The Mooseman Demo

The Mooseman, what a beautiful indie game this is! It’s a 2D fantasy adventure title that showcases the story of a shaman as he travels through multiple interconnected universes. You are the Mooseman, a mythological being with a curious path ahead.

At a first glance, The Mooseman might seem like a generic artsy game. Although the visuals are not entirely original (, and I am referring to the style), the game has a unique look, and it is beautiful.

After a few seconds into the game, I had my first moment of sheer joy. I say some Kodama, tree spirits from Japanese folklore. Instantly, my thoughts went to Hayao Miyazaki’s masterpiece, Princess Mononoke. I was immediately hooked to the game thinking that this could be inspired from that superb movie. However, to my surprise and continued joy, those were not Kodama, they were part of something else, something much more interesting.

Vladimir Beletsky and Mikhail Shvachko, the developers, have used part of their nation’s culture for inspiration, to be more precise, the ‘perm animal style’. As the Mooseman wonders through the world that lies ahead, you will see more and more examples of this artform that bring so much more mystery and beauty into the game.

The Mooseman is also a silent narrative, what you see and what you hear make up the story. It’s pieced in your mind in silence. It all translates into a wonderful journey.

In The Mooseman, the core mechanic is switching from the real world to the spirit one. It’s done with a simple press of a key, and there are only two more for character movement, the left and arrow keys.

It’s all been simplified and to great effect. You won’t jump, or shoot, there isn’t even a crouch key, and you don’t need any of those. The gameplay also counts on you figuring out how various interactions work. What you see in the spiritual world does not exist in reality but it still manifests in a way that allows you to manipulate it to your advantage. The Mooseman is also a gentle puzzle game.

I’ve always enjoyed games that focus on the atmosphere and The Mooseman delivers. Not only does it look good, the soundtrack and audio effects are excellent. I can’t find anything that I don’t like about this game. I’m not even upset that the demo is a short one. I’ll patiently wait for its release.