Northern Journey

About

"Northern Journey" is a narrative-driven game set in a stunningly beautiful yet melancholic northern wilderness. With fast-paced combat and dark humor, players will encounter over 50 unique bosses and enemies, using various weapons to aid their journey to the cold mountains. The game features custom music for each level, with a linear design that prioritizes storytelling over bloat or grind. It is highly optimized and currently only supports keyboard and mouse input.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

97%

Audience ScoreBased on 4,598 reviews

atmosphere874 positive mentions

grinding84 negative mentions

Incredible atmosphere and stunning level design that immerses players in a unique Nordic world.
A diverse range of enemies and weapons, providing a fresh experience throughout the game.
A captivating soundtrack that enhances the overall experience and complements the game's themes.

Combat can be frustrating due to janky mechanics and inconsistent hitboxes, especially in boss fights.
The game becomes more linear and combat-focused in the later stages, which detracts from the exploration aspect.
Movement can feel slippery and imprecise, leading to frequent deaths from falling or getting stuck on terrain.

atmosphere
1,274 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
69%
31%
1%
The atmosphere of "Northern Journey" is widely praised for its captivating blend of eerie beauty and whimsical charm, drawing heavily from Nordic folklore. Players describe it as immersive and enchanting, with a unique art style and a haunting soundtrack that enhance the sense of exploration and adventure. Despite some gameplay flaws, the game's rich environments and atmospheric design create a memorable experience that resonates deeply with players.
- “This is a profoundly atmospheric, bone-chillingly scary and yet darkly hilarious romp up and down a fjord.”
- “The atmosphere is unlike anything I've played so far and the low poly style really complements the dark and moody aesthetic.”
- “The atmosphere, music, visuals, character design, and level design all compelled me to want to explore further and further.”
- “Unfortunately though, the goodwill this game built up is mashed into sludge by the last acts of the game - invulnerable annoying enemies that completely take you out of the atmosphere, extremely long and boring underwater sections, copy-pasted enemies, some of the worst boss fights I have ever had the displeasure of experiencing, and virtually no payoff.”
- “My only complaint about the atmosphere is that it thins out as the game progresses, though I can hardly fault a developer for front-loading their best ideas.”
- “Yeah so this game definitely has a strange and potent atmosphere, but the actual moment-to-moment gameplay is really boring.”
music
1,016 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
55%
44%
1%
The music in "Northern Journey" has been widely praised for its haunting and enchanting qualities, effectively enhancing the game's atmospheric experience. Reviewers highlight the unique blend of dungeon synth and ambient sounds, which perfectly complements the diverse environments and folklore-inspired themes. Many players noted that the soundtrack not only sets the mood for exploration but also remains memorable long after gameplay, making it a standout feature of the game.
- “The music and atmosphere of this game are some of the best I've ever experienced.”
- “The haunting music and beautiful Scandinavian landscapes make exploration a blast.”
- “The music shines intensely in this game, atmospheric, immersive, appropriate, and extremely unique.”
- “The music is strange, and haunting.”
- “3 minutes in greenslit: man this music is getting annoying.”
- “Although the mix sounds great with headphones; through my speakers the music was barely audible over the sound effects and ambient noise and the only option in the settings is to reduce the music volume!”
gameplay
742 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
69%
4%
The gameplay of "Northern Journey" is characterized by a blend of exploration, puzzle-solving, and combat, offering a nostalgic first-person shooter experience with a unique atmosphere. Players appreciate the variety of mechanics introduced throughout the game, although some find the combat and movement mechanics to be janky and occasionally frustrating. Overall, the game is praised for its engaging environments, creative level design, and the charm of its indie development, making it a memorable adventure despite its imperfections.
- “The gameplay is an exciting blend of exploration, puzzle-solving, and fast-paced combat.”
- “Amazing atmosphere with its surprisingly gorgeous visuals despite the lo-fi look, beautiful and unique music that perfectly complements the environments, and gameplay that is always being shaken up and kept interesting with new gimmicks and mechanics coming in at just the right pace to keep it from ever getting boring.”
- “The core gameplay is solid and it changes things up a lot with many different special sections that are all pretty good.”
- “Gameplay mostly involves just wandering around collecting items so you can progress to the next zone, but the environment and atmosphere are very nice, so I enjoyed it.”
- “I hadn't encountered a mechanic besides combat and pressing E to open doors. There are weird conveyance crutches like having highlighted UI rings for water you can walk in and red ones for water you can't (couldn't just change the texture?). The textures are muddy when it comes to things like finding a door that's on a rock or wood wall, and the combat is really, really bad.”
- “The gameplay isn't great, but it never prevents you from having a great time.”
graphics
586 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
60%
3%
The graphics of "Northern Journey" are characterized by a unique low-fidelity aesthetic that blends retro PS1 and PS2 styles, creating a charming yet haunting atmosphere. While some players note the dated visuals and clunky character models, many appreciate the game's strong art direction and the way it enhances the overall experience, with beautiful environments that evoke a sense of exploration and nostalgia. Overall, the graphics are seen as a testament to the idea that artistic vision can triumph over high graphical fidelity, making the game visually captivating despite its simplicity.
- “Amazing atmosphere, incredible visuals despite the dated look.”
- “The retro PS1-era graphics do not feel at all like a limitation; quite the opposite, they give Northern Journey a lot of beauty and charm.”
- “The graphics are obviously dated, yet it's one of the most beautiful games I've ever played.”
- “The graphics are simple, without shadows or significant post processing, lending it a PS2-ish vibe visually.”
- “Bearing all that in mind, no game is without flaws of course, there are certain sections that can be bothersome, frustrating or tedious, and unfortunately the graphics are nothing to write home about; some areas can look quite abrasive or downright gross.”
- “Northern journey has ugly graphics by today's standards but it's charming in its own way, with a very unique art style.”
story
394 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
32%
65%
2%
The story of the game is often described as minimal and straightforward, primarily serving as a vehicle for exploration rather than a deep narrative experience. While some players appreciate its whimsical and surreal qualities, drawing on elements of Scandinavian folklore, others find it lacking in depth and coherence, with many quests feeling like simple fetch tasks. Overall, the game's charm lies more in its atmosphere, character design, and unique world-building than in its plot, which is often seen as quirky and entertaining but not particularly profound.
- “This game is stunning with how the story develops.”
- “This is a game that doesn’t just tell a story; it pulls you into its world, making you feel like a true adventurer.”
- “The story was strange, charming, and surprisingly compelling.”
- “For me, the only negative is the barebones story, which justified its existence only as a motivation to explore.”
- “In truth, there isn’t much to the story of Northern Journey, which is occupied almost entirely by a fetch quest given by a mysterious flute player.”
- “While NJ clearly is steeped in some folklore as its inspiration, I struggle to call its story much more than inspired gibberish.”
humor
128 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is described as a delightful blend of dark, absurd, and whimsical elements, often juxtaposed with eerie and terrifying moments. Players appreciate the quirky character designs, funny dialogue, and unexpected comedic situations that evoke a sense of nostalgia for folklore-inspired tales. Overall, the game successfully balances humor with horror, creating a unique and engaging experience that keeps players entertained throughout their adventure.
- “The game is fantastic, an eight to ten hour long adventure, filled with amazing locations, horrifying enemies, wonderful music, and strange & funny characters.”
- “What a crazy, weird, delightful, funny, and sometimes terrifying game.”
- “It's creepy-funny; there are a lot of unsettling characters and events, but they are so amusing and entertaining you can't help but smile.”
grinding
90 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
7%
93%
Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mixed experience, with many noting that while the exploration is enjoyable, certain combat encounters and sections—especially towards the end—become tedious and frustrating. The combat can oscillate between being engaging and overly repetitive, leading to a sense of fatigue, particularly during boss fights and enemy swarms. Despite these issues, some players still appreciate the immersive world and beautiful environments, suggesting that the positives can outweigh the tedious moments.
- “It may seem like a walking sim, but it is not. It has combat, and it's pretty good. It will have you thinking about your next step to progress; it's not tedious (to me) and is actually quite enjoyable.”
- “No grinding or bloat.”
- “Well, Northern Journey is first and foremost about exploration, but not the tedious exploration so common to modern games.”
- “Edit and spoiler - the late part of the game with the swimming is the most tedious and annoying part in any game I've ever played. I got lost way too much; a more powerful flashlight or some better orientation besides that lame red rope would have saved it. I heavily enjoyed it up to this point and now I will take a day-long break before I touch it again. Not even sure how much more I have to go after opening a bookshelf, but after I saw that I still have to dive again, I saved and noped out.”
- “Some areas are pretty tedious, especially the last 25% of the game where exploration is still there, but it's filled with annoying combat encounters.”
- “Just generally tedious, frustrating, and boring.”
emotional
44 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is described as a profound and multifaceted experience, blending feelings of wonder, discomfort, and nostalgia. Players report being captivated by the game's atmospheric world, which evokes a range of emotions from joy to fear, often simultaneously, creating a unique "happysad" experience. The game's ability to immerse players in its emotional landscape, despite a lack of traditional narrative depth, is highlighted as a standout feature, making it both heartfelt and psychologically intense.
- “Emotionally, this game is a whole amusement park and a half. The term 'happysad' in the store description is definitely appropriate, and I feel the game is overwrought (not negatively) with extreme contrasts; there's a fantastic sense of humor, absolute wonder, wanderlust, and amazement at the world's beauty and characters, curiosity abounds, then like a rubber band wrapped around the moon, it snaps back with earth-shattering force to intense horror, phobias, ugliness, and disgust, wrapped up in bittersweet emotions.”
- “Genuinely one of the most heartfelt, inspired games I've played in a very long time.”
- “It was such an emotional roller coaster, from a game in which I only expected trippy levels, boomer shooter mechanics, and a good soundtrack.”
character development
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
58%
29%
13%
Character development in the game is marked by unique and unsettling designs that evoke a strong emotional response, though the dialogue and story are often criticized as simplistic. The low-fidelity aesthetic and creative character animations contribute to a distinctive atmosphere that enhances the overall experience, making it memorable despite its dated appearance. While some may find the designs off-putting, many players appreciate their originality and the symbolic depth they bring to the game.
- “The atmosphere, music, visuals, character design, and level design all compelled me to want to explore further and further.”
- “Even though the graphics and character design look old and bizarre or even off-putting at some point, it honestly just makes the game stand out more in my opinion and I've really grown to like the aesthetic of this game and I feel that it really gives it a unique feel.”
- “Between the character designs and enemy designs, you'll probably feel like you've lost your mind.”
- “Even though the graphics and character design look old and bizarre or even off-putting at some point, it honestly just makes the game stand out more in my opinion.”
- “The character design is loony and inspired, dripping with symbolism.”
optimization
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
59%
14%
Overall, the game is praised for its excellent optimization, allowing it to run smoothly even on low-end hardware, with many users reporting no performance issues. However, some players experienced moderate stuttering and frame drops in specific areas, indicating that while the game is generally well-optimized, there may be isolated technical hiccups. The developers are commended for their skill in maximizing visual quality without sacrificing performance.
- “It's also one of the best optimized games I've seen in the last few years; it will run perfectly on a potato GT 1030 and i5 2320 at 1080p.”
- “4) Haunted glacier caused moderate stuttering/frame drops on my system throughout the entire area, unclear why.”
- “From a technical standpoint, the game is very optimized and I think it could basically run on a toaster, yet it always looks beautiful.”
- “The dev has surely mastered the art of optimization, a skill lost to the ages by developers of all tax brackets.”
stability
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
10%
90%
Overall, the game's stability is a mixed bag; while many players report a largely bug-free experience with no crashes or major glitches, some have encountered minor issues, particularly in the initial hours, including softlocks and terrain collision problems. Despite these glitches, the game is generally considered polished and playable, with most users not experiencing significant disruptions to their gameplay.
- “It was a very bug-free experience, but the one issue I had was fixed soon after reporting it.”
- “A real piece of buggy eurojank.”
- “Janky as hell, terrain collision is buggy and caused me to fall to my death in several occasions; some enemies have weird hitboxes making them too easy or too hard to fight.”
- “There are glitches (mostly in the initial hour, one major glitch did prevent an essential NPC, called the 'village idiot', from appearing so it softlocked until I reloaded) but it's quite polished and there are no immersion or game-breaking glitches that take away from the experience.”
replayability
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
50%
30%
Overall, the game has limited replayability, with most players noting it offers little beyond a desire to experience its unique world again. While some find enjoyment in experimenting with different tools and items, the absence of achievements or additional content diminishes its long-term appeal. Despite these limitations, many reviewers still consider it a worthwhile experience for its immersive qualities.
- “The jank may be seen as frustrating for some, but for me, it offered replayability using specific tools and items.”
- “Not sure how much replayability it has, but it's definitely worth a run through.”
- “It takes roughly 10-12 hours to complete, has barely any replay value, no achievements, Steam cards, or any other features, but it's easily one of the best games I've played in years.”
- “It offers very small amounts of replayability outside 'I just want to experience it again', but despite its few frustrating flaws, it's a fun, weird game that immerses you in its odd world very well.”
- “I got immersed in this game for the 11 hours it had, and while it doesn't have much replayability for me, it is well worth the price.”
monetization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game is praised for its lack of microtransactions, providing a complete and enjoyable experience without the interference of monetization tactics. Reviewers appreciate the focus on delivering a solid, fun game without the distractions of political themes or additional costs.
- “No politics, no weird DEI nonsense, no microtransactions, just a good, solid, fun, gorgeous game from start to finish, the likes of which will likely never be made in America again.”