A Story About My Uncle

Developer: Gone North Games | Publisher: Coffee Stain Studios | Release Date: 2014 | Genre: Adventure / Casual / Indie | Website: Official Website | Purchase: Steam

We have searched for many people, places, and objects in games before, but this is probably the first time the quest has been to locate an uncle. This is precisely what you do in A Story About My Uncle, a charming platform adventure from the Swedish-based studio Gone North Games. The protagonist’s uncle has gone missing, and instead of informing the authorities, the boy does the next best thing. He straps himself on a high-tech suit that he finds in his uncle’s house before launching into a mysterious new world.

The game’s story is narrated by the now much older protagonist, telling it to his daughter as a bedtime story. As you explore the beautiful new world, the narrator explains what he did and why, which is a very cool feature. You’ll also encounter items in the gameworld that cause his daughter to ask questions, prompting the narrator to flesh out the story further. The voice acting is generally good, although some of the lines from the protagonist sound a bit off. The rest of the characters sound okay, though, and the narration doesn’t detract from the atmospheric journey.

The game is viewed from a first-person perspective, which is always a concern when it comes to platforming adventures. ASAMU pulls it off quite well, though, and it never felt like the chosen perspective was hampering the gameplay. Thanks to the gameplay mechanics and breathtaking visual landscape, the first-person view actually makes the game even more immersive.

The mysterious world you find yourself exploring is made up of many small floating islands, so solid ground is a scarce commodity in this game. Fortunately, the suit you found in your uncle’s house has a neat grappling hook that allows you to traverse the platforms. You can’t just go swinging around willy-nilly, though, as the suit only has a maximum of three grappling charges before it needs to be on solid ground to recharge. This means you must be within the landing distance of something solid after expending the third charge, or else you are in trouble. Later in the game, new mechanics such as rocket boots and crystals that allow for recharging mid-air are introduced, enabling you to traverse distances that would otherwise have been impossible.

The vertigo-inducing grappling traversal is a big selling point for the game, and rightfully so. Initially, we blundered off platforms, mistimed grapples, and flew off in the wrong directions, but once we mastered the controls and gameplay mechanics, the game became a joy to play. Soaring through the air is quite a rush, and not knowing if our character will nail a jump or land inches short of his target had us on the edge of our seats many times. There are some tricky sections, but the checkpoints are spaced apart reasonably, and we never had to waste time redoing sections we have already completed. The game doesn’t hold your hand, so don’t expect a map or HUD to show you exactly where you must go.

A few times, we had to launch our character straight up into the air with a rocket-powered jump so that we could survey his surroundings and try to plot a course. Glowing markers on floating rocks help you find your way, but a clear path is not always immediately apparent.

The landscapes in this game range from dark caves to open skies, and you will see crystal-encrusted floating islands everywhere. The art style is colorful and beautiful, giving the game a nice fantasy feel. The game runs on Unreal Engine 3, but the artists have made it their own with the vibrant gameworld that they have created. You’ll also encounter some fantastical inhabitants, and although they are not as impressive as the landscapes, they bring some life to the world. Don’t think that you can kill the poor creatures either, as ASAMU is as non-violent as you can get. There are no guns, blood, or gore, and even if you fall to your doom, the screen fades to black before you are deposited back at the nearest checkpoint. While your path through the levels is relatively linear (after you figure them out), there is still some incentive for wandering off the beaten path. Finding items left behind by your uncle reveals more of the backstory, and there are also collectibles in the form of research material that you can find to unlock new goodies, like being able to select the color of your grappling beam. You’ll definitely want to search these out, as the unlockables are very cool, and the game is also relatively short. The story can be blasted through in just over three hours, but a Time Trial mode and some achievements will keep you coming back for more.

The game’s audio is quite mellow, which fits in nicely with the visuals and gameplay. Although none of the tunes will stay in your head after playing, they provide a nice atmospheric audio backdrop for the exploration and traversing. As mentioned, the voice acting is generally quite solid, apart from a few lines here and there that sound slightly off. The controls are very responsive, although a keyboard and mouse combination works best for some trickier sections.

A Story About My Uncle is a very imaginative title that effectively uses its grappling and traversing gameplay mechanics. It also helps that the gameworld is so much fun to traverse, and the beautiful visuals really draw you into the game. If you enjoyed games like Mirror’s Edge but want a more vibrant and less violent experience, you should check out ASAMU. If you do not care about unlockables or time trials, the game might be a little on the short side, but it is such an entertaining experience that you will definitely be drawn back for more.