Olija Reviews
The product of a one man team, Olija is a tight and entertaining seafarer's voyage that manages to be memorable despite not bringing anything particularly revolutionary to the table. Instead, it's in the atmosphere and tone that Olija excels, proving that the deep blue sea isn't full of just terrors.
Featuring an intriguing narrative and fun combat, Olija tells the story of a simple hero in several adversities, with numerous positive points to note. It could have more content or be a little longer, but it still pleases anyone who is interested.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Olija is a game that, when it works, is a really fun time. But when you can’t figure out where to go next due to a lack of direction or, even worse, just struggle to string together the right combo with the harpoon it can be incredibly frustrating. Swinging around and teleporting from place to place is incredibly rewarding and you’ll feel like the monarch of video games when you get it exactly right, but the frustrating elements of the combat will definitely test your patience at times. However, it’s worth the frustrations in order to play one of the more original titles we’ll see this year... which is a cool thing for a game that really tried to remind us of games we’ve come to love from our past.
Olija never sets out to be more than it is. It plays it safe, delivering an action platformer with a traversal mechanic and never straying too far from what works. But Olija has an undeniable depth of charm and character that some higher budget productions just can’t grasp. Olija is a tale that deserves to be heard at least once.
As this game is available on Game Pass if you’re into 2D action platformers then I highly recommend it. It’s a solid 4 to 5 hours of engaging combat in a genre that rarely feels this heavy. That goes for the story as well which uses a minimalist style to tell a tale of lonely sadness. Olija doesn’t give the best first impression, but if you stick with it I think you’ll end up having one hell of a good time.
Expect fluid combat and a captivating atmosphere, with an art style that might not be everyone's cup of tea.
Olija is a unique platforming experience that will captivate from start to finish. Faraday's journey takes you to an intriguing world that has as many mysteries as it does scenic vistas. It may get tedious in parts, but the limited run-time of the title helps it stay mostly on track.
Olija is a memorable 2D action platformer with great combat that is over all too soon with little reason to return.
Visually, Olija might not look like much, but you'd be surprised how atmospheric it is. A handful of bugs aside, this is an intriguing adventure worth taking.
Olija is truly a great experience, a delicious and clever Pixel Art Swashbuckler video game that offers a great setting, gorgeous visuals, a world and a story to love fondly. But sadly, it is really too easy and too short.
Review in French | Read full review
Olija enters a crowded genre and its gameplay does little to revolutionize the scene, but it still manages to stand out with a unique visual style that greatly contributes to its intriguing, atmospheric tone. Anyone interested in the story should go in blind, as a sense of mystery adds to the experience. The Devolver catalog has often curated the best in niche indie games, and Olija is another good addition for those looking for a unique, moody, maritime experience.
Olija is a piratical adventure that really, really pays attention to atmosphere. From its bombastic music, which echoes similarly pirate-themed Return of the Obra Dinn, to its arthouse-cinema-style sudden cuts to black, Olija is possibly the most cinematically dramatic indie game we've seen in quite some time.
Olija may fail to make as big of a splash as its influences, but it's a worthwhile adventure with a palpable atmosphere.
It all comes down to the aesthetic-the muted color palette, the hushed tones when characters speak, the overarching sense of loss and despair that permeates the game. And most notably, those archaic visuals that look like they're from the latest Sierra game you and your friend play on his Tandy computer every afternoon after school. Olija roots its mysteries in the ever-distant, increasingly forgotten past, with all the warmth and sadness that implies.
Anyone who can stomach the tired minimalistic 2D pixel art will find that Olija has quite a bit going for it. The low difficulty may turn off most hardcore players, and the violence may be too much for kids, but this would be a fine game for much older people who want to get into video games.
Olija has a wonderful story to tell that takes influence from some of your favorite seafaring adventures. While the technical hiccups can be disappointing and the major portion of the gameplay can feel unexciting, the boss fights and story sections bring to life a drab and dreary world that I would thoroughly enjoy seeing more of after the patches roll out.
But some of this might just be me being cantankerous. I can’t say Olija is all that great, but it’s definitely a solid game that aimed at what it wanted to be and hit it squarely. It’s unlikely to be anyone’s favorite game, but it is – at least – doing its own thing with no small degree of confidence.
Overall, I’m still quite pleased I got the opportunity to review Olija. Devolver has a knack for publishing quirky and unique fare, and that tradition continues here. I just wish it wasn’t so short. Because the world of Terraphage is a fascinating one, and I really wish I could have gotten more lost in it. But those complaints aside, this is still a very solid game worth checking out. Here’s hoping the next project by Skeleton Crew Studio is a bit more robust.
The combat is fun but both Switch controllers were problematic. The gameplay isn’t repetitive because there are multiple very small gameplay loops. Olija is infrequently challenging (if at all). Yet it is a nice game to play between major AAA releases or 100 hour RPG’s. Olija is a great game to take out of your pocket and play in small stretches if you are on the road. Especially at the $15 price point. Unfortunately, there is so much coming out and so many games in all of our backlogs that it keeps it from really standing out. Olija will release on January 28th on Switch, PS4, Xbox One, and PC.
If you're fond of cinematic platformers, mysterious settings, and swashbuckling adventure, you've washed up in the right place.