DONTNOD Entertainment has announced their brand-new RPG-lite game Gerda: A Flame in Winter, which is slated for release later this year. The new title Gerda: A Flame in Winter is DONTNOD’s first third-party published title which is currently under development at Danish studio PortalPlay. Gerda: A Flame in Winter is a narrative experience that combines light RPG elements in its gameplay.
The story of Gerda: A Flame in Winter is inspired by real-life events and is set in the Danish village of Tinglev. Tinglev is under German occupation during World War II, and you will walk the path of Gerda Larsen who is an ordinary woman in extraordinary circumstances. She is forced to take a stand after her life is suddenly turned upside down. One day, she returns to her home from her job, a nurse, as she notices blood inside the house and her husband being arrested by the Nazi forces.
Check out the announcement teaser for Gerda: A Flame in Winter below:
Before getting arrested, her husband managed to leave behind important resistance documents and now many Danish and German lives will depend on her next actions. The game’s story is not set on the frontline however it is set in the small Danish village where Gerda has lived her whole life. Gerda is armed only with her wits, compassion, and insight, the advantage she has as a civilian is the knowledge of her community and village.
Her skills are made up of her personality traits and her connection with others determines how the story of the game unfolds. As you progress through the main story, you will make various story choices throughout it as you choose what to explore and what to say at key points. Along with this, your choices made for resources and relationship management also determine what sort of story will unfold before your eyes.
DONTNOD details in the official press list that the story of the game and the character of Gera is inspired by a real Danish resistance fighter and grandmother of PortalPlay’s Head of Development, Hans von Knut Skovfoged. Hans von Knut Skovfoged commented:
This game is important to us because it is inspired by true stories of World War II, including those of my grandmother. With Gerda, we hope to share an accurate vision of some of the struggles of occupied populations during that time and highlight that some people were faced with difficult choices that defied absolute judgement. Through this narrative game we hope to encourage the sharing of testimonies. We know there are many civilian stories that go untold in wars and occupations around the globe, many still in the middle of theirs right now. And we are glad to be able to tell at least one such story, with Gerda: A Flame in Winter
Every day you pass in the game, Gerda will write it down in her diary which keeps track of her experiences and actions she took in the story. This will help you develop certain aspects of Gerda’s personality which allows her to deal with diverse situations in different ways. Gerda’s story is filled with different characters which include her fellow villages which include both Danes and ethnic Germans along with members of the resistance and even the occupying Nazis.
Every encounter in the game holds weight and every decision that you make in the game is critical in times of turmoil and war. Your morals will greatly be challenged in the game as lives will be on the line along with your beliefs. Gerda: A Flame in the Winter is slated for release on Nintendo Switch and PC via Steam on September 1, 2022, and you can add the game to your wishlist right now on Steam where the game page is already live. Additional details about the game will be shared closer to the launch.
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