Incline Northern Journey - the best indie of 2021 you haven't played (yet)

[Curratum]

So. One-man dev. Unreal Engine. Absolutely bizarre and wonderful setting, art design, enemy encounters and worldbuilding.

Overwhelmingly positive reviews at 98% positive so far.

Developer updating and fixing reported bugs constantly, with 40+ news / update posts since the late Aug 2021 release.

The game feels like nothing else I've played. The visuals are great for what it aims to do and the game runs on a potato. The artstyle reminds me a little of the weirdness of IcePick Lodge.

The game seems to be pretty long too, with 10+ hours of game, costing just 10 EUR non-discounted.

Just, I dunno, just get it and play it. Look at the trailer and store shots and user shots on the hub. There's also a second, less combat-focused and more atmospheric trailer that shows up at the end of the string of Steam store screenshots, look at that as well.

I bought it out of enthusiasm to support the dev for his extended support and dedication to staying in touch with the playerbase. The fact that the game is so fresh, enthralling and oozing the good kind of weird out the ears is a nice bonus.

 

[Jenkem]

already had it wishlisted, waiting for a sale

 

[toughasnails]

Now that you remind me, Gloomwood's dev was raving about this game some time ago.
He was p good at sniffing out worthwhile obscure indies in the past (much more than he is at getting his own game out lol).

 

[Curratum]

Now that you remind me, Gloomwood's dev was raving about this game some time ago.
He was p good at sniffing out worthwhile obscure indies in the past (much more than he is at getting his own game out lol).

There's a thread about how people found out about the game on the Steam discussion hub. The majority of the people said they found it through Gloomwood's dev / Dusk's dev / Newblood. I found it through a friend's activity on Steam, he had wishlisted and now bought it and I looked into it and followed suit.

 

[Wirdschowerdn]

Curratum's enthusiastic description reminds me of Hedon, a game that I thought looks totally retarded but ended up becoming one of my favorite shooters of all time.

Well, guess I'll check this one out at the next week's Autumn sale.

 

[toughasnails]

I found this review on YT

It does look p impressive.

 

[Riskbreaker]

I can't overemphasize how good the environments look here. Raw, imposing landscapes, sometimes sprinkled with ruinous architecture that is akin to something that sprung outta rocks themselves and is always overwhelmed by its surroundings. It's like you're playing through a Friedrich painting.
And all of it with very restrained polygon count.

I'm 12 hours in and the game still keeps introducing new environments, always with unique enemies and often with new tricks and mechanics being introduced.
The aforementioned Gloomwood dev has almost 30 hours of recorded playtime on Steam.

 

[anvi]

Looks like a running backwards while pressing 1 button simulator.

 

[Terenty]

I found this review on YT

It does look p impressive.

Why is he running with a speed of light?

 

[anvi]

I use SpeedHack to make every game that fast.

 

[Riskbreaker]

Man, the creepy crawlies here. There's this foggy, swampy area later on. Most common enemy there is this sort of giant tick. They'll either hide in trees and fall on you when you approach or they'll have eggs hidden around that will burst open when you're close enough. Which is annoying alright. What happens if you fail to avoid their attack tho is that they'll attach themselves to your chest and slowly suck, suck, suck untill their "reservoir" is filled and grown, whereupon they detach their now ample selves, waddle away and burst into buncha eggs with new ticks inside. Fun times.

 

[Curratum]

I have a powerful disgust at insects in real life, probably bordering a phobia. This game has been worse than any horror game in recent memory. I am tense as fuck every step I take, also because the game hardly ever reuses enemies and there's shit waiting to fuck you up at every step.

 

[Curratum]

Game is now part of the Steam Autumn Sale.

Come on, you slags, it's just 8 EUR for the most fun you'll have this year!

 

[Wirdschowerdn]

 

[Ivan]

Game is now part of the Steam Autumn Sale.

Come on, you slags, it's just 8 EUR for the most fun you'll have this year!

Persuasion Check Passed

I'll buy a copy bro

 

[toughasnails]

Enjoying the game so far, I'm at the swampy area with mounds right now. The combat takes some time getting used to, combination of wind-up, limited time you can hold either the sling or bow up, the way enemies move and how unforgiving their hitboxes are. It's not like you can miss it either bc of those gates that require set number of kills to open. Also, in the forest area, mobs sometimes kinda blended in with their surroundings.

 

[Curratum]

Also, in the forest area, mobs sometimes kinda blended in with their surroundings.

You'll enjoy Nokkpond a lot

 

[Riskbreaker]

Aye, it seems to be intentional in some places. The second, marshy portion of Nokkpond, ace lake, has these small bugs that'll crawl out of grass or dark water.
What sometimes tricks you, too, is that as Curratum said the game won't be reusing enemy types between areas and some of them will actually be limited to one "dungeon" so you won't necessarily ever recognize them for what they are at first. There was this one cavern that had what seemed to be luminescent fungi or crystals on its walls. Only, once you're close enough, you'll see it's actually these silverfish-like (?) things. They'll already be crawling at ya with their many legs at that point.

 

[Curratum]

Aye, it seems to be intentional in some places. The second, marshy portion of Nokkpond, ace lake, has these small bugs that'll crawl out of grass or dark water.
What sometimes tricks you, too, is that as Curratum said the game won't be reusing enemy types between areas and some of them will actually be limited to one "dungeon" so you won't necessarily ever recognize them for what they are at first. There was this one cavern that had what seemed to be luminescent fungi or crystals on its walls. Only, once you're close enough, you'll see it's actually these silverfish-like (?) things. They'll already be crawling at ya with their many legs at that point.

I've already become so paranoid, I always fling a rock at anything that looks even remotely suspicious.

I mean, good grief, the snakes in Nokkpond, the way they sound, look and are animated, is some next-level Cthulhu otherworldly horror going on... :\

 

[toughasnails]

The cavern with that betentacled thing was pain the ass. Took me dozen+ tries to run trough the first stretch and I did it without even using the bait bc it doesn't really distract it for so long and sometimes a couple of tentacles stay around even while the rest of it goes for the bait. And you have to do it while platforming while the most of your screen is pitch black. The second stretch was easier bc of the more reliable way to get it off your back.
That said Greenslit area is jaw dropingly gorgeous, the cavern was the bad thing about it.

 

[Riskbreaker]

That said Greenslit area is jaw dropingly gorgeous, the cavern was the bad thing about it.

Especially once you unlock the ziplines and start blazing thru the landscape. Some Death Stranding grade shit right there - minus that game's pop-in!

 

[Curratum]

Just finished the game.

This was the most enjoyable, creepiest, tensest, most original, most eye-opening experience I've had with a game in nearly a decade.

This is also the best indie game I've ever played, together with Salt & Sanctuary.

Dusk's dev is the top rated (and positive and flattering) review on Northern Journey, but the irony here is that NJ is a much more important and overall better game than Dusk, or even Amid Evil. I'd argue that even Salt & Sanctuary is a step below, because it's so heavily derivative from DSouls and is borne primarily on its outstanding art design, just like Dusk and Amid Evil are so heavily derivative from older shooters.

Northern Journey is a game that is largely unlike any other. Perhaps King's Field or Lands of Lore come close, but not quite the same. It's an ADVENTURE in its purest form, it is varied, beautiful, diverse and rich in content, it has thrills and a sense of mystery and combat and exploration, all blending together in the wrap of a very skillfully executed art style and weirdness.

 

[Unkillable Cat]

I gave this a go, gave up just after entering Greenslit.

Yes, it's very atmosphereic, has some gorgeous-looking places and is not afraid to do things at its own pace.

No, I didn't really enjoy it. I've played dozens (if not hundreds) of games with all the same mechanics. Do these tasks before being allowed to progress. Kill X many critters before being allowed to progress. Be forced to use cantankerous weapons against enemies with stupid AI, while gliding all over the place.

It's not bad, but IMO Northern Journey doesn't do enough to set itself apart from the others.

 

[toughasnails]

The dev is already at work on his new game. I'm not sure what it's supposed to be but melee combat with directional swinging and modular damage looks p sweet. King's Field style game with the environments he is capable of making and with such an involved melee combat would be godly.

 

[Wirdschowerdn]

Been playing this now for a while (just picked up the bottled note in the Nokkpond depths) and need to take a break.

This is a very quirky and heartful adventure with a wondrous soundscape and good puzzling/level design that interchanges moments of tranquility with terror effortlessly. There's a bit too much backpedaling in the combat, but it remains fair so it's servicable enough. I personally still prefer Dusk or Hedon due to the overall tightness of the gameplay, but boy, Northern Journey does so many things right. The creatures are terrifying and weird, the world seeps with mysticism, and the game just keeps surprising you. On the downside, traversing the different maps gets a bit tiresome, the arsenal too often feels useless/clunky (three different crossbows?), and I hate everything that buzzes and stings. But these are just minor quips. The overall experience is an unique journey crafted by a gentleman with intelligence and heartblood. Support it!