‘Northbound’ is About Trying to Return to the Places of Our Youth

There’s a point in most of our lives where we suddenly realize that all of our friends are actually our co-workers, and that we’ve moved away from the camaraderie and adventure-filled friendships of our youths.

Northbound: Long Road Ahead is about that sensation.

The game centers around a group of friends who reunite after the protagonist graduates, attempting to head down to a lake where they spent the Summers of their youth. Time never stops, though, and everybody’s life has changed. Your other two friends have drifted further apart, and they’ve got different reasons for wanting (or not wanting) to revisit the lake.

Northbound is a wonderful, slow-paced little narrative, but one with plenty of items to interact with (like a camera which takes photos, and an alternate Game Boy). Its story is definitely something most can relate with, and the whole thing is presented in an outstanding manner.

Northbound: Long Road Ahead was a thesis project between two developers, Johannes Köberle and Arno Justus, although as a result of its reception, they are looking to make a longer follow-up.

Northbound: Long Road Ahead is available for free on Itch.io.

About The Author

Dann Sullivan

After almost a decade of selling games, Dann decided to try his hand at writing about them instead. A few years in and he is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Big Boss Battle, where he and his team cover games of all shapes and sizes. When not in the role, he can often be found seeking out small, memorable game experiences.

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