#review
At first I was frustrated with the lack of direction with no set goal, I was wondering around aimlessly and every time I’d cross into a new valley the feeling that I’d left something behind would set in.
Much of the game is about exploring and bagging peaks where you find places matching different scraps of maps. But the overarching story is about getting to a lighthouse for Beltane which has a countdown attached. This game-play loop threw me into two different directions not knowing what I should focus on.
But there is some magic here, the landscapes are incredible, the climbing mechanics and the traversal are gratifying to finally master. With free flowing Trad-Folk rythm sections to pace out your exploration I love the vision of a rainy, sombre and melodramatic Scotland. With heart-felt vocal performances and a beautiful story that pieces itself together over time, there is a lot to love in A Highland Song.
EDIT: On finishing the game three times now there are some things I would have personally liked changing. Most of these center around items and maps. The stand-out feature that’s missing is the ability to recognise where maps have come from, where they lead and what they are for. If the developers vision was for us to keep track of this information ourself, it would help for that to be conveyed. Instead I have a collection of maps that I vaguely remember finding.
You can find A Highland Song on Steam #game