Gerda: A Flame in Winter

Review

Now a certified nurse, Gerda is returning to her small Danish village of Tinglev via train on a chilly winter’s night in 1939. The village is located only 10 kilometres from the German border, and its inhabitants are a mixture of Danes and Germans. Despite the upcoming war, Gerda is looking forward to Christmas with her family and the love of her life, the handsome Anders, a fine Danish mechanic. However, after tying the knot with Anders and getting through almost all the years of World War II, her life will suddenly be turned upside down in early February 1945 when her husband is arrested for being part of a resistant group. Stunned and scared, she has to find a way to save Anders by any means, but has only a couple of days to do so. Over the next several hours, you will walk in her shoes in a compelling story inspired by actual events in Gerda: A Flame in Winter.    

Gerda: A Flame in Winter is an adventure with choice-matter mechanisms and multiple endings developed by PortaPlay and published by DON’T NOD on the 1^st of September 2022 on the Steam platform. The game is also available on Nintendo Switch.

First, I would like to congratulate the developers for such an incredible experience. I was totally grabbed by this game from start to finish. Every element in this game is done spectacularly well, from the story to the characters, the choices you have to make, the historical facts and the sound effects. For me, the standout feature is the magical artwork. Imagine playing a game from inside an impressionist painting; the canvas is a bit fuzzy, but you can still see all its details, capturing a place in time. I truly felt that I was sent back in time, experiencing the grief and the agonising decisions Gerda had to make. The crackle of vinyl playing on the gramophone, along with other carefully placed sounds, embellish the atmosphere.

The game starts when Gerda is welcomed back from Copenhagen by her fiancé and father on Christmas eve in 1939. This particular act is a tutorial. It will show you how the dynamic relationship works based on your answers with the different groups of people (Danes and Germans), the Wehrmacht and the Gestapo (occupation) and the Resistance. For example, if your answers are more favourable towards the German people, you’ll gain a point towards them and lose points towards the Danes. The same things will occur whether you decide to make more decisions favouring the Resistance or the occupying forces. Gerda will also have mental energy points (Compassion, Insight and Wit), which you gain by choosing one of three specific statements at the end of each act when Gerda writes it in her journal. This will give you access to some sentences when talking to other characters. However, if you don’t have any insight points in your mental energy and a phrase is available while talking to another character, you will not be able to select it. You also have phrases that are followed by a dice icon. These phrases have become available due to points you have collected based on your relationship with the groups of Danes and Germans, Resistance fighters, occupying forces and the trust you gain from specific characters. You’ll also be shown how many points you need for an attempt to use these phrases and succeed. But bear in mind that it also depends on how the current discussion has evolved. So, if you use these phrases out of the blue, even if you have acquired enough points, it might not work, and Gerda might be in a little trouble. It is important to judge how the discussion goes.

As mentioned, there are four acts per day. In the first couple of acts, you’ll only have one destination available on the map. But then more locations will become available for selection, and it is totally up to you to decide where to go. Always remember that your decision will be appreciated by some and will annoy others. You will gain or lose the trust of some characters, and some of your actions will cost lives.

Gerda will also find objects at the destinations she will visit and will be able to use them to help her relationship with the other characters, convincing some and calming others. Every few acts, you’ll unlock historical facts that you can access in the Gerda journal, which are worth reading; it’s astonishing what people had to go through. 

Stunning artwork, sound effects and soundtrack. The game is impressive in the story, artwork, depth of the characters and historical facts. And there are multiple endings, which gives you good replayability. Expect around eight to ten hours of gameplay on your first playthrough, depending on how fast you read or how quickly you decide which phrase to use.

Review written by THE CPT FROGGY for Zeepond.com

Gerda: A Flame in Winter Steam Store Page