Game: A Highland Song
Genre: Adventure, Platformer
System: Nintendo Switch (also on Steam, Windows, & macOS)
Developers | Publishers: inkle
Age Rating: US E | EU 3+
Price: US $17.99 | UK £13.49 | EU € 17,99
Release Date: December 5th, 2023
Review code used, thanks to Emily Morganti on behalf of Inkle.
A Highland Song is an adventure platformer with rhythm and survival elements. I’ve been intrigued by the game ever since it was first shown in April 2022 on the Wholesome Direct. The game has been developed and published by inkle, who also brought us Steve Jackson’s Sorcery! and Heaven’s Vault. So when we were offered a review code for A Highland Song, I jumped at the chance to play it, and I’m so happy I did.
A Highland Song
Moira McKinnon is fifteen and lives with her mum in a small house on the edge of the wide and rugged Scottish Highlands.
One day, Moira receives a letter from her Uncle Hamish urging her to come to the coast. She has never seen the sea, so Moira decides it’s time she did. Uncle Hamish says a wonderful surprise awaits if she reaches the lighthouse before Beltane. However, she only has seven days to make it to the sea. You’d better get a move on, Moira!
I’m Northern Irish, so I know what Beltane is, but let me explain to our readers who have never heard of it. Beltane or Bealtaine is the Gaelic May Day festival, traditionally held in Scotland and Ireland on May 1st or midway between the spring equinox and summer solstice.
Moira, Come to the Sea Before Beltane
Following Uncle Hamish’s instructions to come to the lighthouse, you have to come as fast as you can! Of she goes, but will our bonnie wee lassie Moira keep her heid and manage to see the sea? It’s a long hike to the sea over Munro’s (mountains) and up and down Corbett’s (hills). Even Moira says she is off her trolley for attempting the journey, which made me laugh out loud.
The highlands are crisscrossed with paths, valleys, caves, and abandoned bothies, which are simple but comfortable shelters. But each peak can be explored if you find the right shortcut, and all paths will lead to the sea….eventually. If you don’t get there in time, you will be rewarded for trying again. You see, A Highland Song has lots of replayability, as each time you replay the game, you will more than likely take a different route over the highlands. I’ve played it four times, and each experience was different.
Fragments of Maps
As Moira hikes across the highlands, she finds discarded items such as a snowflake key and a stout stick, which usually become useful later on her hike. Every so often, on a mountain peak, she comes across a cairn, a human-made pile of stones, and she leaves an item on the cairn. It’s a gift to the dead as cairns are piles of stones left to mark the fallen in battle, back when the clans roamed the highlands.
Some items she collects contain scribbled map fragments, of which there are 100; once Moira reaches a peak, you can use the map fragments to position and plot your route.
It’s a neat way of navigating the highlands; though I did get lost on more than one occasion, I always found the path to set me on the right course again. Anyway, getting lost in the highlands is such a pleasure; the views are amazing.
Musical Sequence
Occasionally, Moira meets a wild Deer, and this starts a sequence where you run and jump in time to a modern take on Scottish folk music.
These rhythm sequences usually happen when you are about to traverse great distances or go up or down a giant hill. The way this is implemented in the game is amazing. It plays out as if the landscape forms itself around the music and the rhythm, challenging you to jump in time with the music. Furthermore, the longer you can keep Moira running, jumping, and staying on time with music, the further she travels. I love the way Moira shouts Yahoo and she gets excited running along beside the Deer, it’s like she really enjoyed the rhythm as much as I did.
I’m not particularly fond of platform or rhythm games; they usually turn out to be frustrating. However, A Highland Song’s light rhythm segments are brilliantly implemented into the game, and the music in these sections is fantastic. Moreover, I really looked forward to meeting the Deer as it gave me a feeling of exhilaration running after it.
Rest in Caves or Bothies
It is not all fun for Moira in the highlands, as you must watch her health meter. Running Moira too fast or making her climb too high, she gets tired, and her health bar reduces.
Furthermore, the weather can be brutal, and she’ll experience four seasons in one day in the highlands. Moira’s health is affected by the rain, snow, cold and blustery winds, and temperatures that drop the higher she climbs; all these factors will reduce her health bar. When that happens, she must sleep to recover it fully. She can also rest in caves or bothies to regain her health.
Narrative Weaves into Moira’s Journey
A Highlands Song’s narrative weaves into Moira’s journey as she progresses through the highlands. She talks about Uncle Hamish’s letters and asks him questions, and he tells her stories of the highlands. The whole game is interwoven with lore about the beautiful highlands, the Jacobites, Queen Morag and the clans that once lived there. You will also learn more about Moira and her mum, but I won’t spoil the story, as players should experience this game for themselves.
It starts off feeling like you’ll be going in a right or left direction over the highlands, but then you have all these moments where there are choices to make, like if you take a path across to another mountain. I was invested in Moira’s journey and wanted her to succeed in reaching the sea. Even when I played A Highland Song for a second, third and fourth playthrough when the game was recently updated, I still felt it was like Moira and I were both on that journey to the lighthouse and Uncle Hamish.
Age Rating
Since the game has an age rating of 3+ in the UK and EU, I should mention that Moria has a potty mouth. Wee Moira is a feisty character and blethers all the time, and she isn’t afraid to use a few choice words unsuitable for young children, especially if she falls, though she doesn’t say anything majorly bad.
The game was recently updated to include a toggle in the settings to remove the profanity. I didn’t mind Moira’s choice of words; it added to the game’s character and made me laugh on multiple occasions.
Visuals, Music and Controls
Visually, the highlands are impressively drawn, and the weather effects are outstanding; the way the clouds roll across the sky, the thunder rumbling in the distance, and the wind howing in my ears while wearing earphones, I highly recommend that you play the game wearing earphones too.
Laurence Chapman is responsible for the game’s theme music, and Scottish folk bands Talisk and Fourth Moon provide the soundtrack for the rest of the game. And what an excellent soundtrack it is, with a Scottish flair throughout. I enjoyed it so much that I downloaded all the songs to listen to whenever I want, like now as I write this review.
The narrative in the game is fully voiced. Both voice actors sounded invested in Moria’s story, too, and the Scottish accents add to the atmosphere and the place in which the game is set.
Performance on the Nintendo Switch
The game performs well on the Nintendo Switch. I did notice a little slowdown in the framerate during some of the rhythm sequences when Moira was running and jumping fast, but it certainly was not game-breaking or off-putting. Additionally, the controls feel intuitive and behave as they should.
If you have trouble keeping time with the rhythm sequences, check the settings in the game. Here, you can customise things like Moira trips less while running and an easier musical rhythm to keep time to or change how wild the weather is.
Conclusion
A Highland Song is beautiful and heartwarming; it feels like you are in the highlands of Scotland that’s immersed in the area’s culture. A’body should play this game, enjoy Moira’s thoughts, and skedaddle aff over the auld highlands. A Highland Song is a wee belter of a game and one of the best games I’ve played this year when Moira and I saw the sea.
Final Verdict: Two thumbs Up 
Wonderful review of a wonderful game. I’ve been playing it all through Christmas and have loved every minute.