The Mooseman

The Mooseman
79
Metacritic
89
Steam
84.319
xDR
Our rating is calculated based on the reviews and popularity of the game.
Price
$1.74
Release date
17 February 2017
Developers
Publishers
Steam reviews score
Total
89 (852 votes)

You are the Mooseman and you have the ability to see all that is hidden to the mortal eye. You are about to visit three layers of this universe - the first one is the Lower World where dead reside…

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The Mooseman system requirements

Minimum:

  • OS: Windows XP and up
  • Processor: 1 Ghz and up
  • Memory: 1 GB RAM
  • Graphics: 500 MB and up
  • Storage: 600 MB available space
  • Additional Notes: Please play with sound

Recommended:

Recommended requirements are not yet specified.
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App type
Steam APP ID
574310
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Windows PC
Mac
Linux
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Adventure, Casual, Indie

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thedrearypessimist
thedrearypessimist

A stunning game in graphics, voice acting, and atmospheric music. I adore all of the facts you learn about the religion here and the artifact knowledge. While this game isn't super "game-like" (not too much other than a few short puzzles), the journey it takes you on is well worth it. If you go into this game looking for a journey and not a hardcore "game" to play, you'll enjoy this too.

BigMommaWolf
BigMommaWolf

There's not much to say about this game that hasn't already been said. I just want to thank the dev team for creating a beautiful glimpse into a culture and mythology I've never known much about. I don't think there's been many games I've played through a second time immediately after I finished the first play through. I was ready to consume every ounce of detail I might have missed.

If you've played and enjoyed LIMBO and INSIDE, then you might enjoy this game. If you're looking for a story telling the folklore and legends of a Uralic people from the North East of Russia, then you might enjoy this game. If you just want to play a game with a very different story from your traditional Greek or Norse folklore, then I can safely say, you'll definitely enjoy this game.

Mr. Fjorn
Mr. Fjorn

Mooseman

Very interesting experience. The story explains the creation of the world from the mythology of Perm chud tribes. A beautiful blend of artistic talent opens up your mind and imagination. The game itself is very simple and fun.

Héḱmō
Héḱmō

10/10 game.

Especially for people that are interested in history and/or pre-christian finno-uralic religions.

Sometime the game feels almost like psychedelic with the symbolsim and the awesome soundtrack.

haytkir
haytkir

I like games that also teach me something. This is one I'd describe as a "walking simulator" with a few very simple timing and pattern based puzzles. All while learning about pagan finno-ugric myths. A fun way to get educated.

KapaTheSicario
KapaTheSicario

Great game, enjoyed, would even suggest to people who usually don´t play games, to play instead of watching a movie.

MerchantofDoom
MerchantofDoom

This is a neat little game that takes just a few hours. It is has great art and an interesting story but the mechanics are just meh.

Deca
Deca

The Mooseman is a very interesting, out of the ordinary experience as it focus in ancient legends and allies beautiful design with amazing audio throughout the whole game.
You play as this man that goes through 3 universes: the Underworld, the world of the dead; the Middle World, the world of the man and the living; and the Upper World, the world of the gods.
Throughout your adventure, you'll face different enemies that guard each of the sites you go to and will learn more about the legends. There are also hidden locations for you to find.
Overall I really recommend this game because of how beautiful and original it is, as well as being a very soothing experience.

NonSpecific
NonSpecific

Nice relaxing game. The graphics were simple, not many controls, vague story, just what you need sometimes. I didn't find too much reason for a second play through but I did enjoy the first.

Aspis666
Aspis666

Indeed this game is something special, despite the short time it requires to complete all the quests it leaves a deep mark in the player's memory and heart.
The storyline is simply fascinating and if you're into archaeology, mythology or anthropology, this game is for you.
The simple but effective graphics and the suggestive OST take you to another age, in other times where gods still walked the earth...

erix
erix

The Mooseman is a very simple (though not always trivial) game, but it is over all a fascinating exploration of the universe and myths of the Perm Krai region in Russia, near the Ural mountains.
It made me acutely aware of the shortcomings and provincialism of 'history' as taught in Italian schools: I was completely unaware of this ancient culture (and of many others, of course).
Graphics are simple yet evocative. Puzzles range from the very simple to requiring some thinking and creativity. The game gets more challenging if you try to collect all of the bonuses (alas, I failed miserably: I only got about half of them). Gameplay is (mostly) relaxing, with a few point requiring a bit of timing and coordination.
Highly recommended if you are even a bit interested in other cultures and civilizations.

0Possum
0Possum

Really liked the graphics and the way the mythology was told in the game. Very captivating and interesting

Ana Lissë
Ana Lissë

This game has a dark, mystic, shamanic atmosphere with a touching soundtrack as you go walking and discovering more about the mythology. It was magical, I really had the feeling to be there, like in another world, a spiritual world, learning how to deal with spirits and feeling a growing connection to the shamanic culture. The idea to have artifacts to collect, related to real archaeological artifacts in Perm museum is wonderful, now I really want to travel to there and look to all those items in person! I also feel like studying more about this mythology now after playing, I learned a lot with this game, but it is a lot to remember, I think it also may be nice to play several times to understand better everything.

Rolf der Grausame
Rolf der Grausame

THE MOOSEMEN: "Indie-Game with relaxing-atmosphere / entspannende Atmosphäre"
_________________________________________________________________________
+RATING:>12345

alexlion
alexlion

A very unusual piece. It's not often you find this while playing: "...this artifact can actually be found in museum". Even if my friend who knows a thing or two about those myths tells me it's basically a pop version of them, I find the whole thing very deep. Loved the art and the suspenseful soundtrack. That choral mid-game gives me the goosebumps every time and the whole spiritual travel thing is, I guess, my thing. It's not a fantasy game somehow. It's what people actually believed, and who knows, maybe that's how it was?..

Pros:

- Short and minimalistic adventure with a few simple puzzles
- Mythic soundtrack

Cons:

- Not a lot of action
- Did I mention it's a 2d scroller in what is mostly a monochrome world?..

drakonishe
drakonishe

A beautiful haunting journey! Takes about two hours to complete and has optional things you can do along the path.
I wouldn't say that there are jumpscares, but some bosses can kill you in a fast and scary manner, so beware of that I guess.

Peenko
Peenko

I usually don't have a problem with reading while playing, but a lot of the in-game texts are riddles that give away tips for the puzzles, which would be cool if you needed any tips at all because the puzzles weren't so easy like these are, let alone you take too long to complete them not because of the difficulty, but because you move too slow and so does everything in the game.

kalimaxwell02
kalimaxwell02

The music is lovely. Voice acting (which is limited) is top notch. The art is very pleasing to the eye and the animations are well done. The story itself is refreshing, not only because of its low-key shamanic hero, but because it gives players a very well researched and immersive glimpse into lesser known ancient religious beliefs. I finished it in about 5 hours, which seems just long enough.

The only downside is the fact that you WILL need to consult a walk-through in order to finish it. Using a guide, I only managed to get 12/15 achievements, and I am still missing several artifacts.

Petr Stránský
Petr Stránský

The game looks atmospheric but that's it. Very limited gameplay mechanics result in tedious, repetitive puzzles and a lot of slow walking between them. It's not exactly bad but it's not interesting gameplay either. There are some optional puzzles for achievements but some of them are insanely cryptic. And even when you know the solution it's still quite hard to solve them because the resulting keyboard pattern is not reliably detected.

Also, the game has unfinished controller support. You can control the character but accessing artefact screen or even the main menu is impossible and you have to use a keyboard. And you still get keyboard button prompts.

BarbaRuiva
BarbaRuiva

WOW Such amazing history ! I finished almost now !

I can say it is a cool way to tell a folk history. Also, most important I learned about this fantastic place called Perm, when I return to Russia, I will certainly try to learn more about it ! Also, those designs will gave me big ideas for a new tattoo. I wish to thank the developers for share this history with us who live outside Russia.

I reccomend !

Jumbo Slice
Jumbo Slice

tl;dr 7/10. Super interesting, but not much in terms of gameplay.

Not too long ago, I personally had a thing against any game one would call a "walking sim", especially as someone who sees games as art. After all, part of why it's unique as an artform is the interactivity, the ability to have the player experience something personal. That said, I've been moving past that particular opinion, and this game certainly helped.

The Mooseman offers a delve into the mythology of ancient Russian cultures, allowing you to take part in a story involving Komi folklore. It's a short game, which honestly works in it's favor; it provides everything it needs to in a satisfying way, without excessive fluff or hanging too long in a single part. The gameplay that is here, while occasionally tedious, is fairly good. The main attraction here, atleast for me, is the art involved. This is a very beautiful game, with excellent music. The artstyle is based on ancient bronze statues, and it provides a very unique aesthetic. I'm very happy to have experienced this, and recommend it for anyone else.

~ NAILS ~
~ NAILS ~

The game takes you on a mystical journey into pagan folklore. Atmosphere was quirky and interesting with storytelling plus historic elements. I had a good time with this title.

flumph
flumph

The premise of a game as a religious ritual, accomplished through re-enacting a myth that itself depicts a daily re-enactment of a ritual, is an intriguing one. If you're interested in the intersection of religion and technology, I'd say this is worth playing even if you aren't typically into the genre, or you have no interest in Slavic myth.

That said, it's not for everyone. The mechanics are fairly simple and the puzzles are very straightforward. It's definitely something you play for an experience, not a challenge. The only real "challenge" comes from the controls being a bit finicky: the game doesn't always seem to recognize your input, which can be troublesome during the couple optional puzzles that require you to move quickly. It's also fairly short, especially if you don't take the time to hunt down all the optional lore pieces.

But the atmosphere truly is hauntingly beautiful. Given that it costs less than the price of a movie ticket, I'd urge you to go for it if you're on the fence.

ailaman
ailaman

Nice art and music, creates a very mystical atmosphere. The story is interesting and a good way to fill time during this quaranting

Bladedfanfighter
Bladedfanfighter

A lovely game about myth and the enormity of daily tasks. I like that the in game artifacts are all based on real ones!

A HORSE WITH OPINIONS
A HORSE WITH O…

A short game where you play a shaman undertaking the final journey of a shaman's life within Finno-Ugric mythology/religion. The simple art style fits the mythological framework of the game and contributes to a really singular mood along with the great soundtrack.

I really enjoyed the experience even though I don't think this needed to be a "game" per se (would've worked as a short film too!). The puzzles are extremely simple and the gameplay, as such, is mostly "walk left, occasionally dodge something". Luckily, the atmosphere and mood more than make up for that. This was definitely more than the sum of its parts and I look forward to more from these developers.

Zote the Mighty
Zote the Mighty

It's kinda interesting, but not as a game. As a game it's pretty sucks honestly. Both in the game design and the implementation.
Whole the gameplay is redundant. The game would be even better whithout any gameplay at all rather than with gameplay like this. Like if you just automatically walked right, watched animations and read something time to time, it still would be better.
Still even with so simple game design many thigns was implemented pretty badly:

    • Gamepad support. I mean all you need to do is to add an imput for joystick/dpad and like... two buttons for in-game actions and three for menus. And then draw four more button icons for hints. And even that haven't been done. You can move with stick and... that's it. You can't even get to the menus without a keyboard
    • And menus... Every time you find something new you have to circle through it again in orderd to get this one new entry. Just... Why?
    • Fonts. They are sucks even in ideal conditions. They are stretched out verticaly and really hard to read, But it wasn't enough. All the fonts are white. Without any outline. So as the big portion of backgrounds. It's not happening all the time but rarly you still get white text on white backgrond

TeM_Pera
TeM_Pera

Because of such games, I know why I love gaming so much. Really something nice, new, something that doesn't go with the mainstream. A small piece of art that combines beautiful puzzles with a fantastic backdrop of great music. I was thrilled. The nature of the narrative was atmospheric and very well matched to the background of the game. In cooperation with the legends and finnish-ugric myths, the game convinced me in its entirety in the first few minutes! Absolute recommendation!

Gavan
Gavan

- Visually appealing and atmospheric illustrations with rich color schemes
- Minimalistic puzzles, creative in some parts, boring and confusing in some other
- Interesting artistic take on the Komi Peoples' mythology and also, very informative

Its easy puzzles makes the gameplay boring at times, but the art style and the music make up for them. It's definitely worth it.

Cheezoid
Cheezoid

A beautifully animated story driven by some fairly straightforward puzzle elements. Soundtrack matches the visuals for beauty. Thank you to the developer who made this.

xHardcore-Realityx
xHardcore-Realityx

While the gameplay is rather simple (some would call it a "walking simulator"), the atmosphere is very tense and I loved discovering the old myths and legends of the ancient Komi and Sami people.

The artifacts for 100% completion are really hard to get (some riddles have to be solved, where you have to move and activate stuff in a certain order) - fortunately there are enough guidelines to be found online.

Misa
Misa

Short and atmospheric game, great art design and OST, some puzzles were a bit annoying but no biggie.

I got only one complaint and that is that some of the hidden artifacts are pretty much impossible to collect without watching a youtube video or something.

contrivable
contrivable

Mooseman tells a story and creation myth with you enacting a late part of it. The game is a puzzler a few steps removed from a walking simulator. It makes quite an effort in creating atmosphere by audiovisual means. You are invited to explore the world and reveal hidden things through your Mooseman view. There are some obvious puzzles and some quite hard ones (as in understanding what to do and also execution). You can see the graphics in the screenshots. The music is mostly pleasing. There are even pieces sung by a choir. At one point (in the desert) the volume is first brought down then suddenly jumps way up and stays there - annoying. Music usually loops but not all pieces seem to be engineered to do so.
There are collectibles, some of which you are very likely to miss on the first playthrough. Hint: Pay attention to murals (and dendrals(?)); and there is one secret behind a secret.
Controllers are somewhat supported. You can play the game - there is really only "go left", "go right", Mooseman view and the other feature you will soon discover. But you cannot open menus or cancel cutscenes (ESC), and you cannot pull of the auto-walk feature (double-tap).

+ Nice atmosphere
+ Nice graphics
+ Mostly good soundscape, includes choir pieces, some rough looping, one annoying volume spike
0 Short mythological story line
0 Controller semi-supported (directional, A, B; cutscenes unskippable)
0 Collectibles sometimes hard too find or get

Hint: The sorting on collectible page translates to order of finding things (left to right, then top to bottom - transposed English reading order).

Mooseman comes at a fair price point, is short but mostly pretty well put together and by way of collectibles offers some replayability. Recommended.

Tequila Sunset
Tequila Sunset

+Visual are pretty
+Music accompanies the game
+Introduces new Culture/Mythology

-Gameplay
-- A "walk slowly to the right and sometimes to the left kind" of game, which is not bad as is. The issue is that, while not required I think, you can also grab artifacts for lore, and getting some of them goes beyond cryptic and into the field of BS.
-- Puzzle are not engaging, so I guess this is not a puzzle game, is more like a going with the flow/pressing a button/do as told kind of game.

Other things.
I am not a native English speaker (so you can disregard this entry), but the English at some points (particularly since the game does a lot of lore dump along the way) seems a little off, I also notice a missing word at some point, not a big deal, it's just that since there's not much game play I end up nitpicking at the text.

Its says partial controller support but AFAICS that is "NO CONTROL SUPPORT" (tested with PS4, with and without DS4 for windows and tinkering a little bit with the steam configs to no avail). Let's just take it as "it's something from my end".

Another minor thing is the solar flare effect that appears at one point. The screen has cropped the upper and lower parts of it to give a movie-like effect, the background flare appears in that cropped area, giving it a sense of missing QA.

For me this game was not engaging and I did not enjoy it. I felt that more than a game, it was a interactive teaching material of some sort that you would be able to find in a museum.

Orderly
Orderly

This game's primary goal is to immerse the player. As you launch it, you will be immediately thrown into the main menu with these forested rain-saoked Ural hills all the way to horizon - and as a person who is indigenous to these parts albeit on the other side of the mountain range, the atmosphere is spot-on.

Then comes the myth - and not a grand myth primarily. The myth is in the little creatures who inhabit the forests and swamps, curious and uncaring, sentient and animalistic, benevolent and spiteful. They create this mythological ambiance that is frequently forgotten when mainstrean media try to adapt mythology, because they forget that the myth isn't just about gods, heroes and their lustful misadventures, but about day-to-day life aside a slew of lesser spirits, daemons and magical creatures who all can have some sort of impact on a person's life if they wish to do so. The Mooseman gets that and portrays that right. Only then begins the grander myth of a demigod-shaman's journey for the sun.

The Mooseman is probably the most mythos-revering game out there - even despite a lot of this mythos is probably reconstructed and glued together from a number of initially disjointed elements. The folklore epic that is you hear throughout the game is artificially comprised of Kalevala rythmics and the original language it's being pronounced in is stitched together by Russian lexical borrowings in places where the original term is unknown to the researchers. So don't think you're hearing a long-lost epic of some kind - it's an attempt at authorial reconstruction rather than something indigenous. Absolutely doesn't detract from the experience, though.

If you're a fan of mythology and are into older cultures of the world, when humanity was just a scattered archipelago of settlement-islands in an ocean of densely forested pagan chaos, you MUST play The Mooseman.

Владимир, спасибо вам и вашим коллегам большое! Игра замечательная, и ощущение Урала в ней очень густое и здоровское. Видеть в игре все эти вещи, на которые смотрел в музеях - это круто.

lauren
lauren

Beautiful graphics which look like they're drawn with pencil or chalk. Simple interactions create some clever puzzles. A couple are pretty challenging (sometimes frustrating) but most of them are a quick solve. Lots of checkpoints so death doesn't set you back too far. I didn't always follow the lore being told through the story, but it was interesting. Mostly I loved being immersed in this unique and mesmerizing world for an hour and a half. I'm sure this isn't a game everyone will be into, and I was on the fence about purchasing it, but I'm so glad I did! It's fun, dark, magical, compelling, and beautiful.

Green緑茶Tea
Green緑茶Tea

A beautiful "game" that tells an intriguing tale. While the gameplay aspect is a little primitive, the visuals and the soundtrack make up for it. The myths and stories presented throughout the game are truly fascinating!

Glenborne
Glenborne

There's not much to say about this game really. The Art and Music are nice and complement each other well, the Finno-Ugric folklore is interesting to learn too but the Gameplay is next to non-existent. You'd probably get the same experience watching a playthrough of it.

Makes more sense for this to be a Visual Novel/Short Film than a game.

Jess
Jess

Like, pure aesthetics and atmosphere. Beautiful music.
That's journey on walking speed, no rush, no fights, but some obstacles and simple puzzles.

Lot of interesting lore comes with artifacts though I personally skipped part of catching them all. Lots of them needed to turn back in certain points and are easy to miss.

I think there's one minus. I took a pause in playing it (yeah, on fish) and when I got back I had to google what buttons to press. It's Z and X. Yeah...

Laksya
Laksya

I wanted to like this game, being a fan of shorter indie adventure games AND lore-based storytelling, but... issues.

TL;DR: good idea, good premise, good artwork, but fudged development that churned out something pretty boring. Very slow and very easy, which sucks down most of the fun or (limited) satisfaction you might get from the minuscule lore fragments the game teases you with, without ever giving you denser, more substantial content. Very disappointed :( Do not get if it's above 2 euros, otherwise get it to fill in 2 free hours you happen to have that day. Must have a hearty interest in Slavic folklore because otherwise you won't make it through the whole thing.

Specifics:
- Beautiful artwork and animation, pleasant soundtrack.
- The story is good, but it is never brought to life as it should be, it never takes center stage. Instead, you get your information here and there, very often in an anti-climactic and disappointing way, amidst a sea of "just move forward" (thank christ for the auto-walk option).
- The difficulty is primary-school level. Honestly, this plays more like a visual novel that tries very hard to give you something to do that will hopefully pass for gameplay.

And here is the clincher:
- It is... boring. Plain and simple. The game is too slow, too easy, too tranquil. 30 minutes literally felt like 2 hours. It's so easy to get from one checkpoint to the next that getting to activate the stone and getting some lore doesn't come with any sense of satisfaction whatsoever.

The lore is fascinating but as it stands I'd rather just pick up a book and read the same information from there, because then I might get more than 5 sentences at a time, and probably a lot more examples, illustrations and context.

d3sirio
d3sirio

This is a very simple and often wonky 2D walking sim with extremely light puzzle and exploration elements. it's a retelling of the Finno-Ugric myth of creation, and its artstyle is heavily inspired by real historical artifacts left behind by that civilization.

While the myth itself is quite interesting, the game fails at making this a compelling experience. There's too much game for it to be a relaxing and streamlined learning experience, and there's too little of it to make it interesting or stimulating from a gameplay perspective.

Most of the exposition that actually explains the myth is delivered through notes that unlock as you progress through the stages. In order to read those, you have to pause the game and go into the menu, something that happens every 2-5 minutes in the game, and it's sadly something you have to do if you want to keep up with what's going on on screen without just progressing for the sake of it. Other than that, you get an extremely brief and voiced summary of these notes in between chapters, and that's it.

I can't deny that I now know things about this mythology that I didn't know before, but if anything, the game felt lacking and left me wanting for more, quite a lot more than it was able to give me. Its simplicity in both the narration and the gameplay makes me want to advise pretty much anyone against buying/playing this, unless... You already know of the Finno-Ugric myths and you want to see a cool visual rendition of it, I suppose. Avoid otherwise.

Nienn
Nienn

So... This is one particular game to be honest. It's short, interesting but not for all.

The game is very simple if you just want to finish it, if you want to collect all items and understand the lore and mythology welp... yo might encounter some bizarre puzzles (Which is not bad), and a few of them kind of random, there are some of them that don't seem to been synch that all too well with the patterns you are supposed to follow, I encountered two of these.

I liked the game, I liked the mythology and the story behind it, it's very interesting to get to know about other cultures. The art style is very fitting with the story they are telling and the atmosphere is just great. The game might feel a bit slow from time to time, but it's very short so fair enough.

AkysVilkas
AkysVilkas

Side-scroller featuring lesser known mythology (finno-ugric), Beautiful art style and a lovely soundtrack.
If that is interesting enough for you, I highly recommend you purchase The Mooseman

A large amount of thought and work went into this game, and you can tell the heart with which it was built. All in all, the game play took me a little under 2 hours to finish. Controls are rather straightforward, (Arrow keys, X, and Spacebar), there are a couple puzzles and brief interludes. Nothing too difficult.

The gem aspect of game (like most indie games) is in the story, I personally recommend going in blind on the story, because the game lays out the information in a really beautiful way. (My only complaint was that the music wouldn't continue playing when we were reading the myths).

This game can be replayed, but its more-so if you're a completionist and want all the achievements/artifacts. (Which the artifacts are super cool, so I support you for wanting to find all of them!)

TL;DR if you are interested in mythology and think you would enjoy a casual indie game introduction to a few myths, I HIGHLY recommend The Mooseman

Dinsdale
Dinsdale

I was blown away by this little game. The music, the art, the atmosphere it created was incredible. I played this on a hot summer day and still I had the feeling throughout, of someone telling me a story in the dark near a crackling fire, images playing in the shadows and in my mind's eye. Absolutely loved it. Big thank you to the developers, it was clear they put a lot of heart into this.

©HiHoFai™
©HiHoFai™

1. A game with intriguing lore and myths.
2. A game with beautiful story telling.
3. A game with unexceptional nice artworks.
4. A game with captivating musics.
5. A game with unbelievable journey.
6. A game with good puzzles.
7. A game with simple gameplay.
8. A game with simplicity and unique.
9. A game with more than I expected.
0. A game that I'm glad I played.

( 8 / 10 )

Mama Schwaмph
Mama Schwaмph

Bought this on 90% and this is one of few times it's possible to rob a dev of a game thats worth the full price!
Just under 2 hours of gameplay unless you go for the achievements.
The audio was the best part but the visuals are stunning aswell. Great story. Great everything. Thank you.

AlleFTW
AlleFTW

English text but Russian narrative. A weird tale of brothers in under, middle and upper worlds. I can't recommend this since they speak Russian and if the text is English like cmon the person talking should also be talking English. Weird story and weird gameplay.

котик
котик

Very atmospheric and beautiful graphics, the plot is commendable, mesmerizing monologues and interesting gameplay! Such a good.

stndrvn
stndrvn

Great art direction. A great way to preserve Komi Perem mythology too, I appreciate it very much.

Play this if you are interested to know more about finno-ugric culture or if you like the visual style of this game but know that this is a walking simulator.

P.s. "Shondi" is the Sun. Both the goddess and the star above us.Perhaps this will make it easier to understand the game, because missed the point when the game clearly tells you about it.

Ethylbenzene
Ethylbenzene

Gained a lot of knowledge regarding to the Finno-Ugric tales. The art and music are on point as well.

tsarevna
tsarevna

Pretty aesthetic, but I'm sorry to say that is all it has. I don't really mind the fact that it is a short game, however I wish the story - at least - was more interesting and the puzzles more challenging. That would have definitely improved my experience.

Goblin
Goblin

Educational, but just not very fun. If you're interested in obscure mythological creation tales you might love this.

HannahBug
HannahBug

Game looks nice, but is overall a boring 'walk to the right simulator'. They occasionally try some mechanics to "mix things up", but these are more aggravating and tedious than anything. You move really slow, so even simple puzzles are punishing. Don't get unless you're really into the topic

Mint~Meister
Mint~Meister

Despite what I first thought. I liked it and its lore, and roughness.
Has a dark ominous nature. Without going too into horror.
~ Vii/X ~

Jet
Jet

Quite a short and relaxing walking simulator.

I liked the art design and atmosphere.

It portrays some mythological lore. I enjoyed it quite a bit.

The music is great, but, it becomes loud in a couple of locations.

You will complete it in between 1 - 2 hours if you are not hunting for the achievements. Some of the collectables are absurd.

Overall, I enjoyed it. Definitely check this out if you are into such type of games. Grab this on a sale.

My verdict: 7/10

mata_destroyer
mata_destroyer

Nice little story about russian myth, soundtrack fits so nicly and kinda spooky at times, gameplay is kinda dull but you don't play this game for it's gameplay but rather for it's story. There is some sideactivities of gathering totems/paintings but it didn't really intrest me enough to make an effort to find them all. Overall the game is nice nothing more nothing less 6/10 for me.

Dexter Morgan
Dexter Morgan

Very simple in terms of game-play. A game with its atmospheric and mystical style of spirits and legends. In general I liked it. There is only one fat BUT: half of the artifacts you damn don't understand how to get... once you dance for half an hour like a real shaman with a tambourine and a it doesn’t work, then I started to do it, I thought it didn’t work out, turned the game down to look at the guide’s website, through minute returned to the game, make one random move and this damn artifact appears ...WTF?!
But even so, I would recommend this game at a discount in steam, at least for the sake of a beautiful interesting style that tells this story

Havocado
Havocado

A beautiful little game that is perhaps more of a cultural heritage than a videogame. I really appreciated it, the art style and the music was beautiful. As others have mentioned it is not the most fun game I've ever played, but I don't think that's the point anyway.

Took me about 2 hours to finish, without trying to collect all the achievements and collectibles. Worth the money!

itschasechase
itschasechase

cool art style, and lovely atmospheric music. interesting story based on folklore i was not familiar with. 1.5-4 hours depending on how rushed you take it, and how many collectibles you try to get.

Scathach
Scathach

Sometimes the puzzles had solutions too far-fetched, but otherwise a great game and a win for Fugristika.

Dance with me
Dance with me

If you like to play games with a lot of actions, interesting mechanics and exciting puzzles, you won't be happy with this game. You mainly walk to the right the whole game, just a few simple puzzles try to mix the game up a bit. But all in all it's more like a slow movie, you really don't have to do much.
But instead this game convinces with a satisfying atmosphere. It's really worth listening to the music with headphones while playing. So if you like mythologies and a relaxed walk through such a beautiful atmosphere, you'll probably like this game.
I can really recommend this one!

kelly01010
kelly01010

I thought this game is a very pretty, interesting and fun way to adventure through these myths. I loved the artwork and the story kept my interest. Cool game!

KeYeR
KeYeR

This a short (~80 min) platformer experience that takes you throuigh less known myth. Stylization and music are really fitting to mysthical plot. Although short the gameplay is well varied and getting more complex the further you play. I don't think its worth full price but if you are into that kind of game get it while discounted for sure.

john_ergine
john_ergine

Unfortunately this game is buggy, unfinished and amateurish – a student work. There is something positive to be said about the theme, music and some of the visuals, but it’s not enough for a “proper” game that has a price tag on it. All you do is walk right while meeting the occasional interaction or puzzle. It’s a museum walk disguised as a game.

The controller support is partial and you can access menus only via keyboard. All the button prompts are only for the keyboard.

Part of the fish level is broken. You cannot see the supposed spotlight of the fish’s gaze and it is infuriating to try and get past it.

A little extra effort to polish this up and I wouldn’t regret spending 2€ on it.

Anonymous
Anonymous

The atmosphere was so realistic so I felt as if I am the real shaman traveling through three worlds. Highly recommend this game to anyone who wants to learn about the mythology of Perm and Ural regions.

Kumagoro
Kumagoro

This short playing experience could be used (as I did) as a follow-up to Morteshka's masterpiece Black Book, just to see where the Russian studio began investigating their own Komi-Permian roots. The Mooseman is more of a virtual visit to an archaeological museum than a game (how many games have bibliographical notes?). The interactive elements are actually the weaker part, as they mostly come in the form of simple puzzles where we have to input keyboard sequences in a fixed order. There's a small stealth section and a small escape section, but they're very basic. The visuals are okay, though mostly in black and white. The choir music, as in Black Book, is top-notch, all taken from actual Permian folk songs.
As a way to approach real-life 6th century to 8th century Permian myths and cosmology, it's interesting, and it nicely links back to Black Book (which is set much later, in the late 19th century). As a game, it's a little bit lacking.
5/10

PupuLaMouette
PupuLaMouette

A short game with good art direction, atmospheric music that I wouldn't recommend to everyone.
On the plus side, it's very interesting to learn about this mythology. But if we judge the game portion of The Mooseman, it's not very well done (the big fish part was buggy on my side and made it very painful to complete) and there are no interesting game mechanics. You basically walk to the right 95% of the game and thats it.

It is an interesting serious game I'd say if you're interested in learning about world mythology, but don't expect a "classic" game with gameplay/story..

Zelrune
Zelrune

Yen is the first god, father of mankind. He filled the middle worlds with spirits, animals, and men; seeded the forests with trees and filled the rivers with fish. He married and had 7 sons before leaving his wife and taking them on a long journey to become skilled hunters and slay the greatest of beasts; Vorsa. Vorsa is a legendary six-legged moose who carries Shondi’s fire, the sun, in his antlers and was created with the beginning of the world; and after a long hunt, was slain by Yen. With Vorsa’s death, the sun fell into the lower realm and Yen told his seven sons to draw lots among themselves, with each day a new son journeying to the underworld to bring a fragment of light back to the middle world so that the sun may rise again.

Yen sounds like a ♥♥♥♥.
The Mooseman is 1+hr game that is largely an artistic reconstruction of myths and lore of the real-life Komi Permians, Komi Zyrians, Mansi, and Saami people who live in north-east European Russia around the basins of the Vychegda, Pechora, and Kama rivers. Artifacts represented in game are stored in the regional museum of Perm Krai in Russia. You play as one of the sons making their journey to the Underworld to collect a fragment of light and bringing it back to the middle world. Gameplay is very easy, simply move forward or backwards while switching between your mortal eye and spiritual to complete puzzles, progress through physical objects, and hide from the more dangerous spirits. Plenty of optional puzzles and riddles to collect secrets and artifacts.

viikonloppuviikinki
viikonloppuviikinki

Let me start with the only bad thing I can say about this game, for a 2 hour game (took me 114 minutes/1.9 hours to finish it) the full price of 6.99€ is pretty steep. If however you find this game on sale I can recommend it. Lets move on.

The artstyle is amazing, the game has mythical atmosphere and I absolutely love it! The theme of finno-ugric mythology is interesting, fascinating even (being a part of the finno-ugric culture myself may affect my interest in this topic), not something you'll see everyday, so a unique take on what to base your game on. I like it. The soundtrack is folk music, no surprises there and it's right up my alley.

Gameplay wise the game resolves around walking to the right and solving light puzzles so it wouldn't be a walking simulator. Simply put, the point of the game is to enjoy the mythology and art, not hardcore game mechanics or brain teasers.

Closing words: If you find this game on sale, are interested in prehistoric mythology and got a couple of hours to spare, get this game and be entertained for a while.

DanexusS
DanexusS

I really admire this game and I totally recommend this game for completing!

Nene
Nene

Mixing beautiful art and music, the mooseman is a very pleasant 2 hours long walk through all kind of eerie sceneries inspired by slavic folklore.
The game contains also lots of secrets we can try to discover on additional playthroughs.
I definitely recommend this game. It is a really nice way to spend an evening.