Publisher Untold Tales has just revealed a new trailer for ATONE: Heart of the Elder Tree, an indie adventure featuring puzzles, rhythm combat and Norse mythology. According to a recent release date trailer, ATONE: Heart of the Elder Tree will launch on January 27th, 2023, for Steam, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch. Here is today’s new teaser, focusing on the game environments:
ATONE: Heart of the Elder Tree has consistently reinforced a sincere tone about grief, even with a single line of narration in the release date trailer. The imagery and music are somber, but it’s also deeply creative and honest.
Today, developer Wildboy Studios showed off a little more scenery, though some of the footage was previously released. It’s clear that every shade of blue was needed to capture the protagonist’s turmoil, and properly represent cold Norse environments.
But the setting does have some more variety in today’s trailer, all of which cleverly play with the foreground. This really helps the world come alive, using visual contrast to define which areas are claustrophobic or vast. It draws your attention where needed, sometimes in order to distract. There are so many fine details, it’ll surely be worthwhile to replay the game just to find new details.
There’s no denying the appeal of the art style, which has compelling geometry. While it may be inspired by Norse culture, it also appears to intentionally keep the world askew, again reinforcing the inner struggle. This pairs well with the puzzle genre approach, which has always been a useful metaphor for self-discovery, growth, and healing.
It’s hard to believe this game released on Apple Arcade three years ago, and took this long to reach consoles. It absolutely deserves the wider launch, and hopefully, there will be some word on an Xbox port soon.
You can read more about ATONE: Heart of the Elder Tree, and other upcoming indies, by checking out the rest of our news section!
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