]

I stumbled upon this game by accident last year. One of the best accidents ever. The atmosphere, the music...I love this game and I still can't believe it was made by a single developer. True definition of a hidden gem and I am so glad that you covered it. Thank you.

[@beezzarro]

Ok so i saw this review and became obsessed with this game. To preamble, i love games and ive always wanted to make one one day. I read up on this guy and saw a little bit of his vlogs. Its incredible how many things we have in common, but most importantly he lives in a place that seems a lot like where i live. Ive loved where i live for my whole life but I'm about to be priced out of living there and will have to move to a new country so that my kids can grow up somewhere stable. Hearing about this guy's journey has inspired me to do the same thing so that i can combine my love of home and video games into something like his. He even made one of my favorite kinds of games, which is adventure/zelda/metroid-esque in the sense that you come to an obstacke that can only be crossed by something somewhere else. I played this game finally after rediscovering this review, and i have become completely obsessed with it because of how doable this guy made it seem (naiveté at play on my part here). Now i go on walks and just make sure to capture everything that feels like my home to me so i can digitize it and make it into a virtual home away from home. And the music! JFC! The music is so far off and away from anything ive really experienced in a game before that i have the track for deadwell and greenslit playing in the background. I run it on our discord whenever the boys and I get a server of valheim running. Its the first game in a long time to pull me in and trade a few pieces of its soul for mine before letting me go again. I want to areplay it immediately, but I'm just going to leave it until i forget most of it and then come back. Pro tip: absolutely attempt to collect every single red health upgrade flask you can. You start with 100 health and there are 40 to find. Look behind every tree, look to the edges of every ledge. Theres one massive consequence for not finding all by the end and it might annoy or disappoint you. Scroll down for the spoiler. It unlocks a powerful weapon to use on the final boss, and he's a massive pain otherwise.

[@derfliegendetempler]

Ahh, yes. I’m an hour into the game and I really feel the magic. Maybe it’s just the knowledge that one dude made this, but it really has that special something. Thank you as always for a wonderful review. Also. That Ring 2 death screen… I watched the video after a doobie and I just had a sickening whiplash of “AHHHHHHHH”s and “Walsung. Erda now wants you to find a piece of the Norns' thread.”s… This stream is the reason why you went from Good, to favourite content creator for me. So just thanks. I appreciate it. Before finding you I really didn’t find any good games to play. Anyways. Have a nice day, whoever you are, reading this.

[@picahudsoniaunflocked5426]

May our nice days return to you & brighten your days in return; thanks for yr comment + well wishes.

[@madsclausen4028]

Yeah, i cannot help but burst out laughing when i get to that part.

[@keltzar1]

The Ring 2 callback was excellently placed yeah.

[@user-bl6oj1hl8i]

I did enjoy the flute player saying his goodbye as I rowed away. Caught me off guard there

[@MaxterandKiwiKing]

He did it! I'm so happy he finally covered this, its such an underated gem

[@DOOMxMD]

I bought this based on this video and I'm currently about 4 hours in - it's so wonderfully immersive and the environment and sound design is immaculate. It does such a good job of drawing you in with how beautiful it all is, so that when an area is dangerous, unknown or scary, you really feel it. This is honestly my favourite feeling in games and it's incredibly rare and hard to do. Thankyou so much for putting me up on this, I would never have found it otherwise!

[@joshuapatrick682]

Someone said it long ago, if you are working with constraints as long as you stay consistent within a framework, you have developed a style. I hope to see more from this developer!

[@brunoberti8790]

This is the first game I bought and played because of you and I don't regret it. It was an amazing journey, thanks for the recommendation Mando

[@Kaaxe]

Ah yes *looks out the window* finally a realistic depiction of Norway. The annoying thing about Mandalore uploads is that I immediately have to pause them, buy, play through the game, then finally resume the video : P

[@skippychompy916]

I watched the first two minutes of this review when it first came out, saw the little burrowing goblin guys and instantly knew I had to buy it. I just finished my first playthrough and wow is this game amazing. Thanks for bringing it to my attention! It's been one of my favorite gaming experiences of the last few years.

[@michaelandreipalon359]

You've easily sold us on this, Mandy. May the exposure and funds bless the creator of this newly found gold crown! 10:28: Oh, nice to see that Ring screen back.

[@cvrc11]

Well, I got about 5 minutes into the video and stopped it to immediately go buy this game I've never heard of! Seldom has just seeing a few short clips of a game immediately hooked me like this.

[@nerussoulfire6021]

Another video by Mandalore, another new game added to the library, always a pleasure!

[@semirionu]

Really glad you covered this game. One of the best games of 2021, it deserves more attention.

[@BarokaiRein]

Honestly, I'm just really surprised by the fact that this is not the first time I've heard of this game. I had completely forgotten about this so that was a weird Déjà-vu moment.

[@todeskampf1]

iron pineapple video

[@Table53]

This is one of those game's that I've heard about a few times, but sort of knew I would probably never get around to playing. I guess the next best thing is a Mandalore video!

[@BananaNaught]

metal fruit moment

[@TheLadderman]

​​@@todeskampf1 _thats_ where I've seen it before. I knew I had seen it but couldn't remember from where.

[@GmodPlusWoW]

I got clued into it by Dillon "Taffer King" Rogers back in 2021, and it's why I trust his recommendations alongside those of David Szymanski.

[@hermit-sensei6610]

The first ~hour of Northern Journey feels like having a nightmare about a ps2 game, and I mean that in the best possible way. Everything just feels so off, like reality has shifted a couple feet to the left, and it makes even the peaceful/serene parts of the game feel really ominous. It's such a unique atmosphere that I don't think I've seen in another game.

[@Kyocerra]

I absolutely love your content man. You give not only detailed perspectives but also cover the important points that show why to play these games. It has inspired me to try and shown me so many different games I missed or never gave a chance. So yeah I appreciate you and your passion and just wanted to say thanks!

[@Aldenfenris]

Honestly, I'd say being a one man team here likely helped keep the ambiance as coherent and clear as possible, one of the rare cases where it works.

[@Geeler]

So cool seeing someone covered this. I randomly stumbled across it one day, and I knew I wanted to stream it on twitch. It's was the first game I actually somewhat played as a series, and finished on stream

[@Boogaloh.]

I remember seeing IronPineapple check this game out and it looked so interesting! Glad to see it's truly a gem.

[@InternetHydra]

It’s funny how the best games in his Soullikes series are the non-Soullikes

[@grundlehunter69]

I'm so glad you're reviewing this game. It's such a bizarre hidden gem, I love it.

[@ShortCartoon-]

The content is so good that it is impossible to miss a single video of yours 😘🥰

[@ketolcob]

This is one of the only review videos where I've stopped it after the first portion so I could buy and play through the entire game before finishing the video. Thank you so much for bringing this game to a broader audience. It was an absolute joy to play, and your review was on point.

[@Adantehand]

Hey, I just want you to know I appreciate you and these videos. Your work on the Marathon videos with the voice acting and whatnot was legendary. You brought to life a 30 year old game in a way that was mindblowing. Keep it up, big guy.

[@Insanity5163]

The moment the vocals hit in Greenslit I legit just stepped back and watched the waterfall for a while. Few games I've played have accomplished such magical moments with nothing but sheer atmosphere.

[@PaulC-Drums]

Same. Greenslit was also the exact level where I realized how much this game was going was impacting me. Every level leading up to it was great, but then by Greenslit you understand that the game is going to do something new with every area. The music was one of my favorite aspects of the game as it worked with the visuals. Therefore I guess you could say that its the game's TONE that I love the most.

[@kOstA8pSychO]

I would have never even consider to play a game like this. But Mandalore, you just really sold it so good i just need to give it a try. I've Nearly choked by the fall at 10:30 . That was unexpected.

[@alessiomessersi2964]

I'm so happy to see you cover this game! It's a real gem and does atmosphere masterfully. The descent into the lake and the bog sequence had me more tense and frightened than many proper horror games.

[@Hehemann007]

Finally. Never thought I would see the day Mandalore reviewing Northern Journey. Such a hidden gem.

[@bichesb.wildean6561]

Great to see this here, man. I got this game last Christmas and it is just an absolute vibe. From the animations of every tool/weapon you get your hands on, to all the really unique enemies that I want to eviscerate as soon as possible, to the comforting sight of a rough stone structure in the middle of nature. This game is something special.

[@goody82az]

With the gaming industry becoming more and more about extracting money, it's good to see artists creating their vision. Thanks for highlighting this, I think independent game developers will become more and more important as corporations ruin video games.

[@khanman8113]

I just wanna say your vids are some of the best on YT. You can cover games that I've neither heard of nor have any interest in, but the way you cover them is entertainment in itself.

[@kekshpek]

I never would have thought that 13 sentinels would appeal to Mandalore

[@ukdoomer2082]

its insane to me this game was made by a single dev, what a legend that man is. Hilariously this game was recommended to me through 4chan and didn't see this review until after finishing the game.

[@Noah-wo2ov]

I'm glad me begging you to make a video on this game has finally paid off. One thing I really like about the game design of Northern Journey is how you can quick save at will but the game prevents you from saving in combat or in some hazardous sections of the game. I personally think this is a much more elegant solution than having irritating physical save locations like some retro fps titles are doing now.

[@rainsong77]

Depends on the genre. Story driven games suffer when you have to repeat content, mechanics driven games suffer when you're an immortal time lord.

[@Noah-wo2ov]

@@rainsong77 I did specifically mention retro FPS titles like forgive me father for example

[@armymanDR]

10:35 hearing the noise and of the Ring game over screen is basically a jump scare now haha

[@fluxy1194]

Wow that game is an amazing effort for just one guy. That’s insane

[@lucaballarati9694]

I could feel from the beginning of the video how much you loved it. I had gotten the impression that it's main appeal was the absurdity and jank, but thanks to your review I will try it and gift it to friends

[@vz_61_skorpion]

An awesome game. Glad to see it get some of the mandalore love.

[@shanelevy8833]

9:49 those word will forever haunt me

[@balintbankvarga3424]

Finally! One of the most unique and overall best indie gems of the decade! So glad you played and liked it!

Thanks for your reviews, mate. I'm a long time subscriber, yet first time commenter, though i watched almost all of your videos and liked every single one of those. You deserve praise for your effort and for the fact that your reviews are of such quality

[@jerryseinfeld0]

One of the best indie games I've played. The atmosphere is unlike anything I've ever seen in a game. And the soundtrack is wonderful.

[@dryued6874]

09:49 That madlad, he did it again.

[@ManOutofTime913]

I do hope you get around to Dread Delusion and Lunacid when they release their 1.0 versions. In terms of low-poly indie open world RPGs in the style of Morrowind or King's Field in the case of the latter, they're exactly what you're looking for I think. Thanks for recommending this, btw. I had previously ignored it because of what looked to be floaty combat and the weird character models, but I'm definitely wishlisting this now. The atmosphere looks so good!

[@zarrg5611]

I have not played Lunacid in a while but a problem I had with it was the extreme ease of combat, if kind of ended up feeling like a walking simulator with combat thrown in (apart from one set piece, but my failure in that mostly came down to accidentally blocking off the path of escape), may have changed now and I get round to trying it again upon release. Wishlisted Dread Delusion.

[@Stealth86651]

Been awhile, looking forward to watching the new upload. Thanks so much for the effort/time you put in to make this content, it's really appreciated.

[@yrtti7732]

This game was my 2021 GotY and I keep thinking about it regularly. Just a fantastic game with no unnecessary padding. It's a shame the Norwegian game awards didn't give a crap about it. E: I love the OST so much and Slid has said that he basically just put together stuff that he thought "sounds nice" or something to that effect. Basically no idea about making music. :D

[@picahudsoniaunflocked5426]

SLID = SAVANT

[@Chimwizlet]

Loved this game when I played it last year, even the jankiness just kind of added to its charm. Having to get a feel for aiming each weapon was strangely satisfying, especially the slingshot; gave a feeling like you'd really mastered it when you could snipe things out of the sky with it. Surprised there aren't more FPS games, outside of milsims and the like, that do something similar.

[@ryanbradleyrankin]

in a world of monsters and dangerous animals i actually like the idea that falling to your death is the biggest threat.

[@hughdew7622]

I remember beating this game last year and my immediate thought being, "Wow, Mandalore's gonna have a blast with this one."

[@EinherjarV]

What did we do to deserve 2 vids in less than 2 weeks! always happy to wait though because I think the time reflects your quality. Thank you keep up the great work.

[@Vulkan1998]

This game is a textbook example of a hidden gem for me. One of the best games of all time for me. It really does so much with so little, I really hope we see more from the dev.

[@pettereik3367]

super happy more youtubers are reviewing this absolute gem from my home country. I first found it in a video from iron pineapple and knew i had to play it. it ended up became one of my favourite games. the dev is and absolute mad genius, he taught himself unreal 4 over 5 years just to make his dream game, AND he composed all the music himself, what a legend!

[@stupidsillylace]

Nordic Journey is an incredibly beautiful and immensely Norwegian game. We do not have the spiders. We are the spiders

[@ThatKidYouKnow27]

Im really happy you covered this game. I played it a few months ago, and I was absolutely captivated by it. Truely one of the best games I've ever played, and I just happened to buy it on a whim.

[@johnwright9383]

>Sseth announces extended break >Mandalore suddenly as active as I have ever seen him The narrative has literally never been stronger

[@olivercoolbluebirdman4409]

Thanks Mandalore. I am currently 3 hours in and have been warped into the Friged North. The enviroments are just perfect sometime with the music. The Forest Trail is a personal favourite with the funny little guy being a creep.

[@definitelynotanAIchatbot]

The part with the frog had me dying 🤣

[@n15h0ku]

You literally released this review right after I finished my playthrough of the game!

[@bunnyonabunwithagunnicepun5689]

Ah, yes, The :): Genre.

[@perryborn2777]

A shame you didn't get this comment in earlier, I feel like it would have done very well

[@bunnyonabunwithagunnicepun5689]

@@perryborn2777 Thank you, and I pray you find the wellness you speak of.

[@DarkRebecca]

I saw a small long form review channel cover this game a while back. She loved the game too, but was sad that her small channel wouldn't give the game the attention it deserves. I bet she'll be happy when she sees this. She's also admitted to being a Mandalore fan so she might have already seen it!

[@DarkRebecca]

@andresiniguez3752 Bexx. Her review is pretty good, but in her separate Let's Play of the game she mentioned she was sad the game itself wasn't getting more attention and felt her coverage wouldn't help much.

[@milkojelev8620]

what is the song in 00:13?

[@Shinigami13133]

I'm 90% sure it's from dread delusion.

[@milkojelev8620]

@@Shinigami13133 dosnt sound like it

[@kensloth]

Darkthrone/Fenris simulator :D .. This looks awesome, thanks for the review! I'm sold on it completely.

[@Mtom9388]

I wish Skyrim was creepy & quirky like this

[@kpcraftster6580]

Wow! I never would have thought this game was even on your radar, much less you'd do a video on it. The music is sooooooooooooooo good!

[@bulldozer360]

I would also like to recommend Pentiment by Obsidian if anyone else loves these kinds of immersive games with strong atmosphere. Such a delightfully colorful experience with a very bittersweet ending, and I was completely taken in from beginning to end.

[@prismaticbeetle3194]

I love the atmosphere in this game Its like ur in a fable imagined by a kid

[@JanPospisilArt]

Yessss, give this man your money, so he can keep making the weirdo RPG thing he started.

[@toastbucket]

I love when you make a video about a game I've never heard of that looks like exactly the kind of thing I'd enjoy

[@meekaboo_]

Dude, I JUST replayed this and I can't stop thinking about it. Dev is so chill, would mention bugs in the forums or get stuck somewhere and have it fixed sometimes in that same evening, on another level. Recently have been searching for something similar to scratch that same itch and atmosphere that this game has, and I really just come up short. This game is honestly one of my all-time favs, and I'd safely say it's a weirdo freak classic. The bloodbugs can smd.

[@thesupreme8062]

I remember asking you for this, i know that isnt why you made this but im so glad you played this game i love it!

[@LordDrstein]

All the bizzare sights you first encounter, from my own personal first impression, really remind me of a bunch of old scandinavian fairy tales that i used to hear as a kid. It especially reminds me (even though it's swedish) of "Bland tomtar och troll" and the illustrations of John Bauer that accompany them.

[@LegoSkeleton]

The game's logo having an obvious Theodor Kittelsen homage as background really seals the deal.

[@TheNames_Grey]

10:30 the call back to that one post death scene from the ring game actually got me chuckling for a good minute, thank you

[@tohruadachi6137]

Can't play this. I tapped out when the spiders that jump at you appeared

[@oscarlove4394]

so i've been thinking about this for a bit. You know how brutal legends is a playable heavy metal album, and brigador is a playable synthwave album? Northern Journey is a playable dungeon synth album.

[@exquisitemeat5845]

As a professional stereotyper, this game is extremely accurate

[@DicFlair]

This game is one of Steams true hidden gems and I'm really happy to see it getting more recognition. Despite some rough edges its a pretty unique experiance and truely does feel like a journey.