The complex ideas are explored more thoroughly through Edward, forcing the base mystery into the back seat. Draugen deals in simple themes, like its noir whodunit narrative, and more complicated ones, like psychology, trauma, and the perils of isolation. The central mystery of the town revolves around unique and interesting characters with intricate lives, but it's Edward's personal character arc that takes precedence. Draugen is most effective when it steps away from expectation-when you engage in and explore the curious relationship between Edward and Lissie, when it calls upon you to second-guess the assertions of its protagonists, and when the imagined blurs with reality, sometimes imperceptibly. The town is, as it happens, completely empty, and all of that natural beauty gives way to a tangible tension as you uncover how deep secrecy and tragedy run in the otherwise unassuming village.īecause it's a first-person exploration adventure, the familiarity of certain narrative tropes that have become expected in this genre-a creepy mine, an abandoned house, a curse, a gregarious companion-have less of an impact. Everything is, in fact, so perfect that it feels unreal, and it's no mistake that that is one of the central dualities that underpin the narrative. Alongside the stunning vistas, the sound design establishes a palpable sense of place the wind is constantly roaring through the mountain valley and rustling trees, and there are rushing falls and singing birds. Lissie is animated with a loving attention to detail the minor curve of her lips or a slightly raised eyebrow do much to convey her opinions and relationship to Edward. Sunlight filters through glowing orange leaves on trees, shadows drift across your path, and the snow-capped mountain tops are such a bright white that they fade into the clouds. The countryside village of Graavik is positively beautiful. In particular, Edward's mutterings, pauses, and audible skimming through letters and selecting what to read aloud to Lissie makes those interactions feel more genuine. On top of that, the strong performances behind each of the central characters bolster their personalities. In fact, Lissie is the antithesis of Edward, a fact that becomes more significant as the central mysteries of the game wear on. In stark contrast, Lissie has a wild and liberal approach to life. This enhances your involvement in embodying Edward, which is important, as he is otherwise a fairly single-minded character in a linear narrative.
The interplay between the two is delivered through naturally flowing dialogue you can interject, begin conversations, continue them, or choose to stay silent. Everything you learn about these three central characters is through conversations between the stoic academic Edward and his vivacious young ward. It's 1923 and Edward and Lissie have traveled from Hanover, Massachusetts to a fishing village in Norway in search of Edward's younger sister, Elizabeth, who has gone missing.
A good ending is only as important as the joy of the journey to get there, but can a fascinating mystery succeed in its own right without a Christie-style "tidy conclusion"? Draugen's conclusion is certainly an untidy one, but regardless of whether you like your mysteries neatly solved, the somewhat unsatisfying ending does not eclipse the fascinating characters, gripping story, and breathtaking town of Graavik. There won't be a convenient set of clues leading to a tidy conclusion." That's what protagonist Edward Charles Harden tells his 17-year-old ward Lissie, and by extension the player, halfway through Draugen's fjord-noir mystery.
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