Old Man's Journey
Old Man's Journey is an adventure video game[1] developed and published by Broken Rules. The game was released for Android, iOS, macOS and Windows in 2017,[2] the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 in 2018 and the Xbox One in 2019.
Old Man's Journey | |
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Developer(s) | Broken Rules |
Publisher(s) | Broken Rules |
Director(s) | Felix Bohatsch, Clemens Scott |
Programmer(s) | Jan Hackl, Stefan Kernjak |
Artist(s) | Clemens Scott, Brian Main, Lip Comarella |
Composer(s) | scntfc |
Engine | Unity |
Platform(s) | Android, iOS, macOS, Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One |
Release |
|
Genre(s) | Adventure game puzzle |
Mode(s) | Single-player |
The game follows the trip of an old man, who starts to travel after receiving a letter containing sad news. Throughout the game, some semi-still flashbacks explain the past life of the man.
Gameplay
The player controls an old man using the mouse, clicking on the places to reach. To allow the character to reach them, the player needs to modify the landscape: it's possible to "drag" hillocks - except the part of the scenery where the man is currently standing - to make them taller or shorter, within a predetermined range; when the edges of the hillocks fit, it becomes possible for the old man to pass from one to the other, even if one is in foreground and the other one is in background. Sometimes additional items are part of the puzzles, such as sheep which have to be moved away to let the character pass. The trip is by walking for the most, but sometimes it does involve some means of transport; also in this case, the player may need to solve some environmental puzzles allow them to move ahead. At times, the old man does sit down to rest, and the player has to find the right item in the scenery which does trigger a memory in him, this way reconstructing the man's story through semi-still images, as the game does not use dialogue.
Reception
Aggregator | Score |
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Metacritic | iOS: 86/100[3] PC: 76/100[4] NS: 73/100[5] |
Publication | Score |
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TouchArcade | iOS [6] |
The game received "generally favorable" reviews, according to Metacritic, a video game review aggregator.[3][4]
Accolades
Year | Awards | Category | Result | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|
2018 | Bolognaragazzi | Digital Award | Won | |
2018 | Emotional Games Award | Best Artistic Achievement | Won | |
2018 | Game Developers Choice Awards | Best Mobile Game | Honorable Mentions | |
2018 | Google Indie Games Contest | Runner Up | ||
2018 | Google Indie Games Contest | Unity Award | Won | |
2018 | Taipei Game Show | Best Visual Arts | Won | |
2018 | Taipei Game Show | Grand Prix | Won | |
2017 | The Game Awards 2017 | Best Mobile Game | Nominated | [7] |
2017 | Apple iPad Game of the Year | Won | ||
2017 | Apple Design Awards | Won | ||
2017 | IGN Best of 2017 | Best Mobile game | Nominated | |
2017 | AzPlay | Best Visual Art | Won | |
2017 | Busan Indie Connect Festival | Excellence in Art | Won | |
2017 | BIG Festival | Best Art Award | Won | |
2017 | BIG Festival | Innovation Award | Won | |
2017 | Golden Joystick Awards | Mobile Game of the Year | Nominated | |
2017 | Independent Games Festival | Excellence in Visual Arts | Finalist | |
2017 | Indie Plus Awards | 1st Runner Up | ||
2017 | Sense of Wonder Night | Best Art | Won | |
2017 | TapTap Game Awards | Best Audio | Won | |
2017 | TapTap Game Awards | Best Indie Game | Honorable Mentions | |
2017 | TapTap Game Awards | Best Narrative | Won | |
2017 | TapTap Game Awards | Best Visual Art | Won | |
2016 | IndieCade Europe | Media Choice Award | Won | [8] |
References
- Renaudin, Clement (8 February 2017). "Old Man's Journey is a whimsical puzzle adventure game coming this year to mobile, first gameplay revealed". Pocket Gamer. Retrieved 19 May 2017.
- Campbell, Colin (18 May 2017). "Old Man's Journey review". Polygon. Retrieved 19 May 2017.
- "Old Man's Journey for iPhone/iPad Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
- "Old Man's Journey for PC Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
- "Old Man's Journey for Switch Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
- Dotson, Carter (18 May 2017). "'Old Man's Journey' Review – Don't Go Chasing Waterfalls". TouchArcade. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
- Makuch, Eddie (7 December 2017). "All The 2017 Game Awards Winners Revealed". GameSpot. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
- "IndieCade Europe 2016 Recap | IndieCade - International Festival of Independent Games". www.indiecade.com. Archived from the original on 8 March 2018. Retrieved 7 March 2018.
Further reading
- Donlan, Christian (May 19, 2017). "Old Man's Journey review". Eurogamer. Retrieved June 9, 2017.
- Warr, Philippa (May 18, 2017). "Wot I Think: Old Man's Journey". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Retrieved June 9, 2017.
- Werner, Jillian (May 18, 2017). "Old Man's Journey Review: Beyond the Sea". Gamezebo. Retrieved June 9, 2017.