Review: Vasilisa and Baba Yaga (Nintendo Switch)

A simple 2D platformer, Vasilisa and Baba Yaga makes a cute way to introduce this traditional Russian folk tale to a new audience. It tells of a little girl, called Vasilisa, who is sent by her evil stepmother into the forest to collect fire from Baba Yaga. Armed only with the magical doll gifted to her by her late mother, she has to face the many dangers of the woods to prove herself worthy.

The game has very simple mechanics. You mostly guide Vasilisa through the forest, sea and swamp, with simple movement broken up by a small amount of combat and puzzle solving. When you encounter an enemy, you switch to controlling the magic doll who fights the monsters to protect Vasilisa. When you reach Baba Yaga’s hut, the old witch tasks you with various chores you must complete via minigames during the day, otherwise she will eat you. At night, you explore the labyrinth beneath her hut, avoiding creatures lurking in the shadows and finding the treasures you need to escape.

None of the different components are particularly challenging, but they are structured in such a way that the game doesn’t feel too repetitive. Most of the minigames require only a button or two to manage. You encounter monsters to fight in the forest and swamp, with boss battles where you play as the doll and have to prevent Vasilisa from getting captured by various threats. These are fairly simple; you hit them, dash away from them and throw salt at them to slow them down. It’s easy enough to figure out their patterns.

There’s no exploring to look for what you need, everything is clearly laid out for you and there are visual indicators whenever you can interact with something.

Vasilisa and Baba Yaga is predominantly a vehicle for the story to pass on to the next generation of children. There are times when the simplicity of the game is very effective. When you’re guiding Vasilisa through the terrifying forest, for instance, it generates a compelling sense of helplessness that enhances the emotion in the story. In another game, the lack of agency could get frustrating, but it works well for this story.

The overall construction of the game is wonderfully crafted to be absorbing and atmospheric, with lovely aesthetics that draw you into the folklore. Woodcut stylised artwork is combined with a lovely soundtrack and gentle Russian voiceover narrating the subtitled tale. As you go through the story, you collect pages for your game’s encyclopaedia you can revisit to learn more about the mythical creatures and items you come across.