Olija Reviews
Olija is a memorable 2D action platformer with great combat that is over all too soon with little reason to return.
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.
Expect fluid combat and a captivating atmosphere, with an art style that might not be everyone's cup of tea.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
Olija is a well-made and enjoyable action-adventure; lacking, however, of qualitative touches able to distinguish it from a tough competition. It remains, in any case, a well-made and enjoyable game.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Olija is a beautiful minimalistic game, that includes some interesting mechanics, such as the use of a magic harpoon and the Lunar Sword, to classic "metroidvania" gameplay.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
With it’s very retro pixelated look you could walk into Olija expecting a similarly old-school experience, but you’d be wrong...
Olija is a fun mystical little game that doesn’t overstay its welcome lasting only 6 or 7 hours at best, boss battles aren’t really that difficult even the final one felt way to simple. Really the only thing that will impede your gameplay is the game locking up, we were playing on the Switch and we found the game having moments of slowdown nearing the end to the point it crashed in the middle of a boss fight and even silently crashed during the final cutscene with the screen staying black and the music fading away.
I think adventures like Olija are quite appreciated, with its simple layout but worked and with clear effort behind, and a direct gameplay but with substance as well. An adventure game that combines combat, platforming, classic story, well crafted narrative and art, and fun, quite fun. The so classic and even necessary "what it does, it does well".
Review in Spanish | Read full review
It may not look like much to begin with, but when Olija gets going it’s a captivating experience. Pixelated violence paired with the minimalism of its peers, it’s as worthy as any other game with Devolver’s blessing behind it.
Olija’s adventure might be a short one, but it’ll certainly prove memorable for players thanks to its fun harpooning-action and its minimalistic yet impressive visual style. Add to that an intriguing narrative that’ll keep you hooked in until the very end and it’s clear that Devolver Digital and Skeleton Crew Studio have a winner on their hands here. Admittedly, the combat mechanics were a little underwhelming and the lack of challenge did feel like low points of the journey, but Olija still did more than enough to ensure that its harpoon-fuelled escapade is one that fans of 2D adventures won’t want out miss out on.
Unfortunately, there's little to bring in those who simply lack those gaming memories. The pixelated look can easily be judged as hard to understand, stifling experimentation and making it hard to enjoy the exploration. The harpoon mechanics are solid but they cannot sustain the game on their own. More care to make it accessible for a wider range of players would have made the entire experience more attractive.
This is interesting legend about castaway with courage and harpoon. Just a bit short.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
Philosophic and touching story which doesn't quite suit its gameplay.
Review in Russian | Read full review
With Olija, what you see is what you get. It is well-executed for the most part and is an absolute joy to play. If this is your type of game, don't hesitate to pick this one up.