We do think players who enjoyed Dreamfall will probably like Draugen, but we also think it will appeal to a larger audience of players who want a good story. RT: Aside from being narrative-and-character driven, they’re fundamentally different games – we wanted to do something we’d never done before, something more grounded, more personal. Do the two share any similarities? Is there anything you wanted to improve upon in Draugen? WP: Draugen looks somewhat similar to your previous game Dreamfall Chapters. It’s all about the narrative and the experience, and definitely closer to Firewatch than traditional adventure games. RT: There aren’t many puzzles to speak of, and the game is – intentionally – quite easy. WP: What sort of gameplay can players expect? Will there be puzzle solving? Or will it be a story-driven experience like Firewatch? Think Firewatch and What Remains of Edith Finch in terms of length. But it’s not a big game, and it can be finished in a couple of evenings. RT: We don’t like to give any sort of estimate, because different people play at different speeds, and there’s a lot of room for wandering about and exploring the world. WP: How long can we expect the campaign to last? WP: Do we get to play as Lissie at all during the game? Their odd relationship is central to the game’s story and the game mechanics.
She’s the extrovert Edward’s the introvert, and it’s a miracle they get along. RT: Lissie is the one who gets Edward up in the morning, who pushes him out of his comfort zone – without her, he’d never leave his study – and who engages with the world. Is his grip on reality dependant on his relationship with Lissie? WP: It appears that Edward’s relationship with his young ward Lissie will be central to the game’s story. We explore themes of loneliness and isolation, love and obsession, and how small communities can fester and rot from the inside. RT: It is a game about one man’s psyche an unreliable narrator whose perception of the world has been affected by his decades long isolation. What sort of themes are you exploring in Draugen?
WP: Draugen looks like it’s telling a very personal tale. Western Norway is stunningly beautiful, and we felt it was our responsibility to portray it as accurately as possible. The team has done a lot of research to make sure everything feels real: from geometry and geography to flora and weather. It’s even possible to visit the place where our (fictional) town of Graavik is located – though you won’t find the beautiful wooden church or the specific locations from the game, of course. RT: The locations are definitely inspired by, and drawn from, real places.
Are any of the game’s locations inspired by real places in Norway? The scenery looks beautiful by the way. WP: Norway seems like an ideal setting given the studio is based in Oslo. The game is about this transition, about a community that’s been left behind, and, playing an American, you explore this alien setting that feels like a relic of the previous century. We hadn’t been everywhere, and you could really disappear off the map. RT: It’s such a wonderful time period, a transition point between the old world and the modern world much about the 20s is very recognisable to us, and yet it’s quite exotic and romantic – there were still mysteries in the world at that point. WP: What made you choose the 1920s time period? The current version of Draugen only began development in August of last year, so while the game’s been gestating for many years, the actual production phase has been quite short. Over the years, as the concept and story changed and evolved, we decided to move away from outright horror into more psychological suspense, and to add the companion character, Lissie – something that changed the game completely, and for the better. At that time, the game was more horror-focused, and you were completely alone in the world there was no companion character. RT: We actually started working on Draugen all the way back in 2013, while the team was developing Dreamfall Chapters. WP: When did development of Draugen begin? How did the concept come about? Edward is accompanied by a young woman, Alice, who acts as a sort of Watson to his Sherlock – she’s a big part of the story and the game mechanics. You play an American traveller, Edward Harden, who’s searching for his missing sister. Ragnar Tørnquist: It’s a first-person fjord noir mystery set in a remote coastal village in Norway, in 1923.
In your own words, what exactly is Draugen? WellPlayed: Thank you for taking the time to chat with us about Draugen.
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