Year Walk tells the story of Daniel Svensson, a 19th-century Swedish man who is in an unfortunate situation. Stina, the woman he loves, is engaged to another man. Because of Daniel's low status, Stina will not leave her fiance to be with him. Daniel decides to go on a "year walk," or a traditional Scandinavian vision quest through the woods, culminating in an encounter with the Church Grim. If the walker is successful, he will see a glimpse of the future. Many who attempt the Year Walk die in mysterious ways.
The challenges the player must face along the way are embodied in five figures of Swedish folklore:
Huldra: A guardian of the forest. Like a cloud of will-o-the-wisps, she lures men into the woods with her ethereal voice and beauty. Once they are lost, she will either marry them or kill them. The player must follow her voice and use clues from a creepy wooden doll in order to solve her puzzle.
Brook Horse: A water-dwelling horse that lures children onto its back and then drowns them. The brook horse is not entirely evil, though. It is sometimes depicted much like the ferryman of greek mythology, carrying the spirits of the dead into the great beyond. The player must help the brook horse find the ghosts/spirits of four dead infants ("Myling") so that he can take them to the afterlife.
Myling: The spirit of an infant who was murdered by its mother or caretaker. Like the other mythological figures, Myling are not necessarily evil. However, if you hear one crying for help and ignore it, it will probably kill you. Myling wish to be reunited with their mothers.
Night Raven: This undead carrion bird is a little harder to pin down. It has strong associations with death and disease, as well as with greed and hunger. The player must follow it through a dark bunker in order to get the key to the churchyard.
Church Grim: The spirit of an animal that has been sacrificed at the altar of an ancient church. The Church Grim is the player's final destination.
Once Daniel receives the key to the churchyard by solving various puzzles, he makes his way to the Church Grim, who shows him a strange, ethereal world. When Daniel wakes up, the snow has thawed and it is spring. The player wanders through the woods and sees the sleeping form of Stina. When the player clicks on her body, she begins seeping blood and the credits roll.
After Year Walk's first ending, the player gains access to the journals of a modern-day researcher who is looking into the life of Daniel Svensson. We learn that Daniel was sentenced to death for the murder of Stina Nilsson. The researcher realizes through a series of spooky events that he has been inextricably tied to Daniel's story and uses a mystical box (which he finds near Daniel's house), to send a message back to Daniel from the future, telling him that he must kill himself in order to save Stina. The player can restart the game, this time with the password to unlock to a mysterious box. Inside the box is a knife.
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