Boreal Tenebrae Act I: “I Stand Before You, A Form Undone”

Awesome adventure with great artstyle, shame it's just the first act. Loved every second of it, though!

[i]Boreal Tenebrae[/i] is a wonderful little game which got little attention when it released. It's a shame not a lot of people appeared to have played it. It's like a more magical-realist take on a [i]Stranger Things[/i]-type story, (a group of kids riding bikes through summery suburban neighbourhoods, solving a mystery without assistance from adults). [i]Boreal Tenebrae[/i] tells the story of a group of friends in a small, dying town, afflicted with strange, otherworldly infection. The story also talks about topics like debt, uncertainty, apathy, and loss. With its cassette tape-like aesthetics, the game at times feels like you're watching a forgotten home movie of people you never met. The soundtrack is excellent, and I purchased it immediately after completing the game. The game is executed in the vein of a PS1 game, with low-quality, yet endearing graphics, and a heavy amount of puzzle-solving, via using/combining items in your inventory found throughout the game. You can also switch between all of the characters in different locations, making everyone's storylines across the game intersect. However, regardless of everything I like about this game, it is extremely buggy. Frequently save your game as you can softlock yourself. You can also fall out of the map where you think you wouldn't. A few of the actions are bugged, (one scene has you take control as a group of kids destroying postboxes, but I couldn't get them to). The game is also quite a short experience when you know how to complete it. The title was amended from [i]Boreal Tales[/i] (due to trademark conflict), to [i]Boreal Tenebrae Act 1: I Stand Before You, A Form Undone[/i], as I think the developer didn't have sufficient time and resources to realize their complete vision.

Despite being for the most nish* of players, this game is a highly intriguing experience. It's like a game version of a lost cartoon on the internet that you desperately want to watch. It caught my attention after an add on Instagram which made me go "wth is this, I wanna play this!" Some might consider the gameplay and the game systems amateurish or not polish enough but I will argue that it is highly intentional to enhance the game's narrative and themes. The art direction is beautiful and really made me want to explore this world beyond the limitations of its developers. There are traces online that might suggest this game might part of a multimedia experience which is fitting since the game is very surreal. It is well-price for a game of this nature. I hope the game finds success with its accessibility among the most curious and patient.