I couldn’t resist doing a game review of Fatum Betula which immediately poised threw me into a world full of questions:

Who are you? What are you? It’s impossible to know. The only thing you’re certain of is that you must feed the birch tree. But you must not feed it with your blood.

On a rainy night at 3 A.M., I couldn’t sleep, so I turned to Fatum Betula to keep me company. And while this game didn’t bring me any closer to sleep, it certainly brought me into a fever dream of strangeness.

If you’re a fan of indie games check out this review of Nerdy Streamer Overload!

It’s easy to get caught up in the low-poly graphics that’s reminiscent of the early console era. But a lack of HD details contributes to the feeling that you’ve stepped into some place different. Some place simultaneously old and new. A place that rots with false age, perhaps.

Fatum Betula is a game that demands that you take your time. One that encourages you to explore and experiment. The very foundation of the game is freewill and consequence of how you use it. You are in control of what happens to this sleeping world.

But you can’t die. You can’t really fail. But as you uncover this world’s secrets, you’ll find that the horror here comes primarily from its excellent atmosphere.

“The boredom is too much, and I wish to poison the future.”

Fatum Betula totes 9 endings to unlock, and a secret 10^th if you’re playing on the PC. Complete one, and then the loop starts again.

That being said, this isn’t a game that’s for everyone. The controls take a moment to get used to, and there’s no handholding. You’re dropped into the game with no instructions, and it took me longer than I’d like to admit to “start” the game.

But the struggle is a part of that journey, too.

I rate this…

Released on March 12, 2021, Fatum Betula has a timeless feel to it because of its graphics and playstyle. If you’re interested in playing yourself, it’s available for $5.99 in the x-box marketplace, Steam, and on the Nintendo Switch.

As for a rating, I give this 4 out of 5 Cthulhu Heads! It’s a great game for a rainy day (or night). And while at first it was befuddling once I figured out the basic mechanics it was really enjoyable to explore the contained world of Fatum Betula.

And while there was so much more than I was expecting, I still left the game with so many questions. I wish a little more had been explained. But I adored the surrealism, the strangeness, the utter uniqueness. And if you want more of that, can I recommend checking out the creator’s, Bryce Bucher, twitter account? It’s a trip.