Young Scot Moira McKinnon craves adventure and longs for the sea. When her Uncle Hamish sends her a letter urging Moira to visit him at the lighthouse by the coast, she runs away from home and into the beautiful Scottish highlands. Moira is determined, head-strong, and stubborn. She is fearless, but also second-guesses herself as she takes on this unyielding journey alone. Her emotions aren’t misplaced as the highlands may look tempting to explore, but dangers and mysteries lurk within.
A Highland Song is the latest adventure from narrative-driven studio Inkle. As someone who hasn’t played any of their previous releases, A Highland Song greatly impressed me in many ways. Moira’s story perfectly highlights the studio’s creative side especially when it comes to the visuals and music.
With only a week’s time left for her to reach the lighthouse and Uncle Hamish, Moira must brave the harsh weather and peaks of the Scottish highlands. The gameplay of A Highland Song is rather straightforward. As a side scrolling adventure, the controls are nothing remarkable. However, time is of the essence and traversing isn’t always easy, especially with the changing weather and day/night system.
Traversal in A Highland Song is very realistically done. Moira’s health bar is affected by rain and snowfall, and during such storms finding shelter is vital. As heavy rainfall poured from the skies, I frustratingly found myself dying multiple times in areas lacking shelter. Difficulties like struggling to find a place for Moira to sleep or climbing high peaks before Moira runs out of stamina and falls present challenges during her journey. The game is brutal when it wants to be and can be quite vexing.
Exploration is the heart of A Highland Song. The game is so vast I couldn’t even explore and climb all the peaks in my first playthrough. The developers do encourage the players to replay the game after the initial playthrough in order to explore and find collectables and other mysteries. Even though it is impossible to get lost from your main objective in A Highland Song, taking longer routes does take more time and the game reminds you that time is of the essence to reach the lighthouse. This is where maps were helpful. The more Moira explores, the more she finds maps that direct her to shortcuts. I did try to follow most of the map’s locations, but sometimes they felt like a slog, especially in identifying points of interest in such a detailed environment with the constant change in weather and the day/night cycle. This made me wish there was a general map of the highlands as it would have been easier to mark certain points of interest more directly.
Even if they haven’t met, Moira and Uncle Hamish’s relationship feels like two old friends communicating with each other. Their relationship isn’t set up instantly, but, throughout the game, we realize Uncle Hamish is an important figure in Moira’s life. Hamish narrates the mythology and history of the Scottish highlands in the form of letters to Moira. Although Uncle Hamish doesn’t have a major presence in the game, his voice adds enough mystery and personality to grasp the player’s attention.
Visually, A Highland Song is a beautiful side-scrolling game. The scenic Scottish highlands reminded me of a never-ending landscape painting I could stare at forever. Blending the stunning visuals with authentic Scottish music by Laurence Chapman, Talisk, and Fourth Moon, A Highland Song easily transports you to the nature of Scotland. During some exploration sequences, Moira sprints and jumps through the greenery to the tune of wonderful Scottish folk music. The players have to follow the rhythm and time these jumps just right or Moira ends up falling and losing health. These short sections were my favorite part of the game.
With my playthrough clocking in at about five hours, I did feel A Highland Song’s exploration eventually got a bit repetitive. This doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy it, especially as there is so much more I’m looking forward to exploring. But it also left me wishing there was something more than a routine of braving heavy rainfalls, climbing, and sheltering in caves repeatedly.
There are not many video games like A Highland Song that remind me of the beauty of nature and everything our planet provides for us. With its breathtaking visuals and traditional folk music, the game made me want to move to Scotland. Moira as a protagonist felt relatable because, after all, aren’t we all trying to reach somewhere at the right time?
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