Gerda: A Flame in Winter
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 Nintendo Switch and Windows.
Gameplay
The player controls nurse Gerda Larsen and selects dialogue choices that affect her relations with the four factions, Occupation, Resistance, Danes and Germans.Plot
The game is set in Tinglev during the German occupation of Denmark in World War II in 1945. Gerda is Danish-German, with a German father 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.Development and release
Creative director Hans von Knut Skovfoged said the game is inspired by his grandmother smuggling weapons for the Danish resistance movement.The visual style of the game was based on the work of the late–19th century Danish Impressionists known as the Skagen painters.
The game was developed by Danish developer PortaPlay and published by Don't Nod as their first third-party game. It was announced at the Nintendo Indie World Showcase in December 2021. The release on 1 September for Microsoft Windows and Nintendo Switch was announced in May 2022. A downloadable content, Liva's Story, was released on 23 May 2023.
Reception
Politiken praised the balance between of its storytelling, but disliked the 3D models quality. Le Monde praised the narrative choices. The Escapist said the game isn't notably visually appealing but the "RPG-lite" elements added a "sense of urgency" and strategy to decisions.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.