A Folkloric Journey into a Beautifully Rendered World
Sometimes games can be elementary. You are a nameless grunt who needs to shoot a horde of monsters and collect some items to save the world. Rinse and repeat since 1994.
But other times, games are cultured, nuanced, or narratively complex, especially those that have come to market in the last decade or so.
I have tremendously enjoyed experiencing stories from other parts of the world; tales of which I never would have stumbled upon if it weren’t for video games.
Vasilisa and Baba Yaga is one of those stories; a narrative that feels like a mix of Cinderella and Hansel and Gretel. It’s a classic tale, but how does it play as a game?
Slavic Spells and Ancient Tales
Slavic fairy tales have been a main ingredient for games in the last couple of years, from small indie titles to big Triple-A games. It’s easy to see why too, as the source material is interesting and unique, with epic tales of bravery and horror, lands fully populated by the amazing creatures and monsters that inhabit them.
In Vasilisa and Baba Yaga, you play the part of Vasilisa, who is sometimes referred to in stories as Vasilisa the Brave. I believe this is an adaptation of that story, and it remains fairly faithful to the original narrative and story arc.
A Perilous Quest for Fire
The story goes that, to help her father, Vasilisa is sent by her stepmother to seek out magical fire from the witch Baba Yaga. Vasilisa’s journey takes her through swamps, underwater realms, and forests. She is aided by a doll that her mother gave her, which protects her from all sorts of monsters along the way. The story is narrated throughout, and as you would expect from an old tale, it is a brilliant one. The visual storytelling is also sublime and compelling all the way through.
Exploration, Mazes, and Stealth
The gameplay found in Vasilisa and Baba Yaga itself is quite basic, at least regarding Vasilisa. In the 2D world, she can move left and right, but only at one pace. She can jump only when commanded to by a prompt.
From there, her journey consists of three elements: the first is exploration and simply going from A to B, or from one adventure to the next. The second element involves getting lost in a sort of maze, a mechanic which repeats many times in different locations. You might be in a forest, for example, and if you choose a certain direction, you could end up back where you started or somewhere else entirely. This means you have to carefully retrace your steps. It’s okay at first, but it begins to grate a bit over time.
Doll’s Might and Monster Fights
The third gameplay element is that of the stealth, where you have to move forward and then hide behind rocks or wait for something to jump out at you. These sections take place in different environments – featuring a huge sea monster or a forest full of trees with eyes – but they employ the same mechanics. Combat is also a big part of the game, and this is where the doll comes into play.
The doll fights creatures, making the most of a huge knife, and you have a range of monsters to attack. There are also challenging boss battles; however, once you learn their patterns, they do become a bit predictable. But I suppose that is true of most boss battles.
Shadow Puppets and Slavic Sounds
Visually, Vasilisa and Baba Yaga excels with its almost shadow puppet theatre design and great use of the 2D plane. The design of the creatures and the use of light and colour in the environment work brilliantly. The sound is very good as well, with some great effects and an excellent piece of narration in the native language. There is an amazing soundtrack that plays too, featuring some Slavic folk songs that are beautiful and haunting in equal measure.
A Visually Stunning Tale with Basic Gameplay
You’ll love the story, soundtrack, and visuals of Vasilisa and Baba Yaga as it looks to transport you to a different culture and fantasy world that feels different, yet familiar. However, the gameplay doesn’t click in quite the same way; stealth sections become too annoying, the combat too repetitive, and the jumping mechanics and some of the QTE sections are a bit stale.
You’ll appreciate that the other parts found in Vasilisa and Baba Yaga are so good that it’ll no doubt tempt you into reading up on the real story.
Important Links
Face the Fearsome Witch! Vasilisa and Baba Yaga Brings Spooky Folklore to Xbox – https://www.thexboxhub.com/face-the-fearsome-witch-vasilisa-and-baba-yaga-brings-spooky-folklore-to-xbox/
Buy Vasilisa and Baba Yaga on Xbox – https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/store/vasilisa-and-baba-yaga/9PNH9DZ9N1S3/0010
