Update [Wed 25th Nov, 2020 00:15 GMT]: It seems the action-adventure Olija will no longer be released this year. Skeleton Crew and Devolver Digital have now confirmed it'll wash up on the Switch in 2021. Above is an updated trailer.
Original article [Sun 12th Jul, 2020 08:45 BST]: Apart from Carrion, one other Switch game showcased during Devolver Digital's recent broadcast was the action-adventure title Olija. It's developed by the Kyoto-based team Skeleton Crew and is arriving at some point this Fall.

The game is focused on Faraday - a man who is shipwrecked in the mysterious country of Terraphage with other castaways. He's armed with a legendary harpoon and must now attempt to escape this hostile location so he can return to his homeland.
The title of the game is named after an enigmatic lady that Faraday finds himself bound to over time, and the game is inspired by "swashbuckling tales and cinematic adventure games" of the past. Here are some details and screens, courtesy of Steam:
- Explore a mysterious and handcrafted world inspired by sailor's legends and Asian fantasy.
- Wield the Harpoon of legend and rethink movement through platforming, puzzle and combat.
- Rescue fellow castaways and meet curious characters to learn more about Terraphage and the enigmatic Olija.
- Beautiful melancholic soundtrack inspired by Flamenco, lo-fi and traditional Japanese music.
- Craft magic hats!
Does this look like your kind of game? Tell us down below.
Comments 20
Too graphically regressed for my liking. I know the world is moving on with the capabilities of the PS5 etc, and the Switch is what it is. This type of style is just depressing.
The retro looking games are great , the show it’s not about graphics it’s game play , pointless having a fantastic looking game on the ps5 with no story and crap game play
@Creature I agree. Variety is great. I can’t wait to play the likes of Cyberpunk and AC Valhalla in super 4K goodness, but at the same time I really enjoy smaller focused games and this one in particular looks really good. The animation looks great, the art style fits with the and even from the trailer it seems to have an interesting story told through expression and that’s the sort of thing I’d really enjoy.
I always prefer ideas and gameplay over graphics and I personally like pixel art, but this is a tad TOO low res for me.
It is super low res (don’t play it docked!), but the animations and, otherwise, rest of the dark presentation make up for it. Will I bite? ... depends on how long is the game and how much.
It looks like it controls well, too.
Oh! There's a demo on Steam!
Why create such wonderful concept art, and then reduce it down to this?
@Marchop Probably due to budget; it takes much less man-hours and time less spent optimizing, the fewer pixels that need to move around the screen.
This looks good, I want a new Flashback game and a new 2D Prince of Persia game. Also Another World as well.
I like! Getting Prince of Persia and Another World vibes, with more dynamic movement and combat like in Dead Cells.
I’m more than happy to see pixel-art/retro ascetic games continue to thrive - yes they’re a fond homage to simpler times and maybe an acquired taste if you weren’t growing up in that era, but if the gameplay and story are good your imagination fills in the rest!
Well my eyes played trick on me was thinking i saw this "Ouija" rather than "olija" 🙂 Okay that's it.
Vibrant 8/16bits colors that resonates with classic throw backs of the 80's retro's.
This game looks and plays great from what i am seeing.
This is what i wished i could've been able to play back in the 80's(with animations like this one) but it's not due to hardware & software limitations back then. However, seeing it now brings joy to my heart.
So much animations better than it was back then, fluid game play with lots of actions and puzzles all taken place in this lovely hand drawn game. If you where born in the 80's you will understand this gem and others like it in the current generation of gaming.
This looks awesome. And the trailer said “available now,” which got my hopes up. Devolver later corrected this.
Pass. The pixel art in this is awful.
The animation looks great! I'll keep an eye out for reviews.
Isn't there supposed to be a demo out now?
@Rpg-lover totally agree with you. This too is what I had hoped those games in the 80s played as. Montazuma's Revenge comes to mind. Could be wrong though.
Almost as if someone cranked Swords and Sworcery up to 11.
@Rypopo glad you do, i am more of an old school game player mixed with modern games🙂.. i don't joke with indies good ones though, because there is always this charm of beauty & joy i derive from them(the messenger, cross code and drifter comes to mind). And yes it looks every bit of sword & sworcery cranked up 🙂.
And this only got leaked thanks to My Uncle that works at Nintendo. Thank you, My Uncle xD
Its a interesting style for sure. Not very easy on the eyes but pretty interesting looking. I'll keep an eye on it.
I read that wrong I thought it said "nintendo was washed up"
@Liam_Doolan not related to this article, but according to Wikipedia, Arcade Archives have announced loads of new Titles coming soon. Some real gems from Taito here including Arkanoid, Operation Wolf / Thunderbolt, Rainbow Islands, The New Zealand Story.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arcade_Archives
Edit; Sorry everyone, looks like someone was havin’ a laugh. All the games that were added have been removed. Should have known it was too good to be true. Bast##ds
Show Comments
Leave A Comment
Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...