Mirages of Winter
MIRAGES OF WINTER is a moving and poetic game.
It is an adventure about the passing of winter to spring. The story follows a fisherman living on an island during winter; living a simple life together with nature. By following its footsteps, you will uncover the hidden beauty of winter and witness the coming of spring.
Gameplay
Mirages of Winter is an immersive game played in first person view. While walking and exploring beautiful sceneries, soothing puzzles must be solved. Everything on the island is linked to five elements: water, wood, fire,earth and metal. Find them all and use them to open new paths towards spring.
FEATURES
Immersive
A firsthand experience in fully drawn interactive landscapes filled with many creatures and hidden details inspired by Taoism and Zen philosophy.
Poetic
Inspiring and enchanting poems about the coming of spring and moments of harmony with nature.
Meditative
Easing puzzles inspired by nature.
Mesmerizing Music
An original yet uplifting soundtrack composed and recorded with a Daegeum, the traditional Korean bamboo flute.
With Family
Mirages of Winter is an individual experience but the adventure can be shared and enjoyed in the company of friends, parents and children alike.
RELAX AND BOND WITH NATURE!
Steam User 11
I thought I liked slow-paced games, but holy mother of unskippable cutscenes this one is for the very, very patient.
It's certainly something special, so there's some bonus points from me. It looks quite pleasant, and for some of the time that whole "Zen" thing worked for me. The 2.5D effects are really cool. The language felt more or less like a very oversized haiku or something. The puzzles... I think most of them made some kind of sense in retrospect, but often I only got through them by randomly clicking around. A lot of elements of Chinese mythology are used but not explained, so players with previous knowledge might appreciate the game much more.
I wanted to adjust mouse sensitivity after starting, but apparently the (few) settings aren't available mid-game. No settings for adjusting volume. There's no manual save, but at least the auto-save seemed decent. You can quit before finishing a chapter without losing progress. You can't quit (or pause) during cutscenes though, and there's a lot of them. Basically a lot of the game is watching things happen very slowly.
I bought this game because I was looking for something with spring vibes and that turned out to be rare in games. Most of this one takes place in winter, though spring is a theme throughout. During the second half I felt a bit like a kid going "are we there yet" tbh.
Recommended for patient fans of poetry and mythology?
* * *
If you like chill and story-driven games, check out my curator Peaceful Adventures and Stories. You're also welcome to join the group.