In other words, this game is basically Unforgiving: A Northern Hymn with more of a family-friendly spin. This title isn't out to kill you or challenge you much, and would rather have you chill while it gives you brief, charming glimpses into a certain parts of Scandinavian cultures. Whatever you choose in that meeting determines what you'll find next.Īs you can tell, Burly Men's encounters take inspiration from Scandinavian folklore and myths, presenting them in a fashion befitting the game's vibe. Next thing you know, you're on an island inhabited only by trees and a massive hill that turns out to be a very friendly (but not particularly smart) troll. You might decide you don't have anywhere special to be, so you plop down with the nymphs. "Sit with us or get the hell out," they more or less tell you. Not only does a character early in the proceedings spell this out for you, but a few sea nymphs hanging out inside the whale also tell you as much. At this point, the game makes its core concepts crystal clear: the choices you make shape your adventure and determine which story segments you'll encounter. Things get moving before long, and the triad hops on their sailboat and sets out, only to be swallowed whole by a whale. From there, you're free to engage in all the usual graphic adventure-type stuff, such as tapping every item on the screen to see if it pushes the plot forward. You can remedy this issue by dragging the edge of the bubble outward, which not only unveils a bit of their surroundings, but also prompts the siblings to mosey in that direction. The trio sits on the screen, resting in a tiny bubble that only reveals a portion of the environment. To make matters worse, you might be confused along with them, more so by the game's strange mechanics. Unfortunately, the chart they find is initially blank and the brothers haven't the foggiest what to make of it. The game was so relaxed that even the protagonists' motive behind their journey was nothing more than one of them basically saying, "Eh, we might as well have an adventure." I traded all of that for a title where I would guide three meaty, bearded, Scandinavian dudes who discover a sea chart in a bottle and embark on a sea-faring quest. Its content represented a stark contrast to the junk I play, where I ran away from monsters, explored haunted houses, whipped candles, or saved the world with a motley crew of bright-eyed adventurers. I shopped around for a whimsical, silly adventure with low demands and almost no challenge whatsoever, and this product ticked all of those boxes. Each adventure has a similar baseline, but offers the chance to visit different places or interact with different elements of the world to create a brand new and unique narrative.Burly Men at Sea arrived at the right time in my life, when I needed a break from the grimdark or anime-inspired material I ordinarily sampled. This combines with the simple controls to make it accessible for people of all ages and abilities.Īt the end of each playthrough, you add this story to the bookshelf, then set out on another. The game's colourful, abstract aesthetic paired with sea-shanty music lend the it the feel of an old fairytale or myth, as do the creatures that populate the oceans, which are taken from Scandinavian folklore. Your actions make each of your adventures differ in subtle and substantial ways. Here though, rather than turning pages for a linear story, you simply tap and drag the touch screen or direct characters with a controller. During each adventure you fill out different parts of the map with individual experiences that coalesce into a story not unlike that of a children's book. It has a unique cyclical gameplay loop that remembers your previous runs as stories you can look back on that slowly unveil the secrets of the world.Īs the game starts you find an old bottle with a map of the sea in it. It's novel because it requires multiple playthroughs to discover the full narrative. Burly Men at Sea is an adventure where you play three seafaring brothers who explore the Scandinavian seas.
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