Descending through Year Walk is liking having an ice cube put down the back of your shirt, then being pushed into the Antarctic Ocean. It's chilling and unnerving in a way that messes with your head, transcending its own existence into something that feels tangible; too close for comfort and so well crafted it causes you to second guess your own instincts that this is nothing but fantasy. As I sat staring at "The End" plastered across my screen, I could still feel my quickened pulse as I tried to shake the feeling of being on edge, something no piece of entertainment in any medium has managed in what feels like a very long time.

Year walking is a practice (largely found in Sweden) in which a ritual is performed by the walker through which they are given a glimpse through time at what the future holds. However, it comes at a grave cost, and there is no guarantee the walker will even make it through alive.

Walking through a forest at midnight, snow blanketing the ground around you, you come face to face with the horrors that befall those that dare to year walk: The Watchers, twisted and greedy spirits, who demand their sacrifice for showing you what is to come. The deeper you get, the more vile and disturbing these encounters become, before you finally enter the church and see your fate.

This is when the game first ends, but it also marks the point at which the game truly begins. Up to this point you've been bustled along through this story with little in the way of explanation or reason. It's artistically brilliant and frightening to be sure, but all the same largely disconnected and without any real purpose, meant to alarm but ultimately lacking any substance. It's not then until you begin to walk again and the curtain is pulled away that the pieces fall into place and the true meaning behind your circumstances become clear. Terrifyingly so.

Year Walk is a master at what it tries to be. It lets nothing on and leaves you wandering in the dark for a good while, which only makes it more unnerving when it finally lays its cards on the table. The expert use of Swedish folklore ties its world and ours together as it attempts to break the forth wall as it weaves together fantasy and psychological horror into a brief but immensely compelling narrative. If you've gotten this far you've likely realized I've said a lot of nothing in all these words, and that's entirely intentional, as to say what makes Year Walk so brilliant would be to completely ruin it the experience. No, this is one walk that you have to take for yourself, though I promise you won't regret it.

Haunting. Were I to sum up my feelings on my time with Year Walk, I could think of no other term or phrase that better exemplifies my experience. In the brief time that it takes to complete this surreal journey, I could barely pull myself away from my computer.

Year Walk is a story of a Love that cannot be, and a man who seeks to know if his love may ever be returned in kind. What follows is a bizarre foray into Scandinavian folklore, of moving through time itself to see one’s future, and facing the terrifying creatures that block your path.

You’re limited to a two dimensional plane, from which you can move left and right, and to and from connected planes . The entirety of the map is relatively small, with around a dozen or so total planes from which you can move about freely. Given the game’s previous touch screen interface, it’s important to remember as such while trying to figure out puzzles. The game expects you to move your cursor like you would your finger, often quickly and in succession. Mind you, this never becomes a problem, as there are no reflexive puzzles to speak. I just feel it’s worth keeping in mind, as first starting out, it felt a bit odd solving puzzles in that manner using a standard mouse.

Given this title’s origins on mobile platforms, it is important to know that any limitations this may bring to its mechanics do not extend to its presentation. The world you explore is gorgeous, and the orchestral score and sound design is superbly unsettling, to the point where I could visibly see goose bumps forming on my arms. The visual design itself is equally divine, and combined, make even the occasional jump scare give me a notable fright. While I would recommend this for the score alone, several of the puzzles require you to recognize subtleties in sounds, and so headphones are a must.

The experience is short; it took me two hours to finish everything, and that was with plenty of incompetency on my part in regards to what I should be doing. Luckily, new to the PC port, there is a map system that always pinpoints your exact location. And there’s a hint system should you ever become lost on what you should be doing next. There’s also a series of journal entries that better explains the horrors you experience. While I would personally recommend waiting on these reads until after finishing the game, at the very least, you should refrain from looking at individual entries until you’ve successfully passed their respective portions of the game.

In fact, the journal provides something I often find lacking in other similarly surrealistic titles: explanation. The journal provides a background on the Scandinavian mythos that you will encounter in the game, and the entire experience is better for it.

Even given the very short length of the journey, I wholeheartedly recommend it as one that any interested in the bizarre and the macabre should pick up. It is spectacular, and I was glued to my computer screen for the entire duration. My time spent in these woods will remain with me for some time.

This game is hard to describe. At once serene, surreal, and disturbing. Unexpected and unnerving. And yet somehow delightful. I won't soon forget this one.

It's not a very long game, but after you've finished it... it's not over. You'll see.

Year walk starts as a puzzle game, only to reveal a backstory that is inspired heavily upon scandinavian folklore and depending on your immersion to the game and your general way of thinking, has the potential to haunt you for days. You start off as a mysterious person who has decided to try what is called "year walking" in order to predict your future. This entails staying alone in the dark without food/water during new year's eve, and when the clock strikes midnight, you take a walk in the forest surrounding your cabin. As you explore, you meet strange creatures, that taunt you with puzzles which you have to solve in order to be allowed for a glimpse of what the future holds. Little do you know that this knowledge comes with consequences.

Year walk's art looks beautiful and in combination with the soundtrack, it creates a haunting and creepy atmosphere. You essentialy walk around in a 2d first person view environment, trying to make sense of the strange things you encounter. Many of them have a meaning towards solving the creature's riddles, so make sure to note down important stuff. Depending on your puzzle skills, you can find them easy or difficult, but there are hint and guide options for the latter, and I believe your overall experience will not be ruined either way. Also, the game's duration is rather small, probably under 3 hours, however I strongly recommend it, especially to avid puzzle gamers and anyone who enjoys a particularly well set backstory.

+ Great art style
+ Creepy atmosphere
+ Great story
+ Simple, but cryptic puzzles

- A few jumpscares (might be a + depending on your taste)
- Short duration
- Puzzles can be frustrating without hint use for some people

The only thing that bothered me was the short lenght of the game, other than that I'd say its pretty much worth the tiny heart attacks that occur every now and again even when its really nothing especially scary. The art style is pretty simplistic, but it really is beautiful and, to me, it really does help the game pop and settle it in its own, distinctive thing. The puzzles aren't really that difficult if you're used to this type of game (though the musical sequences don't apply to this). There are several bits which can be a bit nerve wrecking (e.g. the safe just outside your cottage) and many of the throphies require you to play the game once or twice again.
All in all it really is a solid, little piece of work which is well worth the money. I don't want to spoil anything, seeing how it really is gratifying when you figure something out on your own. Buy it, play it again and again, lose your mind over (what are essentially) really simple tasks and ease into the unsettling, unnerving atmosphere that will make you jump at your own shadow.

It's been months since I first played Year Walk on iOS and I still think about it regularly. The Steam version of this game is as beautifully made as the original, and the changed puzzles feel at home on the PC. The atmosphere is greatly enhanced in this version of the game, providing a creepier mood than the iOS version - so much so that surprises I knew were coming still got jolts out of me. The story behind this game is so intriguing and mysterious that I wish there was more information about it online; Year Walk is an amazing introduction into Scandinavian folklore that everyone should play.