Language and culture are the cornerstones of why humanity is both a fascinating animal to be celebrated and also a deranged beast that should be put down. On the one hand, the growth and mutation of the tongues we speak gives birth to new ideas, new articulations and incredible new bridges to communicate with others. On the other, the way that colonialists have purposely stamped out the languages of those they subjected is an unforgivable act that erased untold eons of history and experience.

Which is why it’s so important that we have the means to finally take a stand and preserve our ancestry and the roots of others in a new medium that fortifies, if not guarantees, longevity. Reclaim! Azhe-giiwewing is a fascinating approach by the Ojibwe people to both share and educate about their language, though the execution leaves something to be desired.

This squirrel just wants some tobacco, hook him up or he’s going to stab you.

Miskwaa is a young woman tasked to go gather things for her grandmother, whom she is visiting. Miskwaa lives in the big city with her mother and doesn’t really understand the history of her people. Suddenly falling asleep during her errand, Miskwaa awakens to find that she’s in unfamiliar woods, looked over by Boozhii, a mischievous but benevolent spirit. He informs Miskwaa she must get to Deer Island if she wants to return to her grandmother’s home, but the path there is one full of interesting and curious denizens. Miskwaa must engage with all forms of nature, from talking animals to insightful plants, to better learn about the world around her and how important the past is to her future. Oh, and she’ll be doing the communication entirely in Ojibwemowin, so I hope she’s been brushing up on her language lessons at home.

A pretty straight forward point-and-click adventure, Reclaim! Azhe-giiwewining will run you under three hours, very probably under two if your computer decides to comply. From a purely informational standpoint, there are nine areas, with a combined fourteen screens worth of detail and information, and nothing that’s not utilitarian in terms of item interaction. You pick up a few things, can use them with other things, and there’s three instances (if memory serves right) of using the combine function to mash two items into one. Any item you click to use will have an icon of itself floating over what you can actually use it for. As an example, you get your knife almost immediately, and can use it to jokingly menace a squirrel, but you won’t be able to arbitrarily flash steel at other creatures you meet on the way. 

Miskwaa needs to talk to everyone to both learn more about the area around here and also to trigger certain events. There’s a wolf and a bear who are having a fight, and you need to open up various dialogue trees in order for that to resolve and to get an important item for the game’s progression. By that same token, a woman you meet who is dubbed “Cool Aunt” needs four things from you to fix a canoe, but you cannot simply open up your inventory and hand them to her. If you can use an item on an object or plant, you can just interact directly, but giving things needs to be done through talking, so keep that in mind as you click about and look for everything you need.

This all animals remake of Twin Peaks gets weirder and weirder.

Reclaim! has some wonderful artwork that captures both the dynamic energy of the journey as well as a bit of the cultural background of the world of the Ojibwe. When you talk to most animals, they’ll appear as standard beings, but their portraits will be these brightly colored apparitions that evoke indigenous design and historic artwork. While these oldschool drawings are incredible to behold, my eye was constantly drawn to the modern style that got a lot of good laughs (on purpose) for some cartoonish, borderline absurd moments. The expressions and facial distortions that happen gave me classic Ren and Stimpy vibes, not to mention some serious Bob’s Burgers reactions (which makes sense, given that some of the staff worked on the show). It’s worth taking a moment to really admire and appreciate the humor injected into what is clearly a passion project for connecting people with the modern world.

Dialogue is a hit or miss in terms of writing. I have to note that, with everything being both written and recorded in Ojibwemowin, it’s no small feat to have such a full, rich script delivered and also interpreted for the greater audience to appreciate. I positively adore having the voice actors deliver a monumental amount of work, and the pitch perfect delivery of it all. There’s a wide variety of actors and actresses who put in the time and resources to capture the spirits of the characters that were being voiced, and the decision to not have English language outside of the dialogue windows was a bold one that I fully support. As a result, the more serious moments, like discussing deforestation or water pollution, carry some gravity that comes through more strongly.

This plant exists purely to guilt you into having Christmas trees. Not joking.

On the other hand, when Reclaim! gets a bit goofier with puns and ideas, it’s not always clear if it’s oddball writing or a misunderstanding on the player’s part. References to Star Wars and Prince (the artist) seemingly out of nowhere: great, totally on board. Hearing an actor speaking in Ojibwemowin and seeing the dialogue box read “skibidi:” completely confounding, but I accept that was a localization choice to connect with modern takes on humor. Mentions of “butt farting” in a classic anecdote/fable and then never really explaining it: just confusing. It’s just not clear if that was a throwaway joke for people to chuckle over, or if it’s a reference to something more well known within Ojibwe lore and I’m simply not in on the joke. I don’t mind, either way, but it’s a disjointed moment that throws you for a loop.

The soundtrack, combined with the voicework, gives a fairly full aural field for the world of the game, though it can be overwhelming at times. There’s certain tracks that work exceptionally well: the softer tones of the lakeside, for example, are incredibly soothing and relaxing, while the music of the underwater level (because every game has a frigging underwater stage) really draws you down into an almost meditative state as you hear the distant vocals chanting and surrounding you. On the other hand, the general forest overworld (the main hub location) has a jaunty tune that feels like I’m in a tavern in Simon the Sorcerer, and it was always jarring when I stepped back in, especially with the turkeys strutting about.

If you told me this was from the Russian take on Everybody Loves Raymond, I would believe you.

The overall gameplay is straightforward and simple, but it does have a couple of caveats. Some of the interactions don’t immediately seem apparent, which can slow down gameplay. For example, when I’m told “we need to fix this canoe,” I figured that the water area was off limits because why would I try to go into the water? But, as it turns out, I can just hold my breath, talk and also murder fish underwater without inhibiting anything else.  Yes, I understand that we’re eyeballs deep in magical realism right now and anything goes, but I’m trying to abide by game rules, and “we need a canoe, but also you can just travel in the water with no problems” doesn’t totally make sense.

And some of the puzzles are…questionable. Look, there’s probably some story or idea that’s outside of my own purview that makes it perfectly clear why certain actions are taken. Like, yes, bird poop is white, and you can use the scat of a turkey to color feathers and make them look correct. But does the turkey need to declare “I love this food but it gives me the runs” followed by a long, loud scene of turkey diarrhea? In a game full of silliness, this moment felt like a step too far and took me out of the moment. I’m not a prude about poop and fart humor, I just like it to feel in vein with everything else happening, and this particular section was jarring. But I also don’t know how to do it differently for the same result, so I guess I’m the problem?

Also, sorry Menoominikewid, but WHAT THE HELL?

Finally, Reclaim! simply has some buggy issues that can impact the way the game moves along. I don’t mind the occasional glitch of the graphics being slightly out of place or Miskwaa walking in a funny manner, it’s to be expected with PC gaming being such a wide open field. Having said that, players need to save early and often, and also strategically. One of the later sequences involves swimming in the lake (all of my issues take place around the lake, apparently), and the game failed to trigger an event flag that let me move on. After floating for about 20 minutes, I finally saved and reloaded the game, only to find out my new save file was in a dead state of just showing the movement cursor on the water and nothing else. Thank goodness I had an earlier save ready to go.

But those caveats and issues are technical and incidental, and can both be amended with a better PC and not fixating on odd moments of humor. “Azhe-wiiwewining” translates to “returning home,” and that’s what Reclaim! seems to envision and execute. It’s an entire adventure that celebrates the language and the history of the Ojibwe, and it is done in a full throated voice to proclaim, proudly, their existence and their importance. Delightful and engaging, Reclaim! hooked me from the very start. It’s weird, it’s offbeat, but it’s pure and unabashed, and that’s really something else. It might not be an adventure for me to visit again, but it’s one that will help share the significance of so many. For gamers who are out of touch with their own antiquity, Reclaim! Azhe-giiwewining might be the right path home.

Reclaim! Azhe-giiwewining is available now on Steam.

Reviewed on PC.

A Copy of Reclaim! Azhe-giiwewining was provided by the publisher.