Huni Kuin: Yube Baitana review

For free on itch.io: https://huni-kuin.itch.io/hk

An Ode to Oral Culture

It is kind of hard to review a game so good, but that could be even better if it had the privilege of a big budget. It has everything we expect from a platform, and it is well done. At the same time, all the positive points could be better if it had a bigger budget.

PROS

• Art style: I believe it is the higher point in this game. Basically all the visual art we found in levels and in the characters are very beautiful.
• Soundtrack: Even though it isn't an original score, since the songs were takan from the album Amazon Essemble & Huni Kuin, the song were well chosen. They really build the mood we need for each stage.
• Story: Huni Kuin tells several different stories. In general, they are very interesting and has a high cultural value.
• Storytelling: Each story is told from indigenous point of view and in native language.
• Level of difficulty: I believe many people will think it is easy. Actually it is, however I think the difficulty is well balanced when we take account the levels length and the lack of checkpoints.

You can play the stories by talking to the wiseman

CONS

• Cutscenes: It might be very picky of me, but the cutscenes's artworks isn't very beautiful. I know they choose to use an artwork make by amateur's indigenous instead of by a profissional painter. I know this adds to the educational mood this game has, but I don't think it would make much difference if I (a completely uneducated person in art) had made the artwork myself. I think it would be nicer if they had used a profissional.
• Bugs: There aren't that many, but they are there. Sometimes they are a little animation bug, sometimes they might hinder the gameplay.

STORY

It is possible to play in Huin Kuin's native language if you want to.

I will not say too much about the story. The game is made by many stories and, if I wanted be fair, I'd have to make an analysis of eachone.

Overall you control a native born Huni Kuin who have to listen to the wiseman's stories so you will became a real Huni Kuin. It is possible, if you want to, to walk around the village and talk to people who will inform you some aspects from the tribe's culture. 

To advance you must talk to the wiseman and listen to the stories he will tell. These stories are the game levels. When you listen to every story you become one with your people and the game ends.

There aren't much of mora of the story. The stories are about origin legends. They explain how the people acquired the knowledge about the forest and how their culture was born since the immemorial ages.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Puzzles

Even though it is small and simples, this game has high quality. I believe the developers wanted to do and Brazilian Never Alone (Kisima Ingitchuna) and take to the the autochthonous culture of the Huni Kuin to world's knowledge. However they had less budget to do so. The game is beautiful and well made.

Play it definitely worth it.