Speaking as someone who isn’t Scottish, Scotland seems like the most incredible place. The rolling hills are a perfect setting for a game, yet aside from a couple of hours of Uncharted 4, they’ve rarely been explored. A Highland Song aims to change.
The game presents players with an authentic, genuine recreation of Scotland’s countryside, captured through the eyes of a plucky teenager. The final experience is one that’s both touching and unique, even if the mechanics and level design can be a little obtuse.
I Would Walk 500 Miles
A Highland Song is a game of mixed genre, mixing tropes you’d expect to find in platformers, survival games, and visual novels. Its mechanics are remarkably intuitive since it keeps the overall objective very simple: Reach the sea.
Protagonist Moira McKinnon runs away from home to visit her uncle, who lives in a lighthouse on the coast. To reach him, she’ll have to climb, scramble, and scarper up and around the various cliffs and peaks between her house and the coast. Oddly enough, the closest point of comparison is probably Breath of the Wild, given that Moira can scale just about any surface. She’s limited only by her stamina, which recharges after she takes a short break, meaning that carefully planning your route is the key to overcoming whatever obstacles you come across.
The platforming on offer in A Highland Song is one of the game’s big strengths; Moira is snappy and responsive, and the game is generous with the lengths she can jump. In fact, I suspect that developer Inkle was very aware of this, given that entire segments of the game are dedicated to rhythmically jumping through fields to a fantastic melody of Scottish folk music. Simply moving around the mountains of the world is fun in its own right.
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Yet for a game that very clearly sells itself on the “cozy vibes” it gives off, there’s still an element of challenge to A Highland Song‘s hiking. Moira can only fall so far before she loses some health, a fact that should live in the front of your mind once you realize the staggering height of most of the peaks she discovers. You’ll also need to contend with the weather, which, depending on the severity, can reduce Moira’s health and make it impossible to heal when she takes a moment to rest. Coupled together with the fact that you’ll need to find a suitable place to sleep every night, it’s genuinely surprising how easy it is to “die.” Fortunately, Moria doesn’t actually perish, but still, it’s a pretty dark idea embedded in a game that’s otherwise so bright and colorful. I also just appreciate a cozy game that doesn’t shy away from having some kind of fail state. Too often, those titles that look to embrace that title feel too easy.
There is another aspect of difficulty to A Highland Song that I wasn’t too pleased to see: A time limit. Call it a taste thing, especially since many folks adore similar mechanics found in games like The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask and Unsighted. Effectively, Moira must reach her uncle in seven in-game days to celebrate Beltane, so there’s constant pressure on the player. Time will progress whenever Moira sits down to rest, so there’s a constant trade-off between progressing and taking a moment to heal up, knowing that you’ll be sacrificing precious daylight. Frankly, I despise systems like this. Given A Highland Song‘s emphasis on exploration and discovery, competing against the clock discouraged me from going out of my way to unearth secrets and the many map fragments scattered across the world. Without going into spoilers, it’s not imperative that you make it to the lighthouse in time for Beltane, but on a first playthrough, it’s impossible to know that, meaning the experience turns from cozy to intense faster than you’d expect.
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My other major complaint is with the actual world design. Before saying anything else, let me first state that aesthetically, A Highland Song is stunning to look at. The watercolor-like visuals are genuinely gorgeous, and several scenic vistas made me pause just to appreciate the artistry on display. Yet having everything presented in 2D, almost like a pop-up book, often made it difficult to figure out where I should head next. On several occasions, I felt trapped on a mountain because I couldn’t discern how to progress. No, sure, that could be intentional to evoke a feeling of being lost within the Scottish Highlands, but coupled with the in-game timer, it felt more frustrating than whimsical.
Bonnie Lass
It’s a good thing that I was never upset to be stuck with Moira, who is a delightful character brought to life with some exceptional writing and voice acting. Accentuated by some stellar animations, she’s bouncy and energetic while also being determined and driven, a combination that makes for a character who’s difficult not to root for. Having her throw a fist in the air and shout, “GET IN!” upon correctly identifying a peak never gets old. Simply having such a charming protagonist was enough to push me past the frustrating aspects of A Highland Song because, more than anything else, I wanted Moira to finally see the ocean, something she often explains she’s never done.
That experience effectively sums up my whole time with A Highland Song. Despite the often confusing world design and the anxiety-inducing timer, every other aspect of the game was strong enough that those complaints became mere blemishes on an otherwise fantastic experience. Elevated by tight controls, some excellent writing, and an art style that only becomes stronger the more you look at it, A Highland Song is such a unique and touching experience that I can’t help but recommend it. Get in, indeed.
