Atone is a lovely-looking puzzle game inspired by Norse mythology

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"I'll see you at the tree."

I've watched the trailer for Atone several times at this point, and apart from some UI elements, I haven't been able to find a single curved or even rounded line in it. It seems New Zealand-based developer Wildboy Studios wasn't kidding when they said it's done entirely in hand-drawn vector art. Here's what else I picked up on by poring over its announcement trailer: the art is good and the music is even better, so Atone is looking pretty promising altogether. 

Atone is a story-driven 2D puzzle game based on Norse mythology. You play as Estra, a young warrior determined to carry on her late father's legacy and save the rapidly deteriorating land of Midgard. A variety of puzzles dot the way forward, not to mention a big cast of warriors, animals, and spirits to talk to. 

"Players will converse with a variety of characters and share in Estra’s discoveries as she learns more about her family’s past and the looming darkness spreading across the realm," Wildboy says. Atone was co-written by Rebecca Haigh, who also worked on Du Lac & Fey, a neat adventure game where Lancelot and a talking dog pursue Jack the Ripper. 

On top of solving puzzles and navigating conversations, Estra will inevitably have to fight. Combat in Atone is something of a rhythm game by the looks of it, but with a cool twist. Each fight has its own score, and Wildboy says fights are more about matching each encounter's unique rhythm rather than tracking the button prompts. "Each fight is set to its own distinct musical composition that ebbs and flows with the player’s input," the studio says, "a digitally charged take on the battle hymns of Norse mythology." 

Atone is schedule to release in 2019. You can find more information here. 

Austin Wood
Austin Wood
Staff writer, GamesRadar

Austin freelanced for PC Gamer, Eurogamer, IGN, Sports Illustrated, and more while finishing his journalism degree, and has been a full-time writer at PC Gamer's sister publication GamesRadar+ since 2019. They've yet to realize that his position as a staff writer is just a cover-up for his career-spanning Destiny column, and he's kept the ruse going with a focus on news, the occasional feature, and as much Genshin Impact as he can get away with.