Olija Critic Reviews

Olija is a unique, intriguing adventure that brings players to a strange land. It isn't long but its length is enough. The visuals and atmosphere are first-rate, as are the combat and level design. All of that makes it an easy game to recommend.

Olija is incredibly cinematic, despite its minimalist approach to art style. The game still feels fantastical thanks to an incredible attention to detail with both the visual and sound design. In addition, Olija tells a heartfelt story with important themes, while keeping satisfying gameplay at the center of it all. It becomes even more impressive when you realize the game was practically developed by one person, Thomas Olsson of Skeleton Crew Studios. Olija is a pleasant treat and likely an early frontrunner for one of the best indie titles of 2021.

Olija is a fun and engrossing action-adventure game that has you fighting foes and solving puzzles with a magical harpoon. A little on the short side, but a fun experience that leaves you wanting more.

Overall Olija is a good game. I just wish it was longer. I finished a fair portion of the game in around 5 hours and I can’t imagine I would have spent much longer had I decided to get all the collectibles. However, I think $15 is the perfect price for Olija; I much rather have a short good game than a long mediocre one and being left wanting more is a much better problem to have than never wanting to touch a game again. Just know that Olija is a concise but strong experience and a great way to start off 2021.

Olija is a game that thrives in its Asian fantasy atmosphere and well-realized gameplay. The story and soundtrack are artistic and evoke special moods, while the combat and exploration are a neat and interesting package. The journey is short and sweet and only held back by a few stumbles in its narrative delivery.

I was bowled over by the level of quality of all this one person has achieved. Olija is clearly Olsson's personal work, and its story, of Europeans lost in mysterious and frightening Eastern waters, in part reflects his own experience of moving from his birthplace in France to Japan to be with his wife. But I felt sometimes a disquieting air of orientalist fantasy, as we encounter an inscrutable culture headed by the beautiful Lady Olija, who we chase into submission. But I also loved the clash of rough and ready mariners facing a strange and terrible world of corrupted beauty. I only wish their voyage was a little longer.

Wonderfully inventive and with a charm that's all its own, Olija delights and surprises at every turn. The very personal creation of Thomas Ollson this is a game that every videogame lover should save an afternoon to fully experience. Lovely.

Because despite the strength of Olija's tone and mechanics, it is a very moody game. There's not a lot to say in indie platformers that hasn't been done elsewhere and so it all comes down to execution. I don't think the story or characters or themes of Olija will stick with me for a long time, but I will remember the game nonetheless. I will remember the world actually, as if I was the one braving mosquito filled bogs and slimy tombs. Thomas Olsson and Skeleton Crew Studio aren't telling stories so much as they are crafting worlds. That's what kind of game Olija is: a world you can get lost in.

Olija's best asset, truly, is its brevity. Its story is impeccably paced. Its mechanics never wear out from overuse. From start to finish, it finds new ways to gently goad you into using the harpoon in different ways, until it says its piece. I was taken with how emotionally resonant and mechanically pleasing it could be in such a short time. Succinct and satisfying is a rare combination, and it makes Olija a rare treat.

We hope that Skeleton Crew Studio will not stop at one game, and we'll learn the further story of relationships between Faraday and Olija in the sequel.

It’s not all seamless, exactly how it’s blend of home-base to expedition works takes a while to become apparent – leading to some confusion. The combat too and dashing about is a little imprecise (even when using a d-pad) which can lead to some frustrating boss encounters. In the end, through brevity, variety, and focus, Olija is a rewarding slice of action, contemplative fiction, with great action-adventure design.

Its staging has steadily transported us, while its cleverly designed boss fights have us fully engaged. Only, by the time we have fully assimilated its mechanics, Olija has stopped. As soon as the last gear is unlocked, the end credits take us back from the gaming systems that were only waiting for a final level to shine brightly. We would have liked to be able to test our abilities in one final twisted climb, defending ourselves from an ambush with uncertain outcome or in a final duel at the top like Genishiro Ashina de Sekiro.

Subverting my expectations, Olija has earned its place as one of the most haunting, and surprising games I’ve played in quite some time. I cannot recommend this game enough.

This game made me feel like a swashbuckling stranger in a foreign land for a couple of evenings, and left me wanting more. What’s there is lean and sometimes exquisite, but there wasn’t time to fully explore the different weapons (or try on all those dapper hats) before Faraday’s adventure came to an end after around six hours. I could have spent twice as long exploring this beautiful and mysterious creation, but I’m grateful nonetheless for the journey I’ve had.

Olija is a god game built for a specific audience. If you loved classic exploration and combat titles on the PC from the ’80s, then this experience has plenty to offer. The graphical style will be charming, the gameplay challenging enough but not impossible to master. The narrative is not too engaging but it will keep players interested. 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.

Faraday's enthralling quest is up there with the best games Devolver has published to date.

If one could sit back and honestly be happy with a six-hour experience with beautiful voice acting and music, non-frustrating gameplay, and most importantly, is fun from start to finish, then Olija definitely a game you want to check out and one we can easily recommend.

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 an atmospheric but rather derivative throwback to the Another World, Price of Persia and Flashback era. Its gameplay mechanics are quite elaborate for this genre and the story is satisfying, but the game somehow looks worse than the mentioned classics.

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.