Olija

Genre: Action-Platformer

Players: 1

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Review:

Olija is an Action-Platformer released on multiple platforms in 2021, including Nintendo Switch. This game has you playing as a shipwrecked warrior in a cursed land who fights enemies using a magic harpoon.

The presentation here is very good, but it likely won’t appeal to everyone. Olija’s pixel at 2D visuals are desaturated, and seemingly everything they depict is either rotting, falling to dust, or covered in a dark ichor. The voices of even the strongest warriors are wheezes and whispers, as if the strength and spirit has been sapped from nearly everything in the game. Likewise, the music, when it is here, is atmospheric. The overall effect definitely conveys a world that is old, steeped in lore, and resigned to decay. Only the game’s protagonist and a few other characters seem to have escaped this fate.

Combat and traversal in Olija feels fantastic, thanks largely to the way the game’s harpoon makes both a lot more fun and interesting. The harpoon essentially acts like a grappling hook that can only attach to enemies and a few other things. Because of this, much of combat involves flinging yourself around to various points in a room to swipe at enemies, and it is in these moments that the game is at its best. It’s extremely satisfying to swipe at enemies with your sword, get in a few blasts with a projectile weapon, harpoon your way to the opposite side of the screen, and seamlessly continue attacking other enemies as if in a combo. However, this satisfaction is slightly hampered by the way enemies can sometimes become sponges for damage, and aiming the spear can be a bit fiddly at times.

While Olija’s core gameplay is its combat, there is a bit of exploration as well. I wouldn’t go as far as to call this game a Metroidvania, but there’s enough ground to explore that one can potentially get lost at times, especially as the game doesn’t provide a map. One of the main frustrations in the game is when it isn’t quite clear where the player is meant to go next. However, when you are exploring new areas, the harpoon once again makes moving around a joy.

Overall, Olija is an excellent Action-Platformer where moving around using the grappling hook-esque harpoon is a lot of fun both in and out of combat, and the fantastic atmosphere makes the game even more engaging. A few issues hamper the game here and there, but overall this is an excellent addition to the Nintendo Switch library.

tl;dr – Olija is an Action-Platformer where players take the role of a shipwrecked warrior using a magic harpoon to fight enemies and grapple around the game’s island locales. The dour and hopeless atmosphere in this game is fantastic, and both combat and traversal are enriched by the way the spear can move players around. The game has a few issues holding it back, but overall this is a fantastic game well worth playing.

Grade: B+

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This game has been nominated for one or more of eShopperReviews 2021 Game Awards:

Runner-Up: Best Action Game

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