When I first heard about Burly Men at Sea ($4.99), the newest ‘folktale adventure’ from developers Brain&Brain, I envisioned a rugged and realistic tale with some ultra-realistic beard physics. While graphically I may have been off the mark a little – Burly Men at Sea has a similar minimalistic style similar to Doggins ($2.99), the developer’s last release – the game is otherwise true to its name. Burly Men at Sea entails three bulky fisherman, all of which are named and defined by their impressive facial hair, who have decided to leave their monotonous lives behind to seek an adventure in twentieth century Scandinavian waters. We’ve been following Burly Men at Sea ever since we first caught wind of it back in August 2015, and after a year that has involved volunteering on farms for resources to continue making the game, and funding from the Indie Fund, the game has today finally launched on the App Store, and its beautiful presentation means it is certainly one that fans of narrative-driven adventure titles should keep their eye on.

One of the most interesting features of Burly Men at Sea, and one that we praised in our PAX 2016 preview, is how instead of controlling the characters, you are tasked with interacting with the environment, as a sort of narrator or storyteller for the game. This involves turning the camera to survey the environment, which allows you to alter the narrative and eventually lead to a variety of paths and endings that gives Burly Men at Sea a significant amount of replay value beyond the initial play-through. The calming piano-driven accompaniment to the colorful, minimalistic graphical design adds a lot of charm to the story, and while it may not be the most involved adventure title on the App Store, as an interactive visual story it certainly looks to be a fascinating and emotive experience that is extremely impressive from a husband and wife development team. Don’t forget to let us know your impressions of Burly Men at Sea, which is out now for $4.99 on the App Store, on our forum thread.