Draugen – Review (PC)

Draugen tells the haunting story of Edward Harden’s search for his missing sister, Betty, after she disappears in the early 1920s. Walking simulators get a bad rap at times and, make no mistake, that’s exactly what Draugen is at its core. However, often games in this genre tell the most rewarding stories, and we think Draugen does it better than many.

Story

Edward’s search takes him across the Atlantic Ocean to a small town in Norway. After corresponding with some of the locals via letter he feels that, at long last, he finally has an idea of where Betty ran off. Traveling with Edward as his ward and companion Lissie, Edward sets off to find Betty. Not only is she apparently his only real friend, Lissie acts as a guide on your journey leading you from place to place as she often runs ahead to scout out the next location. Her wit and humor add a nice touch to a story that can be a little dark and sad at times. It’s unclear whether Edward is suffering from any real ailments or not, but it always takes him longer to arrive and he requires many stops to rest along the way.

As you arrive on the shore Lissie runs ahead to the home of the pen pal that Edward has been in contact with. Upon arriving you start to realize that the family is not home and things are just a bit unsettling. Like most games of its type, Draugen relies on the story and characters to really draw in the player. Shrouded in mystery and intrigue the journey that Edward and Lissie go on will change both of them forever. Feeling neglected by Edward, Lissie has to lay out some hard truths to Edward and make him finally see what was right in front of him all along.

Gameplay

Most of the gameplay here is based around exploration. You will spend most of your time walking around – interacting with objects and locations in order to find out exactly what is going on in this small Norwegian town. One great feature the game offers if you find yourself turned around is the ability to call out to Lissie who will yell from her location, letting you know where to go next. This is a nice change of pace from an arrow or other pointer constantly on screen leading you throughout the game. With the heart and soul of the game wrapped around the story, this helps to make the game feel more cinematic and less video gamey.

There are various areas throughout the town that you can sit down and draw (similarly to Sean in Life is Strange 2 but with slightly less detail). Every sketch and item that you collect throughout the game can be reviewed by looking through Edward’s Journal.

While Draugen is a mostly linear experience, a little exploration between story events will uncover a few extra secrets that will make your playthrough even more rewarding.

Though the main focus is on the story, the controls work well and a real lack of “gameplay” never breaks the experience. You either enjoy Walking Simulators or you don’t. If you fall into the latter camp there is little here to change your mind.

Recommendation: Draugen tells a beautiful story that fans of the genre won’t want to miss. A runtime of only two or three hours, depending on how much extra exploring you do, should allow for the game to be completed in just a couple of sessions. The graphics are pretty good. Character models look a bit dated, but the outside environments can look absolutely stunning. By far, the element that stands out the most is the original score composed by Simon Poole is hauntingly beautiful and, at times, sounds like B-sides from epic films like Gladiator. This is absolutely one of the best scores of 2019 so far. With an added 1923 mode that makes you feel as though you’re watching an old black and white film, the replayability factor here is strong. You’ll want to play through at least twice to experience it in both modes. If story driven games are your thing then Draugen is a great way to spend a few hours.

*Draugen was provided to the reviewer by the publishing company but this fact did not alter the reviewer’s opinion*

Check out our Review Guide to see what we criteria we use to score games.