One-Eyed Likho review

Introduction

One-Eyed Likho puts players in the boots of a smith who, having lived a life largely free of suffering, sets out into the world to find evil and understand it. Developed and self-published by Morteshka — the Russian studio behind Black Book and The Mooseman — it released 28 July 2025 to a "Very Positive" reception: 118 of its 133 English-language reviews recommend it, a sample of which this review reads 100 in full. What follows is a short, heavily stylized folk-horror walking simulator that trades gameplay complexity for atmosphere, mythology, and a genuinely well-realized visual identity, with the sample split mainly on whether that trade pays off over a full playthrough.

A fever dream built from a single match

The most consistently praised element across the sample is the game's visual presentation: a near-monochrome world lit almost entirely by the glow of matches the player strikes and carries. One reviewer calls it "this year's Mundaun," praising "a terrific atmosphere and a delightful mise en scène" built around "the use of light and shadow." Another writes that the smith's box of matches "turned out to be an absolute banger" as a central mechanic, while several reviewers single out the game's blend of Slavic folklore with wider mythological touchstones — cyclopes, ancient religious iconography, cosmic horror — as evidence of real ambition, with one calling it "a unique swirl that will take the player to the dark corners of folk tales known to every kid."

Voice acting and narration carry the story

Beyond the visuals, the sample repeatedly credits strong voice acting and narration with making the fairy-tale structure work. One reviewer calls the writing "immensely, eminently memorable and haunting," while another highlights the "brilliant narrative horror story based on old Russian fairy tale," describing it as feeling "more like an art project with horror elements." Not every reviewer agrees the voice work lands: one Russian-language reviewer specifically criticizes the delivery as flat and emotionless, and a couple of English-language reviewers note the game's story spoils its own ending well before the credits roll, softening the impact of its final stretch.

A single mechanic that doesn't evolve

The most common and substantial criticism concerns how little the gameplay changes over the course of the roughly three-to-four-hour runtime. One reviewer notes that "as you only had one tool, you always knew how to solve every problem," a sentiment echoed by several others who describe the puzzles as "monotonous and uninspired" or note they "solve the same types of tasks over and over again with little variation." A harsher review calls the whole experience "more like a tech demo than a full experience," while another sums up the gameplay bluntly as "very shallow, just walking around solving some simple observational puzzles," arguing that this would be forgivable if the narration and atmosphere were "top notch" but feeling they fall short of that bar for this particular reviewer.

A divisive approach to blending mythologies

Where most of the sample praises the game's willingness to braid together different folklore traditions, a vocal minority finds the result incoherent rather than ambitious. One detailed critical review argues the developers "tried to create some sort of multiverse of folk stories, notably mixing Likho with the greek Cyclops, but failed," concluding "there is no cohesive story" as a result. Several reviewers who loved Morteshka's earlier, more tightly folklore-specific games (Black Book, The Mooseman) describe this entry as a noticeable step down in narrative cohesion, even while still enjoying its atmosphere and presentation on their own terms.

What the achievement data shows

One-Eyed Likho's 34 tracked achievements show a curve typical of a short, mostly linear game with an optional puzzle-and-dialogue layer. Early story beats like reaching the mysterious forest and the smith's hut sit above 90 percent, while mid-game milestones cluster in the 70-90 percent range, consistent with most buyers completing the main path. A cluster of collectible-key and side-content achievements sits around 52-55 percent, and achievements tied to specific dialogue choices, riddles, and side conversations bottom out in the 15-24 percent range, with the rarest, tied to naming every character correctly, sitting at just 6.8 percent — a clear signal that most players finish the story once without hunting down its more obscure optional content.

Value

At NZ$28.99, or NZ$11.59 with the 60 percent discount active at review time, One-Eyed Likho sits at the pricier end for a three-to-four hour experience at full price, and a fair share of the sample explicitly recommends waiting for a sale, with one reviewer writing plainly that at a discount "it's not bad" but they "wouldn't really recommend it" otherwise. At its discounted price, though, the balance shifts noticeably in the game's favor, and several reviewers who enjoyed it call it worth the cost purely for the atmosphere and voice work on offer. A handful of reviewers who own Morteshka's previous games also note the studio's willingness to keep experimenting with unfamiliar genres and formats rather than repeating the same formula, framing the shorter, more abstract shape of this release as a deliberate creative choice worth supporting even where it falls short of its predecessors' scope.

Final Verdict

One-Eyed Likho is a visually striking, well-voiced folk-horror walking simulator that earns its "Very Positive" reception through atmosphere and ambition rather than mechanical depth. Its single, unchanging match-lighting mechanic and very short runtime leave a meaningful share of players wanting more substance, and its attempt to weave together multiple mythological traditions doesn't land for everyone, but for fans of slow-burn folk horror in the vein of Mundaun, or anyone curious about Morteshka's distinctive visual style, it's a worthwhile few hours best enjoyed at a discount.