Olija juggles action and narrative in a strange, wonderful balancing act that never leans on one element too heavily. It will mystify curious players seeking a journey inspired by the past that never wears out its welcome.
After I wrapped credits on Olija I was a touch saddened that there was no option to continue, merely start a new game. It wasn’t that I felt robbed by the game’s eight or so hours of length or that I couldn’t dive right back in and hunt for more secrets. Rather, Olija thrusts itself upon players in a remarkable way, an amalgamation of concepts fused together in a tight package. When your time with the game is over, you’re satisfied but also eager to return to the strongest, most captivating moments.
Olija fascinates me in that it never wears out its welcome. A through line of combat and fantastical narrative holds the thing together. But when a new enemy or idea is introduced, it rarely lingers for too long or comes back time and again, much like its protagonist Faraday.
At sea, Faraday and his crew are attacked by an unimaginable leviathan. He awakes shipwrecked in the land of Terraphage, a world covered in black sludge and beset with fanged creatures made of the same crawling substance. Faraday starts his journey back home merely trying to rescue his fellow crew mates. What follows is a revival of a broken town, an encounter with a mysterious woman, fights with a deadly cult, and a connection to a magic harpoon.
Have you ever played Another World/Out of This World? You may find a lot of Olija‘s DNA in Eric Chahi’s 1991 game. I played Another World on a Super Nintendo, at a time when my young mind had trouble comprehending how that could actually be a game. Little to no action? Characters with barely discernible faces? Chahi used the medium for a kind of expression I didn’t know was possible.
Fast-forward 20 years and developers have used tech to pay homage to games of the past while carving out unique, personal visions. Thomas Olsson, who is at the head of Olija along with Skeleton Crew Studio, uses spoken and unspoken narration to direct the story. Characters’ faces only gain expressions on the rare animated cutscene. Several speak in a guttural tongue–I assume the dialect of Terraphage–and provide small bits of exposition for players. Residents of Oaktide, shopkeepers, the main villain, and your elderly boat captain all add to the story of Terraphage or clue us in to what Faraday might be thinking.
More importantly, however, are the ways Olija expresses itself through environmental storytelling and the physicality of its 8-bit characters. This comes to a peak at an interaction between Faraday and the maiden he rescues along his journey. We find out early on the woman is Olija but not a helpless princess. The two spar at a pivotal juncture in the game where players must force Faraday to move forward or soak up the moments the two share. In short, the game is beautifully animated. Characters’ faces are literal blank slates and instead slump their bodies when exhausted, reach forward when in need, or make any number of the smallest movements to convey emotion.
Olija may not be an open world or tuck away its lore through item descriptions but it is terrifyingly alive. Terraphage is equal parts beautiful and horrifying. At times the screen will pull back on a scene to paint a more gruesome picture or allow players to soak up an inch more peace. A lot is said with Olija‘s minimal brush and I appreciated every moment of it. Once I completed the game I realized the story still felt elusive, despite wrapping up. The world remained confusing and alien, despite living in it for so long.
And I think that is the intent.
So much of Olija is easy to familiarize yourself with. Its length and lack of extreme complexity make it an approachable game that can be completed from start to finish without little fuss. From there, players can decide if they want to dive deeper and work out the meanings of specific imagery or play again with newly discovered knowledge.
Mechanically, Olija is an action platformer that has Faraday swatting at enemies with a sword or shooting them with a crossbow or musket. That is until players find a legendary harpoon. Once discovered, the harpoon allows players to toss it at an enemy or yellow-eyed stalks and teleport to them. As you can imagine, Olija begins to take on notes of Celeste, Super Meat Boy, and even Doom.
The harpoon is introduced both as a piece of utility and an instrument of combat. If too many enemies are circling in on Faraday, there’s likely another enemy or an eye stalk to warp to as a fleeting moment of relief. Players can throw the harpoon nearly everywhere and may discover hidden areas off screen. Using only simple button presses for attacks and harpoon launches, Olija‘s combat may feel simple but that is traded off with speed. Most enemies go down with a few hits but they often arrive in a flood and leave the world in a shower of gore. The sound design from the clink of a sword to the rip of demonic flesh further satisfy.
Progress deeper in Olija and a few platforming sections will play out where players can race across rooms or avoid spikes by staying in the air and tossing Faraday’s harpoon from point to point. Only one or two of these moments are intrinsically difficult but still brief enough to not wear on your soul. This applies to the game’s puzzles as well. Players are eventually graced with a sword that acts as a second method of teleporting to be used in conjunction with the harpoon. The harpoon can also be infused with electricity, which can be used to power devices or cause increased damage.
While this may all sound incredibly complex, it’s important to keep in mind that Olija never belabors the point. There are no extensive platforming sections that will cause numerous deaths. No drawn-out fights that prove overly difficult. This is a game meant to be triumphed through not trampled over. Looking over the architecture of each screen it becomes apparent that it will become a speedrunner’s paradise. More dedicated players will learn how to maximize their speed and combat efficiency, tearing through enemies and blitzing past landscapes.
Certainly there were times where I wished Olija tested my mettle just a bit more or really pushed itself to have more puzzles and platforming sections that expanded across several scenes. But looking back at the game, it is a delightful sampler platter of a focused vision. Players can craft hats with items dropped by enemies or found in Terraphage to execute special attacks. Maximum health can be upgraded or left alone to make the game harder. Ships in bottles and other secret items lay in wait.
Sensibilities both modern and retro pepper the fabric of Olija. Players may walk away from the game feeling confused, satisfied, or yearning for more. While I lean towards satisfied with my time, I could not help but immediately begin another playthrough, hoping that more would be illuminated the second time around. Much about Olija is familiar and a game with less self awareness would have drawn out its ideas, pushing players with more aggressive enemies or platforming bordering on tedious. But that’s not what we got. Instead, Olija is a balanced work that speaks volumes despite its quiet nature, breathtaking in both its journey and execution.
