14 DAY TRIAL // 
The ruined church is pretty steep, but Moira is more than up to the task of climbing to its pointy top. She’s well rested after a night spent in the mouth of a cave and is determined to find a new path through the mountains, one that can get her closer to her uncle and almost mythical lighthouse.
Once she’s high enough, it’s time to look at the map fragments we have and see whether anything matches the vast Scottish landscape around. It would be nice to find a shortcut or two to skip some of the higher peaks around. There’s one promising path but before heading for it I want to explore and see if I can find one of the hops and skip rhythm sections around.
The deer that signal their presence are missing but we find a cairn and Moira remembers Hamish talking about them. After climbing a steep slope, she also sees the remains of what seems to be a windmill in the distance and finds a thistle flower. I push her to climb another hill, jumping from rock to rock with short pauses to catch her break, but she gets tired after pushing to the top of the hill. A niggling rain starts to fall, forcing her to find a sheltered place to regain stamina.
A Highland Song is developed and published by inkle Ltd. I played it on the PC via Steam. The game is also offered on the Nintendo Switch. The title combines an engaging story, light platforming, and light puzzle and survival elements.
Our heroine is Moira McKinnon, a very Scottish kid who no longer wants to stay at home with her ailing mother. She’s got stamina and spirit, and she really wants to get to the lighthouse where Uncle Hamish lives. The problem is that there are seemingly endless tracts of rough, if verdant, terrain that separate her from this goal and she has limited resources in her small backpack.
As she moves through the Scottish Highlands, Moira will sometimes find other characters and can interact with them, although some are reluctant. She is also often thinking out loud, telling players about the letters she exchanged with her uncle or remembering what he told her about landmarks. It’s a nice way to keep players engaged with the narrative and the writing mixes poetic moments with more pedestrian observations.
A Highland Song offers a variety of mechanics but doesn’t focus on any of them. Most of the time, players will be guiding Moira as she moves around, running across the flatter parts of the landscape and scrambling up steep stone faces. She can also jump from peak to peak and slide down slopes.
An icon flashes when she needs a moment of rest and overexertion, which includes falls, will lead to a drop in stamina. Zoom in and out to have a clear idea of the landscape around her and try to find a good place to sit down, which allows her to replenish stamina.
It’s nice to move around, find items, investigate points of interest, and try to match maps with the landscape when the sun is out. But for the long periods when it is raining, Moira needs to be more careful as there’s no stamina refill to count on. She also needs to find places, preferably dry and safe, to rest through the nights, or her stamina bar will permanently shrink.
Exploration involves light platforming and gets really exciting when a deer shows up. A highland Song then shifts into a rhythm mode, asking players to hit certain spaces and press the right button to keep Moira sprinting, accompanied by a great folk song. These are the best parts of the entire game, balanced when it comes to difficulty and incredibly joyous. Missing a move removes a big chunk of stamina, so stay focused.
Because our protagonist is running away, she doesn’t have a planned itinerary. She will find hand-drawn or incomplete maps here and there. Once players reach a peak, they can try to match sketch and reality to open up a new path and to find out the names of the many mountains they travel over. I think this element of A Highland Song has potential, but the controls are awkward.
Moira will probably reach her uncle on the first attempt. But gamers do keep the many items they can pick up and maps also carry over for another run. Exploring the Scottish landscape and enjoying the encounters and songs for the rhythm sequences is fun enough that reaching the uncle in the lighthouse has not felt urgent to me.
Climbing as a core activity can become repetitive. The whole experience can also veer towards depressing, especially when players are a few days in and low on stamina, with rain constantly falling around them. But Moira’s optimism shines through even then and it’s easy to start another journey and take new paths.
A Highland Song is a beautiful game, with a very pastel color palette and some excellent views. I love the moments when the camera zooms out when Moira reaches one of the major peaks, showing the rolling landscape, filled with both possibilities for further progress and the danger of getting lost. The game really manages to evoke an idealized version of Scotland.
But sound design is the best part of the presentation. The music that plays during the running rhythmic sections is impressive. Composer Laurence Chapman and folk bands TALISK and Fourth Moon should be commended for their work, which consists of new tracks inspired by folk songs. The voice acting for Moira and her uncle is also very good. The game creates an aural landscape that enhances immersion and narrative.
The Good
- Moira is a great character
- Great songs for the rhythm sections
- A sense of exploration and wonder
The Bad
- Climbing can become repetitive
- Map puzzle control
- Limited depth for each gameplay element
Conclusion
The combination of mechanics means there’s variety but also leads to limited depth for each. It will probably take players two or three tries to get to the lighthouse and many more to find characters and secrets. A Highland Song is a good exploration-focused game that puts Moira’s spirit and Scottish charm front and center.
Review key provided by the developer.
