Game developer and publisher DONTNOD Entertainment has announced that its first third-party published game Gerda: A Flame In Winter is set to release for Nintendo Switch and PC via Steam on September 1, 2022. The game is developed by Danish studio PortaPlay and follows the story of Gerda Larsen and the extraordinary circumstances she goes through when the Danish village of Tinglev is under German occupation during World War II. The game is inspired by real-life events.
The story follows Gerda as she returns home from the clinic where she works as a nurse. As she enters her home, Gerda notices blood and finds her husband, Anders, is being arrested by the Gestapo. Anders left behind important resistance documents and many Danish and German lives will depend on what she does next. Gerda is only armed with her wits, compassion, and insight which she will have to rely on as well as the knowledge of her community and village. Throughout the game, players will have to explore the village and interact with the villagers to determine how the story will unfold.
Gerda will meet the likes of Danes, ethnic Germans, members of the resistance, and the occupying Nazis. Every interaction holds weight. Every decision is critical in times of turmoil and war.
Hans von Knut Skovfoged, Head of Development, PortaPlay said “this game is important to us because it is inspired by the true stories of World War II, including those of my grandmother. With Gerda, we hope to share an accurate vision of some of the struggles of occupied populations during that time and highlight that some people were faced with difficult choices that defied absolute judgment. Through this narrative game we hope to encourage the sharing of testimonies. We know there are many civilian stories that go untold in wars and occupations around the globe, many still in the middle of theirs right now. And we are glad to be able to tell at least one such story, with Gerda: A Flame in Winter.”