Unforgiving - A Northern Hymn | Game Brain

Unforgiving - A Northern Hymn Game Cover

About

Unforgiving - A Northern Hymn is a first-person norse horror adventure game. Explore the hauntingly beautiful landscapes of northern Sweden while solving puzzles and uncovering the dark secrets of your past. With a focus on narrative and exploration, uncover the truth behind the mysterious apparitions stalking you. Short summary: Immerse in a first-person norse horror adventure, exploring the eerie landscapes of northern Sweden, solving puzzles, and uncovering the dark truth of your past.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

Unforgiving - A Northern Hymn screenshot

83%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,018 reviews

story172 positive mentions

grinding24 negative mentions

Great atmosphere and sound design that keeps players on edge.
Unique take on Swedish folklore and mythology, adding depth to the horror experience.
Engaging story with unexpected twists that keeps players invested.

Very short gameplay, typically around 2-4 hours, which may not justify the full price.
Gameplay can feel linear and repetitive, with limited puzzles and exploration.
Graphics and character animations are dated and could use improvement.

story
424 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
41%
56%
3%
The game's story is a mix of intriguing elements and underdeveloped plot points, often drawing from Swedish folklore and Norse mythology. While some players found the narrative engaging and atmospheric, others criticized it for being simplistic, linear, or confusing, with a lack of meaningful choices and character development. Overall, the story has moments of brilliance but suffers from inconsistencies and missed opportunities, leaving players divided on its effectiveness.
- “The story is intriguing and kept me on the edge of my seat until the very end.”
- “An amazing experience through and through, full of excellent voice acting, harrowing environments, interesting background storytelling, terrifying creatures, and fantastic use of Scandinavian myth and lore.”
- “A beautiful combination of Swedish folklore, great atmosphere, and an interesting story makes me want to play more and more.”
- “Because the back story was depicted in one of the worst possible ways, the storyline was kind of disconnected.”
- “The story feels like an 8-year-old kid wrote it.”
- “The story just doesn't hook me up; for most of the game, I was confused about what was going on.”
gameplay
266 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
28%
62%
10%
The gameplay of "Unforgiving - A Northern Hymn" has received mixed reviews, with players appreciating its atmospheric tension and unique mechanics, such as the harp puzzle system. However, many criticized the gameplay for being repetitive, lacking variety, and often feeling like a walking simulator with minimal challenge. While the story and sound design are praised, the overall gameplay experience is seen as needing refinement to enhance engagement and enjoyment.
- “The [spoiler] harp [/spoiler] mechanic was creative, intuitive, and fun, all without being frustrating.”
- “The gameplay is varied enough that nothing grows stale, and the Swedish folklore it's based around is quite intriguing.”
- “The controls are smooth and the gameplay is intense and suspenseful.”
- “What it lacks in net graphical fidelity, compelling scares, and engaging narrative chops, 'Unforgiving - A Northern Hymn' also lacks in sound design, gameplay, and overall cohesion.”
- “The reason I find the gameplay boring is that not many things happen, and the walking speed is painfully slow and the scenes are repeated.”
- “There's a complete and utter lack of any sort of gameplay loop.”
atmosphere
258 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
61%
37%
2%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive and chilling qualities, effectively combining sound design, music, and environmental details to create a sense of dread and tension. Many reviewers highlight the game's ability to balance calm, eerie moments with panic-inducing sequences, drawing players into its dark, folklore-inspired world. While some note technical shortcomings, the overall consensus is that the atmosphere is the standout feature, making it a compelling experience for horror enthusiasts.
- “The atmosphere is primarily created by the sound design, which I was very impressed with.”
- “The atmosphere for this game achieved its goal of immersion and managed to reach a level of terrifying I did not expect.”
- “An excellent horror game with incredible atmosphere and sound design that will have you tense and looking behind you almost every step of the way.”
- “But it's rough technically, slow paced, visuals are weird - the darkness and mist are more making it hard to play than creating an atmosphere.”
- “Not to mention, the use of said jump scares attempts to make up for a lack of atmosphere or story building.”
- “I was not drawn into the atmosphere and the brother looked like he was made on a Friday night after the developer had no time to spare before pushing this to full release.”
music
170 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
46%
52%
2%
The music in the game is widely praised for its atmospheric and haunting qualities, effectively enhancing the horror experience with Nordic and Swedish folk influences. Many reviewers highlight the soundtrack's ability to create tension and immerse players in the game's eerie setting, although some note that the chase music can be overly loud and mismatched at times. Overall, the sound design and music are considered standout features, contributing significantly to the game's chilling atmosphere.
- “The music is astonishing, the tension and atmosphere are beyond on point.”
- “The game's stunning graphics and haunting soundtrack set the perfect tone for the horror that unfolds.”
- “What I'll highlight most about this game isn't actually the story or the scare factor itself; it's the soundtrack that gripped me more than anything.”
- “Also the graphics, let's face it, the graphics are pretty awful, and the music is sometimes banging ridiculously loud, especially the chase music.”
- “There was constantly loud intense music playing when nothing was happening just to make you feel on edge and some of the music in the chase scenes didn't fit the theme of the game in my opinion.”
- “Music, however, is generic and nothing memorable.”
graphics
170 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
56%
14%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many players noting that they are generally outdated and lack polish, often comparing them to titles from earlier console generations. While some appreciate the atmospheric design and attention to detail, others criticize the visuals for being poor, especially in terms of character models and overall fidelity. Despite these shortcomings, the game's sound design and storytelling are often highlighted as compensatory strengths that enhance the overall experience.
- “Lovely game, beautiful graphics with a good attention to detail and a good story.”
- “The game's stunning graphics and haunting soundtrack set the perfect tone for the horror that unfolds.”
- “Great visuals, animation and music/sound effects, you can tell that a lot of hard work and long nights went into making this indie game.”
- “Graphically and technically, the game is extremely poor.”
- “The graphics despite being on maximum also look extremely bad, without textures or shadows, and the characters are bland and artificial.”
- “It uses extreme levels of darkness as a crutch to hide poor design and lame graphics.”
grinding
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The reviews consistently highlight the grinding aspect of the game as tedious and often frustrating, with excessive walking and busywork detracting from the overall experience. Players found the gameplay repetitive and lacking in excitement, with some sections feeling unnecessarily prolonged and unengaging. Despite some interesting mechanics, the grind ultimately led to a subpar experience that failed to captivate or scare.
- “After that, it just becomes tedious busywork.”
- “So all in all it was quite a boring and tedious journey with some monsters to evade and areas to go through, like forests and tunnels.”
- “I wanted to enjoy it for the myths and legends aspect, but I found the beginning too slow and grindy to hook me.”
replayability
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
15%
65%
20%
Overall, the game has limited replayability, primarily appealing to those interested in achievement hunting or uncovering secrets, rather than offering substantial new experiences. While some players find it entertaining enough to revisit, many agree that the lack of alternate endings and a compelling story diminishes its replay value significantly.
- “No spoilers but it has great replay value and it's worth way more than whatever it's on sale for.”
- “Offers a bit of replayability in case one wants to uncover all of its secrets.”
- “I do plan to replay it to get all the achievements though it does have replay value for me.”
- “So except to get all the achievements, the game doesn't really have much replayability.”
- “As far as replayability goes, there isn't much reason to unless you are trying to achievement hunt or uncover more of the story, which isn't really amazing or anything.”
- “All in all, it is definitely worth playing, but for replay value, it is nearly nonexistent.”
optimization
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
50%
25%
The game's optimization is widely criticized, with many users reporting poor performance even on capable rigs, and a lack of proper graphics options, such as the inability to disable antialiasing. While some aspects of the graphics are praised, the overall experience is deemed unoptimized, particularly for players with lower-spec systems.
- “The game has good optimization, but the graphics are a bit dated even on the highest settings.”
- “The graphics are great, the character models and movement not so much, the sound is decent, and the optimization is fine.”
- “The game has good optimization overall, providing a smooth experience despite some graphical limitations.”
- “Also, it runs horribly on a rig that runs Destiny 2 on mid-to-high performance, even when using borderless fullscreen.”
- “Unoptimized game, mainly lighting effects and post-processing; the game is without proper graphics options and you can't even turn off antialiasing.”
- “If you don't have the newest gaming PC and are looking for a low-spec horror game, I recommend you look elsewhere, because this is not optimized at all.”
stability
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is mixed, with some players reporting bugs and glitches, particularly during chase scenes and with enemy AI. However, others have completed the game without encountering any issues. Overall, while some users experienced stability problems, others found the game to run smoothly.
- “Firstly, the game is buggy and has some glitches.”
- “The game is very short, has buggy enemy AI, and terrible depth perception.”
- “It is a short game, and upon initial installation, it was a bit buggy.”
emotional
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is praised for its strong emotional impact, effectively evoking a mix of fear, disgust, and sadness that leaves a lasting impression on players. Many reviewers found it to be emotionally addictive, highlighting moments that elicited genuine reactions, such as fright and joy, making it one of their best gaming experiences. Overall, it successfully combines horror elements with deep emotional engagement.
- “Emotionally very addictive game, actually one of the best games I've ever played.”
- “I was really impressed by the emotions the game made me feel; it was a combination of fear, disgust, and sadness.”
- “One instance got me to actually verbally yelp 'ah!' in fright and then I smiled because I cannot remember the last time a game made me feel like that.”
humor
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is derived from unexpected elements, such as characters speaking Swedish and the overuse of jump scares, which some players found amusing rather than frightening. Additionally, unconvincing animations contributed to the comedic effect, making certain moments unintentionally funny. Overall, the blend of humor and horror creates a unique experience that can lighten the tension.
- “It made me a little scared to play this first, but when they started speaking Swedish, I just started laughing a lot.”
- “The overuse of jump scares is actually humorous at times and ruins the immersion.”
- “The animations are somewhat unconvincing, and a few times it looked funny too.”
character development
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Character development in the game is noted for its detailed mythology, though some users feel that the character design and narrative cohesion require improvement. Overall, while the foundation is strong, enhancements could elevate the experience further.
- “Some things would need a bit of work - some character design as well as making sure the story doesn't feel disjointed - but otherwise, it's a good one.”
- “This game is very detailed in the mythology, and I suggest getting the art book as well if you want to learn more about the character design.”