Welcome to Elk makes a strong first impression.
As part of the Steam Summer Festival, Developer Triple Topping released a demo for the upcoming Welcome to Elk. Scheduled to release later this year, it has a fun and silly aesthetic; but as its Steam description assures players, it covers some pretty serious topics too.
You play as Frigg, a young carpenter who has traded her city life for an apprenticeship in a small town. At first, Frigg thinks that small town life will be boring and slow – but she’s quickly proved wrong. As you play Welcome to Elk, you’ll make friends with the people of Elk Island, who each have their own stories involving love, death and laughter.
The demo – which you can see us play through in the video atop this post – gives only a glimpse of what players can expect from the full game. You arrive on Elk and are introduced to part of the town before being invited into the bar. In there, you meet quite a few interesting characters; including the creepy Leeroy who gives off serious sexual predator vibes. It’s the first inkling that not everything is as colourful and fun as it seems in Elk.
Welcome to Elk‘s demo also includes a mini-game – one of several you’ll encounter throughout the full game – where you’ll compete in a dance competition with a drunk woman named Sue. The controls are easy enough – but as you can probably see in our video, it takes some getting used to. Sue will try to fake you out by making it seem like she’s going to do the splits when she’s really only going to lean forward. She’ll also go to raise her hands in the air, but her thought bubble will be saying to lean back. It’s an interesting mechanic that requires you to keep your wits about you.
Welcome to Elk’s demo is very short, but it’s enough to have us hooked. The quirky characters are instantly lovable; and with its more serious undertones, we already know that there’s more to this little game than meets the eye. It’s a game for grown-ups disguised as a game for children, and we can’t wait to see what else it has in store for us.
Welcome to Elk is scheduled to release later this year. You can download the demo yourself on Steam.
