Burly Men At Sea

 

Burly Men at Sea is a colourful, thoughtful, and unique point and lick adventure game that tests the player's ability to conjure up scenarios and tell the story they want to see. The game’s humble beginning places it on a dock where you control bearded sailors as the set off on an adventure that may see them meet various creatures from folklore. The trek the fishermen take across 20th century Scandinavia is entirely in the hands of the player who assumes the role of storyteller for the game. The simple decisions made by the player, dictate how treacherous the day will be for the men and place player agency right at the forefront.  Most point and click adventure games tend to make serious decisions feel important by thrusting them in the players faces and showing the immediate consequences of these decisions. This game however, tends to allow the player to decide what the decision to be made actually is and the first decision inside of the whale (it makes much more sense when you actually play the game) highlights this. The game’s ability to make the player feel powerful in determining the fate of these men is very impressive and due to this, you can become attached to our protagonists. There are over 20 endings to the game, and each will probably fit with how a specific player feels the story should culminate allowing every participant to enjoy the journey they undertake. 

 

One part of the game I'm not a fan of though is how the game controls. The decision to have to move both thumb sticks to move the three bearded men is not one I endorse. Comparatively though, the game’s atmosphere is superb. It is brimming with charm and culture and has an unusual colour palette and hand drawn design that can look spectacular. Presentation wise, the game gets everything right for me with the visuals being accompanied by some excellent music. Whether it is pacer tracks with their faster tempo that notifies the player on the consequences of failure, or the more melancholic tracks that focus on those moments of sadness, the music always manages to fit the scene perfectly. My favourite track though is the hub world music with its welcoming and warm tone that matches the look and feel of the dock’s excellently. In conclusion, the game really is quite great. It sores above most of it’s contemporaries as far as giving the player control of their journey and is a pleasure on the eyes and on the ears. It certainly is not for everyone though and its short runtime can lead to many feeling short-changed even with the multiple endings that add some good replay value if you want to see what other adventures these three fishermen can get up to.  

Rating: It’s a worthwhile adventure that begin with the unknown

8/10

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