A Highland Song captures the freedom of Breath of the Wild with a moving coming-of-age story set in the Scottish Highlands.
I played A Highland Song three times before reaching its true conclusion, but it’s my disastrous first attempt that sticks with me most. After spending a few hours lost in the Scottish Highlands, my impatience got the best of me when I accidentally misjudged a jump and hastily dove into a stony pit. My already low stamina bar reduced to nearly zero and I found myself unable to climb back out. Frustrated with how my journey panned out, I was tempted to drop the game there and accept the fact that my story was destined to conclude with a dead end.
I’m sure glad I didn’t.
Developed by Inkle, A Highland Song is built on teachable moments like that. The 2D platformer is a coming-of-age story about a runaway girl trying to find herself in a winding world that feels hopelessly overwhelming. While there’s a direct narrative to follow, its most important moments are the emergent stories players discover in-between mountain peaks. It’s only through the act of wandering that the adventure’s most profound truth emerges: You can’t find yourself if you’re never lost to begin with.
A Highland Song is a meditative quest for self-discovery that successfully translates the freedom of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild to a grounded indie adventure. There may be frustrations and setbacks along the way, but imperfection is part of the journey. It’s our job to learn from those mistakes and be better for them.Let’s get lost
A Highland Song turns a childhood fantasy into a one-of-a-kind survival adventure. It opens with Moira McKinnon, a young girl living in the Scottish Highlands who makes a break from her rickety home and nagging mother. She’s a young woman on a mission; her plan is to run away to the sea to meet up with her uncle in time for Beltane, a Scottish festival that marks the beginning of summer. There, she hopes to find a cure to her growing pains, as her uncle promises to help her understand who she really is. It’s a simple story of childhood angst turned into a tactile quest for self-discovery.
To reflect Moira’s newfound freedom, Inkle creates a unique gameplay loop that draws inspiration from Breath of the Wild. Moira simply has to make her way to the sea by traversing a series of valleys dotted with climbable peaks. Despite being rendered in 2D, the Highlands feel as grand in scope as Zelda’s Hyrule.
