One-Eyed Likho

From the promotional material, the fairy tale setting and the monochrome filter, I anticipated a Russian [i]Mundaun[/i]. What I got instead was a very abstract adventure not even trying to ground itself in a specific folklore tradition (unlike Morteshka's previous titles), peppered generously with direct references to various cultral artifacts such as (but not limited to): Book of Revelation, Goya, Vereshchagin, Böcklin, Cronenberg and Gaidai. By the midpoint of the game I was completely disgusted by the approach and had to force myself to sit through the thing. Good thing I did, because towards the end it finally clicked - and would have clicked much sooner had I paid more attention and gone in without any preconceived notions. This eclecticism is not a bug but a feature. [i]Likho[/i] is not a folk horror, it's an exercise in structural anthropology. They decided to take a universal mythological motif and let the player experience its focal points loosely basing the whole thin...

It's atmospheric, looks cool and has very suitable and interesting soundtrack, but the game itself is short (well, in itself, because for the little variation it gives, it might as well have been even shorter), repetitive corridor walking simulator with "puzzles" (which are just hidden (and not very well at this) object and some clicking (with pretty obtuse controller controls implemented)). The story itself is a nice variation on the one found in many myths and folktales, but unfortunately it didn't hold my attention well enough to even finish it in one sitting.

I'm not a really big fan of horror generally, and I bought this game since I did however love both Morteshka's [i] The Mooseman [/i] and [i] Black Book [/i]. Fortunately for me, the horror elements are kind of weak. It can get tense but rarely terrifying, which I can see being a problem for someone looking for a good scare in a horror game. I was dreading any eventual chase sequences up until trying the first one. They're few and all pretty much short and easy. [spoiler] There are about 2 chases in total and one is linear with some turns and the other at the end is a straight run forward. Then there are 2 sequences where you have to sneak around without getting caught by Likho, one in which she basically stumbles blinded while you pet the sheep [/spoiler] The art direction is great, so is the music, so is the aesthetic and the environment has a nice sense of dread to it. The puzzles don't really take a genius to solve but I found them quite fun. In the end 8/10 (lighting matches s...

Atmospheric, quite short, not quite scary but more creepy, linear horror story with a side of puzzles. While based mostly on russian folktales, this game is rooted deeply in pre-civilizational concepts and elements that are shared between different cultures, so actually knowing them is not required to have a good time. However I'd heavily recommend reading a book by Propp - "Historical roots of magic tales" - before or right after playing, because it would greatly enrich your experience.

Interesting Folk Horror with some light puzzles...good voice acting too!

Story and atmosphere are top notch 10/10

[h1]6/10[/h1] In terms of horror it's not great. There's some spooky moments, but not much. It's got jank to it, which I can excuse mostly. But I would also say if you just want to immerse yourself in the Slavic folklore atmosphere, then it's good. The puzzles are repetitious and uninspired. The difficulty of the optional locked chest puzzles range from "for babies" to "complete brainfuck", which is funny as sometimes they are quite obscure. The story is decent but cliché, which is kinda what folklore stories are anyway. The ending is foreshadowed heavily through documents.

This, rather short, quest in the Temple of Likho is another example of the amazing work the Morteshka’s team is capable of. The atmosphere of mystery, wonderful visual style, enchanting soundtrack and endless references to slavic folklore are combined in a unique swirl that will take the player to the dark corners of folk tales known to every kid. I loved the plot about the smith’s adventure to the underworld. While it is based on the folk tale formula, at the same time it does not lack originality. There is no much gameplay, but I would not have expected it anyway of this genre. The puzzles never felt a burden in this game, they were captivating enough, reminding me of old 2000s quests. Morteshka once again gifts us with a solid academic project, carefully wrapped up in a game format for more interactivity and immersion. I’ll never be tired of stating how important Morteshka’s games are from a cultural point of view. Their projects are always based on thorough studies with...

Bought this game for its unusual stylization and the rare Slavic rural setting. While playing, I also got hooked by its clever plot. "Clever" in a way that it represents together multiple ancient tales from different regions, all sharing the same core line.

[I finished the game offline so my achievements don't reflect how far I got into the game.] If there was a "uhm" response, I'd hit it. There's quite a bit of aesthetics and research into legends to Likho... the same could be said for an article in a magazine. The game's horror isn't particularly scary because I never felt tension nor the possibility of the protagonist, The Smith, being hurt. The game's story, while simplistic purposefully due to its emulation of ancient legends passed on through word-of-mouth, gets rather repetitive in its symbolism and hammering you over the head with "HEY LOOK DOESN'T THIS LOOK LIKE A CERTAIN LEGEND THAT I'VE ALREADY MENTIONED FIFTY TRILLION TIMES! LOOK! LOOK! LOOK! LOOK!" and that just never stops. There's a nod to a different source, there's referencing a different source and then there's pureeing and forcing it down the player's mouth like a mother bird. There is also a terrible lack of gameplay, even for a walking simulator. Usually a good wa...