From the moment that the game begins, you are met with warm music coupled with the sound of birdsong and leaves rustling in the wind. From that very moment, you are transported to the magical world of Belovodica, a village nestled between rolling hills and lush forests where birds flit across the skies and deer burrow in the hedgerows.
For now, our time at Belovodica is fleeting with the first-person narrative walking simulator being available as just a demo, however Olga has already made its mark and I already yearn to return to the beauty that its developers have managed to capture.
Olga is an episodic atmospheric walking simulator where you take on the role of the titular character as she returns to a place she spent an idyllic childhood.
With her parents disappearing on a business trip, Olga must go and stay with her grandparents in Belovodica and although the secluded mountain village looks like it did when Olga first visited as a child, she soon discovers that a dark undertone now exists beneath the surface.
We begin the game as Olga recounts the moment that she returned to Belovodica in her diary before we soon flashback to the past as we gather up our things, tidy up our bedroom and head out for the adventure of a lifetime.
On the car journey there, we listen to our parents discuss their big business meeting as we gaze through the passing views from the window and munch on a sandwich.
However, all of this is just building up to the moment when we first experience the pure beauty of Belovodica.
In walking simulators, environments and art design can be everything and that is something that Olga has in spades. From the very moment we step outside the car, we are immediately met with the lush autumnal colours of the Eastern European mountainside village.
Shades of red, orange, pink and brown surround us for miles to come as trees dance overhead and a winding pass leads our way forward towards our grandparent’s house.
With the accompaniment of a young Olga’s expressions of wonder at this magical landscape she has returned to after many years, we start our trek across the mountain village, meeting animals along the way who are found in traps.
Using rocks will free them from their shackles but Olga is dismayed that the animals seemingly no longer notice her and flee at her approach.
In this short demo, we discover that two men Olga knew as a child, Mitko and Vlado, have gone from being best friends to now seemingly being at war with each other with one wanting to focus on hunting animals for food whilst the others wants to chop down trees to provide enough firewood to Belovodica’s residents who are seemingly freezing in recent years.
Interacting with notes around the environment will tell you of the men’s ongoing battle but it also paints a picture of not everything being as it seems as, despite the peaceful-looking village, it seems as though its inhabitants are struggling and the two men are trying to do anything they can to help.
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It is clear that throughout our journey in Olga, we will regularly help the residents of Belovodica with various tasks as it is teased in the demo when we go on a fetch quest for one older inhabitant. If you’re not a fan of these types of quests, the beautiful environment is enough to convince you otherwise as walking from point A to point B has never been more worthwhile.
The Steam demo gave me just a taste and as it closes with a brief rest atop a porch, overlooking the distant mountains, cotton-candy skies, and sunlit trees, it is hard to believe that the full game will be anything less than beautiful and memorable.
Olga – Episode 1 is now available to try out for free on Steam ahead of its full launch later this year.
