Welcome to Elk
Triple Topping’s Welcome to Elk is unlike any game I’ve played before it. You play as Frigg, on her way to Elk Island for a carpentry apprenticeship. Elk is filled with plenty of characters with their own stories to tell, and many of these stories are based on real-life stories from the creators of the game, and people they knew.
It’s a very experimental take on gameplay, and one that oozes charm and feels somewhat bittersweet. In order to delve into everyone’s stories - you may have to complete mini-games, or listen to the actual people telling these stories via short video clips. Everything is based in truth, but naturally there will be embellishments here and there - but with no way to tell what is 100% the truth keeps things interesting and makes you want to dive deeper and find out more about all of these stories.
The art style in Welcome to Elk is very unique and quirky, with the focus on the characters and what they have to say. The inclusion of recorded segments of people talking, their real-world selves recounting tales to a camera, can feel a bit odd at first, but it all fits together in a weirdly melancholic way. Everything is hand-drawn which works really well with the overall style of the game and the personality it conveys.
The soundtrack fits beautifully with a folksy vibe, that often has a morose, sorrowful tone to it. It works really well with the combination of comedic and tragic elements all throughout the game, and the tunes are so catchy that you might just find them stuck in your head days after you play.
Controls are very straightforward, as at its core Welcome to Elk is a walking sim, of sorts. The only controls you require are walking, viewing your map and interacting with objects - and with all interactable objects standing out against the background due to their pops of colour (an artistic choice that works remarkably well), everything flows fantastically.
It’s a short game at the three to four hour mark, but you may find yourself wanting a second run-through just to grasp everything that is being told. There’s a lot of information and a lot of stories that overlap and veer away from each other, so trying to find out everything can be a little bit confusing. Without spoiling story elements, you’ll find a lot of darkness - as well as light - throughout, which makes for an intriguing and interesting time.
In the end, we decided to give Welcome to Elk the Collecting Asylum rating of 8.5/10.
Have you played Welcome to Elk yet? What did you think of it?
Let us know in the comments below!
- V x
Thank you to Future Friends Games for the Welcome to Elk Xbox One review code!
