Games Review: Draugen (PC, Red Thread Games)

Draugen opens in 1923 with a bookworm, that’s you, and Lissie, his teenage companion, rowing on a Norwegian lake between two peninsulas: a Fjord Escort, you could say. You’re travelling to Graavik in search of your missing sister. Upon arrival, you discover that this picture-postcard village is emptier than a hermit’s address book. Clues are scattered around. Like the not-at-all worrying note in someone’s diary: “The death of the children was the end of Graavik.”

While exploring, Lissie does handstands and rabbits on about nothing in particular. Who is she? Where is my sister? This is Scandinavia: when can I go skiing? These are all questions you’ll ask as the tale unfolds before your temporarily Norwegian eyes.

From the mind of Ragnar Tørnquist, who created 1999’s magical epic The Longest Journey, Draugen is a beautifully crafted mystery and character study with genuinely unexpected plot twists. Despite Lissie’s inane banter, you’ll revel in your time as Inspector Norse.

7/10