Iktsua

With a strange name inspired by an even stranger word from the Inuit language, Iktsua places you in the shoes of a young boy who must explore the wilderness and return back to his tribe as a man.

The game is based on a coming of age story, in which you need to fulfill an ancient ritual that will prove you're a man capable of supporting his own family. The cold of the arctic wind could kill you in a few minutes but, luckily, our small hero is protected by a fur coat that can keep him warm for a longer period of time.

Your task is to explore this vast wilderness and bring back to the village 50 pelts gathered by hunting various animals that live in this desolating place. As this may not sound as much, you will soon find out that this inhospitable place hides many dangers that can end your life in an instant.

Exploring this white desert is not such an easy task, as you will have to constantly search for animals to hunt not only for their fur, which you'll need to complete your quest but, also, to gather food that will help you survive the adventure.

In order to hunt with your spear you will have to drop your coat exposing you even more to the cold wind. Moreover, you will have to be very careful with some animals, as they will attack you when hurt.

Other animals, such as wolves, will always travel in packs making them very hard to kill, so if you see them you'd better run before they manage to catch you.

Now and then, you will also stumble upon a few abandoned camps with a fire burning in front of them that will keep you warm for a while and serve as a respawn point in case you die.

Another interesting aspect is that the game doesn't have an ending. As soon as you get back with the required pelts, you will get married, have a son, serve the village and grow old. After your son reaches the same age you were when sent to complete the ritual, the gameplay will switch to him allowing you to continue playing.

Iktsua is not an easy game but, you will grow to love it as you explore more and more of the white desert. Hunting has its own challenges but, the real challenge is to keep yourself warm and survive through the whole adventure.

All in all Iktsua is an adventure game that you should at least give it a try to see if you can cope with the challenges thrown at you by this inhospitable place.