The Frostrune (Android) Review

Kicking off with a brief cut-scene, The Frostrune wastes no time getting straight into the action. As the main character becomes shipwrecked following a storm, there are deeper secrets to be uncovered about the mysterious settlement they have found themselves in.

The game itself is fairly simple, as its controls only consist of tapping certain parts of the screen to add items into an inventory and progress (or backtrack) throughout the environment. It may have a lot of familiar elements, but a fresh sense of ambition makes it worth the price of admission.

Puzzle-wise, there are unique instances of using an ability called "spirit vision." This displays things in the world that can't be seen normally, so sometimes it's necessary to use it to solve something. As a result, this essentially eliminates the monotony of a typical drag-and-drop formula and adds to its high points. However, for those who aren't in the mood to use any thinking for the puzzles - and, at times, they can be a little confusing - there's a handy "Hints" option in the menu that will pretty much say how to do everything. With seamless transitions between frames, it's effortless to backtrack to a previous area to collect something that may have been missed. Overall, it's a classic point-and-clicker, but the true beauty here lies in the graphics and presentation, even more so than the mechanics.

From the second it's booted up, it's an experience to take in the visuals. Everything shown is carefully crafted to implement an atmospheric environment, and it's absolutely nailed to perfection. Whether it's a cinematic or a gameplay scenario, the setting just looks and feels astonishing for what it is, with a watercolour-esque style. To add to its authenticity, there's also voice acting in Old Norse, so the playthrough will be entirely in subtitles with a myriad of unknown tongues available. As a game that's available on iOS, it packs a ton into the small space that it's working with, and it makes for a great on-the-go companion.