After watching Draugen's new story trailer—check it out above—I'm champing at the bit to explore a quiet Norwegian fjord that, obviously, hides a menacing secret. Oh no! Protagonist and unreliable narrator Edward has taken a trip to the fjord to hunt down his missing sister, bringing along his chatty ward, Lissie to lend a hand. It's a lovely location, but we're clearly in for a grim mystery.
Written by Ragnar Tørnquist and designed by the folks behind Dreamfall Chapters, I'm not worried about its narrative chops, though the story trailer isn't giving very much away. More than enough to pique my interest, though. But enough with the warnings smeared on walls in blood and paint! We can't even get through one horror trailer without them.
I'm otherwise pretty impressed with Red Thread's restraint, as it seems to have managed to avoid filling a game with that name and that logo with Elder God monsters and viking zombies. Tørnquist was the game director of The Secret World before he left to work on Dreamfall Chapters, another game full of mysteries, though its monsters were more overt.
Draugen's been a long time coming, too. The very first teaser was shown off all the way back in 2014, before it went radio silent. It looks like it's changed quite a bit in the last five years. From what we've seen of this version, the horror is dialled down a bit and the influence of fellow first-person horror game Amnesia is not quite as obvious.
It won't be long before Draugen's secrets are revealed, as it's due out in May on PC, with other platforms to follow.
