The Mooseman Review

The Mooseman is an atmospheric adventure game developed and published by Morteshka. The game is available on Steam for a while now, and I am to write a PC review of the game in order to celebrate the console launch of the game. Yeah, it is weird, yet it is a chance to spread the word around since The Mooseman is something you would not want to miss.

If you’ve played Never Alone (Kisima Ingitchuna), then The Mooseman may feel similar from more than one aspect. Never Alone tells the story of Nuna and Fox as they search for the source of an eternal blizzard. The game was developed with the help of Iñupiat, an Alaska Native people and reflect their traditions perfectly.

On the other hand, The Mooseman is based on finno-ugric culture of bygone pagan times and tells a great story which is hard to find these days. While ancient god Yen created the world out of an egg-shell, there were three worlds. Lower World was located in the depths of the endless ocean. The Middle World was for humans to dwell while the Upper World was there to great ancient gods to rest.

During our journey, we will be able to switch between the real world and the ghost world (if I may call it that). This is the main point of the game, since doing it will reveal the secrets of these three worlds. The spirits dwell between the layers of these worlds and by switching to a mooseman, we will be able to see them and the ghost world which surrounds us.

The game tells the secrets and stories of ancient myth through the hidden artefacts of Chud’ tribes. By collecting them, you will be able to learn the story and delve deep into the myth. The Mooseman is heavy on the story and light on the gameplay, and this is what makes it so great. Starting from the very first second, this mythical world sits on your shoulders like a heavy burden. There is a world which you know nothing about and it is calling you so loud that you can not resist.

The gameplay shapes around the ability of you switching to the mooseman and being the mooseman gives you the ability of seeing things which are hidden to the mortal eye. Starting from the Lower World, you will visit all three worlds and uncover the secret.

The Mooseman is also a platformer title and most of these platforms are hidden in the ghost world. When the path seems impossible to cross, switching to the mooseman will bring new ways to solve your problem. Also, there are enemies which you must defeat or run from since these worlds are also dangerous as they are dark and charming.

New abilities will help you as you progress, like the light which can defeat enemies. But as I told you before, what matters is the atmosphere and the story of the game. This atmosphere is accompanied by stainless folk Komi music and you feels like nothing is missing from your life.

When it comes to the art-style and visuals of The Mooseman, I must say that I find it overly impressive. Even when it is simple, it is always like it should be and reflects the story of the game perfectly.

The only thing I can criticize is that puzzles are hard to recognize. I don’t say that they are hard to solve, I say that you may not even know that there is a puzzle and easily miss some of the artefacts like I did. I had no idea that there was something to solve and I was just admiring the view.

Apart from that, The Mooseman is a game which you can not afford to miss if you are into long forgotten gods and spirits, ancient myths and some weird history. The Mooseman is a masterpiece from every aspect and the game is now available for PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch. Go ahead and give it a try, you won’t regret it.

The Mooseman was reviewed using a Steam key provided by the publisher.