Mythargia

Well, when it comes to monitor support, this game is really bad: I have a 21:9 monitor, and the game doesn't let me select a resolution; it immediately switches to ultra-wide mode, regardless of whether I select “Window,” “Full Screen,” or “Full Screen Window” – the resolution field is always empty. This is particularly annoying because text fields are then cut off at the bottom, making the bottom line of text unreadable. This even applies to the main screen: I wondered how to exit the game until I spotted a cut-off button at the bottom of the screen, and lo and behold – it was the exit button.

This is a tough one. I’m 100 minutes in and that’s about all I can take. The game functions and runs well on Steamdeck. It’s nice enough graphically and doesn’t appear to be buggy or anything like that, but I just feel like it’s simply a time killer. I get that it is a narrative adventure, but I don’t understand why I’m playing it or what it is offering me as a player. Am I even playing it? I honestly feel like I’m just walking left and right, occasionally pressing a button when an icon appears. There is a torch that requires batteries and can be used to fight creatures that appear. I turn the torch on, switch to the appropriate light source and they die. Sometimes I need to use batteries which I find randomly by pressing a button on an icon. There are bear traps that I occasionally miss and I lose energy or die. If I see them I jump over them. I haven’t come across anything I’d call a puzzle. There is a story, but I don't really feel the need to do pointless busywork just to gradually be told a story. As for the story, it seems okay, but I don’t care enough to press buttons for a few hours to see it through. The atmosphere is okay, but there’s no sense of dread or danger, so I don…

The mystery and atmosphere had me invested, I loved the journalism take on a point and click adventure like this. Piecing together the story while exploring, it felt natural and satisfying to fill out my investigators journal with notes and photos at the same time. Full of dread and intrigue!

Mythargia is a side-scrolling mystery adventure developed by RunByCoffee and published by Bonus Stage Publishing that blends psychological tension, exploration, puzzle-solving, and investigative storytelling into an atmospheric experience built around discovery and uncertainty. Rather than relying on fast-paced action or combat-heavy progression, the game places emphasis on unraveling secrets hidden within an abandoned location filled with unsettling history and unanswered questions. Its strength comes not from overwhelming spectacle, but from its ability to slowly build intrigue and maintain suspense through exploration and environmental storytelling. The story follows a journalist pursuing what appears to be a career-changing investigation. Rumors surrounding a forgotten island known as Mythargia point toward strange disappearances and disturbing events buried beneath years of silence. Determined to uncover the truth, the protagonist travels to the isolated island expecting a difficult investigation but quickly realizes something far more unsettling exists beneath the surface. Empty facilities, abandoned structures, and signs of long-forgotten tragedy create an atmosphere where …

It's a neat, engaging story with a 90's Point'N'Click or SNES Action/Adventure aesthetic. The gameplay is however lacking, with the mechanics and core gameplay feeling tacked on and unecessary. The idea is fairly good, and the idea that you're able to edit your "article" during the gameplay feels sort of reminiscent to Crime & Punishment by Frogware, but sadly, it's made completely reduntant by not having anything really matter. The dialogue is also somewhat awkward, having (in my mind) obvious traces of direct translation. If you are interested in good storytelling, ambience and want to support a dev that has a lot of great ideas, which would undoubtedly be expanded upon with more financial backing and time, it's still a worthy purchase for the price. I got it gifted, but despite feeling more like a demo than a complete product, it's a neat little game for narrative enthusiasts, and I'm looking forward to future projects.

Very bland gameplay.. it feels it should have been way more complex given the inventory and other things but ultimately feels like walking simulator, pixel art is appealing but felt really boring to me