Oknytt
- April 4, 2014
- Nemoria Entertainment
Get on Steam"Oknytt is a single-player, point-and-click adventure game set in a Norse medieval world, drawing inspiration from Swedish folklore. As a small creature, players utilize four elemental runes and puzzle-solving to navigate the dark environment and find a sense of belonging. Masterful graphics, atmospheric music, and emotional storytelling create a rich and immersive gaming experience."
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game features a charming story deeply rooted in Swedish folklore, providing a unique and immersive experience.
- The art style is beautifully crafted, creating an atmospheric and engaging world that enhances the storytelling.
- The voice acting, particularly by the narrator, adds a delightful layer to the game, making it feel like a fairy tale being told.
- Some puzzles can be obscure and illogical, often requiring trial and error, which may frustrate players.
- The game has a slow pace, with the main character moving very slowly, which can detract from the overall experience.
- There is a lack of resolution options and some players may find the dark color palette makes it difficult to see interactive elements.
- story384 mentions
- 42 % positive mentions
- 56 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The story of "Oknytt" is a captivating blend of Swedish folklore and fairy tale elements, narrated in a unique campfire storytelling style that immerses players in its enchanting world. While the narrative is rich and atmospheric, some players found it slow-paced and occasionally aimless, with a few expressing frustration over the gameplay mechanics. Overall, the game is praised for its beautiful art, engaging voice acting, and the emotional depth of its story, making it a memorable experience for fans of narrative-driven games.
“Oknytt not only fulfills that role, but exceeds it tenfold by instantaneously enthralling me into its fantastical world and amazing story.”
“The story happens through a single night and is still told without haste, allowing the player to fully immerse in the world and the weird, sometimes eerie, sometimes cruel, usually selfish and sometimes kind, creatures that inhabit it.”
“The story is told as if you were actually sitting around a fire listening to an expert storyteller regale you with this odd tale.”
“The story is, unfortunately, kind of bad.”
“The latter is inexplicably cured by some things happening in the end that don't have any part of the story and very much didn't even try to make sense.”
“The story feels... unresolved, by the end, which bothered me immensely (I mainly play story-heavy games).”
- graphics142 mentions
- 55 % positive mentions
- 42 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The graphics of "Oknytt" are characterized by a unique, atmospheric art style inspired by Swedish artist John Bauer, featuring a predominantly monochromatic palette that evokes a mystical and foreboding ambiance. While many players appreciate the captivating visuals and hand-drawn appearance, some critique the lack of color and contrast, which can hinder gameplay due to difficulties in identifying interactive elements. Overall, the art direction is praised for its originality and suitability to the game's folklore theme, creating an immersive experience despite some technical limitations.
“The 2D/semi-3D art style is beautiful, captivating, and immersive, making you feel part of the mystic world you're being presented.”
“All of the characters and backgrounds are depicted in a beautifully created art style inspired by Swedish artist John Bauer.”
“The art style is superb, in combination with the Swedish folklore heritage behind it; this game is truly magical!”
“It would have been better if they had chosen to include a little more color or used better contrast in their art style.”
“Also, it's very hard to finish the chapters without a guide, and the graphics are so dark that it's basically impossible sometimes, since the game involves a lot of pixel hunting.”
“Said items are also often a bit too well hidden in the environment, something made worse by the mostly black and white graphics, or can be gathered through interacting with every single object in a scene, something that can get dull quickly.”
- atmosphere106 mentions
- 64 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its captivating blend of eerie, dark, and magical elements, enhanced by beautiful artwork and a compelling narrative. Many reviewers highlight the game's ability to evoke a sense of melancholy and intrigue, particularly through its Nordic folklore themes and atmospheric sound design. Overall, the atmosphere is considered a standout feature, making the game a memorable experience despite some criticisms of gameplay mechanics.
“The atmosphere is appropriately creepy, yet still very magical - it keeps the tone balance well enough.”
“Beautiful art style, wonderfully narrated story, and amazing atmosphere.”
“I couldn't get enough of the atmosphere of this game.”
“This color scheme is great for setting the tone and atmosphere, but terrible on the eyes!”
“But this didn't bother me: the basic story was clear, I appreciated the care that clearly went into the whole thing, and I dig that the atmosphere and imagery is pervasively morose and disturbing.”
“And broke what could have been a slightly eerie atmosphere; the main protagonist definitely should have been silent.”
- gameplay78 mentions
- 26 % positive mentions
- 67 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The gameplay in Oknytt is characterized as a standard point-and-click adventure, involving exploration, item collection, and puzzle-solving, with the addition of elemental runestones that add some complexity. While some players find the mechanics straightforward and enjoyable, others criticize the gameplay for being choppy and occasionally contrived, leading to reliance on walkthroughs. Overall, the game is appreciated for its atmospheric storytelling and art, even if the gameplay itself is seen as decent but not exceptional.
“Oknytt knows what it wants to be, what it wants to focus on and does it really well, without adding unnecessary mechanics or artificially prolonging the time needed to complete it.”
“The main wrinkle to the gameplay comes in the form of the four elemental runestones on the bottom which can (usually) be activated to affect the world.”
“Thanks to solid gameplay, an intriguing world and interesting characters, the game is not only competent but also unique.”
“So clearly the gameplay sucks, but I really like the story and the calm & odd atmosphere.”
“Gameplay is too choppy, with some riddles pretty contrived.”
“The gameplay is the standard 'roam around, click on things, collect items, use items to solve puzzles' formula that has been around for decades.”
- music58 mentions
- 66 % positive mentions
- 29 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its haunting and atmospheric qualities, enhancing the overall experience with a beautifully melancholic and memorable soundtrack. While some users noted that the amount of music is limited, the soundscape effectively complements the visuals and storytelling, creating a captivating ambiance. Overall, the soundtrack is described as stellar, fitting seamlessly with the game's aesthetic and evoking a sense of nostalgia and emotional depth.
“The soundtrack is very nice; it's so good that I could listen to it outside of the game too.”
“Subtle but memorable soundtrack serves as a perfect backdrop, turning from the tribal beat of the drums to a sinister whistling melody aided by sorrowful sounds, adding a layer of eeriness.”
“The music in the game definitely fits right with the look of the game; there was something old about it, not that it felt dated, but it felt like you were going back into an age long forgotten in mythology.”
“There isn't much music, and what there is isn't very notable, but the game has some effective sound effects.”
“The music in the game definitely fit right with the look of the game; there was something old about it, not that it felt dated, but it felt like you were going back into an age long forgotten in mythology.”
“Haunting music, background sounds, etc.”
- emotional32 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of "Oknytt" resonates deeply with players, evoking feelings of nostalgia and warmth akin to childhood storytelling. The game's heartfelt narrative, centered around a nameless creature's quest for belonging and its bond with a wingless fairy, leads to a bittersweet and tear-jerking conclusion that leaves a lasting impact. Despite some unresolved plot elements, the charming art style, atmospheric music, and engaging narration contribute to a touching experience that many players find memorable.
“I never expected to get so emotionally attached to a nameless creature that looks like a sentient pinecone, yet here we are.”
“The tale of the nameless small creature is a heartwarming story, with the creature initially trying to discover its place in the world before committing itself wholeheartedly to helping its one friend, a sad, wingless fairy called an alva.”
“Gameplay falls into the shorter range (about 6 hours if you play it thoroughly and without a guide), but it’s very atmospheric: chapter 2 is downright creepy, and the end is so emotional that handkerchiefs are recommended.”
- humor10 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is polarizing; some players find it lacking entirely, which is unusual for the genre, while others appreciate its cute and funny elements, describing it as a good way to spend a few hours. Additionally, there are mentions of both intentional and unintentional humor, with some interactions being particularly amusing. Overall, the humor may not resonate with everyone, but it has its moments of charm.
“Super cute and funny, a good game to just sit down and spend a few hours on.”
“Funny interaction.”
“It's too unintentionally hilarious to me.”
- grinding8 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, primarily due to the frequent use of illogical puzzles and a slow user interface that hinders progress. The need to repeatedly test various runes in different scenes adds to the frustration, making the overall experience feel laborious rather than challenging.
“This system can be a little tedious in that you then have to try each rune in each scene even though many times it will not produce any necessary effect.”
“Basic clicking UI is tediously slow and constantly blocks input while waiting for the action to complete.”
“While the majority of puzzles do make sense, the ones that employ moon logic occur often enough for it to become a bit annoying and make the whole progress seem tedious.”
- replayability4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game is criticized for its slow pace and poor framerate, leading to a lack of replay value, with some players suggesting the use of cheats to enhance playability. Overall, it appears that the game does not offer significant incentives for replaying.
“Absolutely no replay value.”
“It's very slow-moving and has a crappy framerate; I'd recommend using 3x speed hacks with Cheat Engine to make the game a bit more playable if you do play it.”
