This is my third venture into the Welcome To Elk universe. The demo caught my eye the first time, and this follows the same steps as we get off the fishing/ferry boat and arrive in Elk. As Frigg, we’re accompanied by Jeppe, a local who brought you here for your new life as a carpentry apprentice.
Despite having already played this section, I was soon taking screenshots of everything, more than happy to use them as desktop wallpaper to admire the use of colour. The backgrounds are beautifully illustrated in black and white, with occasional points of interest that pop with colour.
The characters are also in full colour – imagine that! This makes them stand out and allows you to appreciate the vigorous colour choice. It doesn’t mute the character of El,k though; this is a living, breathing self-contained campfire of anecdotes, life experiences and remarkable charm.
Welcome To Elk Review
My only critique of the design is the same as before: the movement. Characters walk like they’re kids pretending to be drunk like mummy and daddy, and a little wobbly. I suppose this helps dilute the dark themes that the game covers, but occasionally, it ever so slightly veers away from the mature themes.
Elk itself isn’t a particularly large space to explore, and often there will be a few moments of backtracking to the pub, then to your home, back to the pub… Welcome To Elk is driven by the stories that are told, complemented by more mini-games than you can shake a stick at.
The first mini-game is a rhythm piece where you complete dance moves while mimicking a resident. It’s not remotely difficult, and the pattern with all these mini-games is about having a bit of fun without the fear of failing.
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Beer
Back to the mini-games. Other than similar rhythm-like games where you play both Frigg and another character, you can sing-a-long to a musical piece. While it’s elementary in application, I absolutely loved it.
Other games are mostly irrelevant, like mini-golf, fishing for beer and making images from cut-out newspapers. However, they all add to the experience; you’re a visitor to Elk, and you’re welcomed in a way that makes you want to try out everything it has to offer.
As Frigg says, there’s never a dull moment, and she’s right. Welcome To Elk is the epitome of storytelling; no matter how trivial it may seem, everyone has a story to tell, and they are forever immortalised by passing down to others. These stories we share are everywhere, from books to music, shopping habits to videogames, and Triple Topping has managed to fuse some innovative techniques that make it difficult to separate fact from fiction.
Welcome To Elk Review Summary
There’s a reason why Welcome To Elk received all these accolades for storytelling, and having taken my time to soak it all up, I wholeheartedly agree. While the tone can get melancholy in places, that doesn’t mean it can’t be enjoyed. Poignant, poetic and boozy.
