Absolute peak.

These were some of the most enjoyable 10 hours I've had in a video game I can't lie. The atmosphere, art style, music, world and level design, weapons and enemies are all just so incredibly well designed and polished it's honestly really difficult to find any flaws in this game. If anything I'd say that the terrain can be a bit hard to navigate due to its low poly nature and it caused me to fall off a cliff or into deep water a couple of times. This issue was most prevalent in the last hour or so of the game and the final boss fight(s) wasn't quite as good as the other ones.

If I had to sum it up; this game is essentially Doom and Dark Souls combined while also removing any and all kinds of bloat and tedious game design choices. It's very linear but also has a very well thought out, interconnected, semi open-world that allows you to unlock shortcuts to areas you've already been in the more you progress through the game. Visually this game never loses its vision which is something I can really appreciate. It's a believable and at first fairly grounded world that progressively becomes more magical and otherworldly throughout your play-through, while still maintaining a cohesive art direction and style.

I've noticed the combat being the focal point of most negative reviews, which on one hand I can somewhat understand because it takes some getting used to, but also completely disagree with. I think the combat is great and absolutely fits this game. You have a variety of different weapons you unlock throughout the game, each with a unique animation, feel, damage, and purpose. Some are meant to clear swarms of weaker enemies while others can put out a lot of damage against single targets, plus everything in between. There are also a bunch of different enemy types that further enhance the feel of the combat and really make you consider all your available options.

I would definitely recommend "Northern Journey" and seriously hope the developer is already working on their next game.

9.5/10