| Gerda: A Flame in Winter | |
| Developer: | PortaPlay |
| Publisher: | Don't Nod |
| Director: | Hans von Knut Skovfoged |
| Designer: | Shalev Moran |
| Composer: | Jakob Støvring Hansen |
| Engine: | Unity |
| Released: | 1 September 2022 |
| Genre: | Adventure, Role-playing |
| Modes: | Single-player |
Gerda: A Flame in Winter is an adventure role-playing game developed by PortaPlay and published by Don't Nod. It was released on 1 September 2022 for Microsoft Windows and Nintendo Switch.
The player controls nurse Gerda Larsen and selects dialogue choices that affecting her relations with the four factions, Occupation, Resistance, Danes and Germans.
The game is set in Tinglev (Southern Jutland, Denmark) during the German occupation of Denmark in World War II in 1945. Gerda is Danish-German, with a German fathers and a Danish mother, and lives with her husband Anders. During the game, Gerda finds Anders has been arrested by the Gestapo and has left behind documents from the resistance movement.
According to director Hans Von Knut Skovfoged, the developers were working on a separate anti-war game, when they began thinking, "Shouldn’t we come up with a game where you try to solve things in some other way than guns and bombs?"
Skovfoged then recalled his half-German, half-Danish grandmother who lived in Southern Jutland and contributed nonviolently to the Resistance against the Nazis. She became the inspiration for Gerda.
The visual style of the game was based on the work of the late–19th century Danish Impressionists known as the Skagen painters.[1]
The game was developed by Danish developer PortaPlay and published by Don't Nod as their first third-party game.[2] It was announced at the Nintendo Indie World Showcase in December 2021.[3] The release on 1 September for Microsoft Windows and Nintendo Switch was announced in May 2022.[4] Creative director Hans von Knut Skovfoged said the game is inspired by his grandmother smuggling weapons for the resistance.[5] A downloadable content (DLC), Liva's Story, was released on 23 May 2023.[6]
Politiken praised the balance between of its storytelling, but disliked the 3D models quality.[7] Le Monde praised the narrative choices.[8] The Escapist said the game isn't notably visually appealing but the "RPG-lite" elements added a "sense of urgency" and strategy to decisions.[9]
At the Games for Change Awards 2023, it won Best Narrative and was nominated for Most Significant Impact.
At the Danish Game Awards Spilprisen 2023, it won Best Narrative.