• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Northern Journey - the most black metal adventure i've played

Hohenheim

Member
Just finished a real gem of a game: Northern Journey by a small developer called Slid Studio, released in 2021.
I think it's made by one guy.
Extremly immersive and beautiful game, and the closest thing i've ever seen to the nordic backdrop of mountains and forests with some very autentic black metal vibes.
I think it's my favourite game of the ones i've played so far this year.
Highly recommended for people who enjoys good,old-skool adventures with a real sense of discovery. Gave me quite a bit of Metroid Prime-vibes, actually!

And before the obvious "good that you promote your game" posts comes along: No, I did not make the game. Just think it deserves a shout out.
I wish I was so talented though!

 
Last edited:

ultrazilla

Member
ss_48f1e15710df1f4f58ae84cdaedc6e7bece247a7.600x338.jpg
ss_3019609cf2974467887d9499ecada713aa6f5f7a.600x338.jpg


ss_c36e8ea1d4a69cf6ad6fdde1eb2c414b21ffb8a0.600x338.jpg
ss_aa84f6018591e1c18f11d3901abb4e93c1a0f58b.600x338.jpg


Woah. Thanks for highlighting this one Hohenheim Hohenheim







This soundtrack is incredible. It's like
Superbrothers Sword and Sorcery meets 80s Nordic Synthwave(if it existed)!

And the incredible OST:




Insta-favorited the soundtrack!
 
Last edited:

IAmRei

Member
Looks fine, i like the feels and atmosphere. Bleak colours made the feels looks fine. I think can reshade it with lower saturatio to add bleak and grim feels tho

Anyway, my most metal game are still dark souls 1 & 3, and also darksiders 2.
 

TintoConCasera

I bought a sex doll, but I keep it inflated 100% of the time and use it like a regular wife
Always heard a lot of praise about this one. Got it a few sales ago, should try it soon.

As for metal games... my picks would be the DOOM and Quake games. Throw in some Hexen too.
 

Hohenheim

Member
Anyway, my most metal game are still dark souls 1 & 3, and also darksiders 2.

As for metal games... my picks would be the DOOM and Quake games. Throw in some Hexen too.
These are indeed great "metal" games, but quite different. Northern Journey captures the nordic, bleak vibes of norwegian black metal masters (Burzum, Mayhem, Darkthrone etc).

Dark souls definitly the closest one for those vibes, but more emo. Doom are more polished big budget metal for me.
All great stuff!
 

IAmRei

Member
These are indeed great "metal" games, but quite different. Northern Journey captures the nordic, bleak vibes of norwegian black metal masters (Burzum, Mayhem, Darkthrone etc).

Dark souls definitly the closest one for those vibes, but more emo. Doom are more polished big budget metal for me.
All great stuff!
Im more into 80s metal, maybe thats why. : ))
 

Boralf

Member
Played it as well and I really like how it actually reminded me about the landscape in Norway, unlike some other games that tried to recreate the northern landscape. I don't really see how it is black metal though, it's more that it includes a lot of folk tales. Which black metal maybe also does?

It's a really nice little game with a lot of heart in it, just don't expect something groundbreaking.
 
Last edited:

Hohenheim

Member
Played it as well and I really like how it actually reminded me about the landscape in Norway, unlike some other games that tried to recreate the northern landscape. I don't really see how it is black metal though, it's more that it includes a lot of folk tales. Which black metal maybe also does?

It's a really nice little game with a lot of heart in it, just don't expect something groundbreaking.
For me, the "black metal" in the game is the fact you describe, that is actually captures the norwergian landscapes. Forests, mountains and lakes etc. Totally agree that this game nails the feel and look and atmosphere of that nature, and nothing is more black metal than that for me (again, speaking of the norwegian old-skool black metal, which was very much a soundscape for this nature).
Also captures the amazing art of Theodor Kittelsen.

There's a few examples of something that nails this to a extreme degree in the game, but that would be spoilers, and it's better to go in blind and experience it.

Hope they release another game soon!
 
It's one of the most unique adventure FPS games I played in a long time. Such labor of love, great sense of wonder and adventure, and enemies can be so menacing. I NEVER hated spider enemies so much like in this game. And yeah, this game can be real bad if you have heavy aracnophobia.
 

Hudo

Member
It ain't black metal unless your band mate commits suicide with a shotgun, you make a photo of the scene and use it as an album cover.

Yes, that happened.
 

Hohenheim

Member
It ain't black metal unless your band mate commits suicide with a shotgun, you make a photo of the scene and use it as an album cover.

Yes, that happened.
It was not a album, though. Just a bootleg. The guy who took the photo also kept pieces of skull and made jewellery with it.
And he was later killed with 16 knifestabs in the head and back by the same guy who also burnt several churches to the ground while making some of the best black metal ever in the same timeperiod.
Yeah, norwegian black metal in the 90's was pretty wild.
 

Hudo

Member
It was not a album, though. Just a bootleg. The guy who took the photo also kept pieces of skull and made jewellery with it.
And he was later killed with 16 knifestabs in the head and back by the same guy who also burnt several churches to the ground while making some of the best black metal ever in the same timeperiod.
Yeah, norwegian black metal in the 90's was pretty wild.
Now this is black metal.
 

YeulEmeralda

Linux User
Boohoo I live in one of the richest most peaceful countries on this planet I'm so depressed and going to slid my wrists in the sauna!

Scandinavians are strange like that.
 
Top Bottom