ᛃᚷᚷᛞᚱᚨᛋᛁᛚᛚ Sometimes indie games are prone to surprising us with their stories and gameplay features. Not every good story relies on the unbridled and exuberant quality of the graphics. A game is notable because of its well-defined gameplay elements or the consistency of its plot. A complete and perfect game doesn't add anything more, nor does it have anything left over. We woke up. Scarcely focusing our eyes well, the first thing we gaze upon is a disconcerting device with many robotic tentacles above us. Each of them is a surgical tool. As if it were reconstructing us, it finishes, and we glance at our bodies decked out in a Nordic-style garb. Half-lucid, we peer at our hands to eventually get up from the rock table. We can't speak well, given that our vocal cords are atrophied. The device's voice contributes little to the conversation. But soon it begins to give us instructions on what to do and how to interact. We haven't figured out where we are yet. The giant stone heads are lined up on the wall, which conveys the impression that we're being scrutinised by mute witnesses. The fringes of this place are cloaked in darkness, and a soft light streams into the centre here. When we're done with the instructions (tutorial), the robotic arms violently grasp our hands and hold us firmly to operate our eyes. We hollered, and our vision was temporarily tinted red. Then we can peer into the dark and see the runes glowing on the walls. At this point, the session ends. We flee through an air duct until we find a recording of a certain Henrik Andersson, who beckons us to locate him by heeding the clues glinting in the darkness. This is how our adventure starts. ᚱᚨᚷᚾᚨᚱᛟᚲ Apsulov: End of Gods evokes for me a lot of how some kids' stories have their spooky and dark side. Almost every folktale depicts a harrowing scenario that, with the passing of generations, translates into a sympathetic and compassionate tale. This adventure hauntingly weaves Norse mythology with a futuristic setting, where researchers explore the nine worlds once the branches of the Yggdrasil tree connected to Midgard. This way, the story borrows motifs of horror, mythology, and sci-fi. The plot spirals to tragedy according to the protagonist's path, which culminates in a dilemma between gods and mortals. As a result, a story portrayed differently was created, where the sinister side of the myth is the substance of the narrative. Everything in Apsulov is structured around myth. Magic is intertwined with science. However, the script fails to flesh out in depth and detail each of the aspects of the myth in the fictive plot. It's true that Ragnarök is happening on the outside. We only get glimpses of it by partaking in the statements of the secondary characters. That conveys a fanciful and sci-fi tinge to the story as well as the ambience. The script comes off as bland, tasteless, and apathetic. It feels like a typical brochure for strolling through a museum. Where there seems to be warmth, it's drowned out by the subpar voice acting. Loki's deformity was a brilliant concept, but there's still a lack of further development in the characters, who, feeling a bit of empathy towards them, disappoint to capture the shock of what is to come. I liked that everything is locked in suspense, and that the world collapses without us being eyewitnesses. Being cooped up in the underground facility, the story sets out to reify the nine worlds as the destinations we can travel to. The nine worlds are simple, and some are defined by their own distinctive aspects. But others tend to be repetitive, drab, and monotonous (rock walls, tunnels, and darkness). However, Helheim and Jötunheim have excellent settings. They're atmospheric and unnerving. There was an endeavour to create the worlds as well as every creature dwelling in each place. Much of the artwork required refining and polishing. Nor is rendering it “realistic”, much less effortless. On the other hand, the soundtrack isn't captivating. It pivots too much on electronic music, despite being comprised of Viking folk rhythms. All of this stirs up more terror than heroism. Even, so it's still a draft that needs to fine-tune its colours, objects, and settings. ᛗᛁᛞᚷᚨᚱᛞᚱ Apsulov is a walking simulator with stealth features. The character's movements and actions are simple (uncomplicated), which tends to prioritise the continuity of the story. Stealth actions are simple and merely efficient when bypassing enemies. Hence, the character operates with two devices attached to her body. An eye that empowers us to temporarily glimpse into the dark. And an arm called Jarngreipr that, with power cells, we can tap into to unlock and hack doors as well as disintegrate enemies through a zap of power. Everything is basic, with an inventory in which we store power cells, documents, and keys, whose minimalist gameplay adapts to the different rhythms of the story. The design of each map resembles the nine worlds. They look huge in appearance. However, the route is always linear and sometimes seems to opt for the survival form of travel, that is, going and returning to the central or initial place to unlock each previously locked place, door, or pathway. Something new opens later. From afar, the maps may appear distinct, but with the eye resting on things nearby, the places feel the same. The tour ends up being a meander through corridors and air ducts. Everything is rehashed unrelentingly. What each world (map) contains, its narrative isn't taken advantage of. Everything is wasted on empty exploration through pipelines. Something I critiqued was the narrative incoherence between gameplay and the character's being. As the story evolves, we discover that the character is, in fact, a semi-goddess. The failure of coherence is a result of the weakness of the character's actions. A minor fall can injure or kill her. Without her devices, she is nothing. She possesses no powers (skills), although the story implies the existence of powers and magic. It's important to save the game on the pillars. Something can snuff out her destiny. Although the final fight with Loki is eye-catching, the character is unable to shape up at the gameplay level. It comes with two endings, but they're bland, regardless of how the plot was fleshed out. Intriguing story, but with no coherent development between narrative and character gameplay. ᚹᛁᚲᛁᛝᚱ The world is intriguing, but it craves an artistic refinement. It retells some Norse mythology in a mundane form, but enacts it with a tone of terror from the perspective of a sinister side. A story or myth may have a macabre underbelly. I was pleased with the way the story was portrayed and how it got to reveal itself with a sudden upsurge in tone. Everything is laid bare at the end. The waters become more clear-cut. The bad thing is traipsing on air ducts all the time. There are also discrepancies between narrative and gameplay. It was a thrill-seeking folktale, but I wouldn't go back to it since there's nothing else to see in the dark. It deserves the opportunity for an indie game. Recommendation: 6/10
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