The important thing to take away from it is that there is nothing either of the previous story arcs can do to recapture the audience’s attention after the midway point. ![]() I won’t spoil anything here, but you can read my theory on the character here. We have hints of clues on what the Hell is going on, but the midpoint reveal shatters all the work done in the first half of the game. The introduction of the third mystery surrounding Alice herself complicates things because the audience has absolutely nothing to go on. However, as the two mysteries began to overlap, the pacing for both would allow the audience to follow all the clues correctly without being overwhelmed and if I have to spell it out, that means it didn’t happen. The mystery surrounding Graavik stays true to the formula I mentioned at the beginning of this review, while the mystery surrounding Edward’s missing sister Betty is less straightforward thanks to our POV character, Edward, being an unreliable narrator: another traditional noir trope. There are three mysteries in Draugen: the mystery surrounding the disappearances in Graavik, Edward looking for his missing sister and why, on Earth, was a teenage girl travelling with an adult man to a town in the middle of Norway. Unfortunately, this is where the developers make their biggest mistake. So, kudos there.Īs the pair realizes something very wrong happened in Graavik, the audience realizes that there is something very wrong with Alice. This plays into some revelations in the second half of the game, but without this pivotal first half we wouldn’t have anything to build on. It is so strong that the moments when Edward and Alice separate re-enforces how quiet the world is without her: something I noted when I was streaming it some weeks back. They are nearly fully formed for the audience by the halfway point and that is done completely from the environment they are in and their banter. It’s important to give kudos here because many developers can’t nail the type of depth we get from Edward and Alice so early on. The main characters’ search for people is what drives the beginning of the story and the stress of finding no one begins the dive into what makes Edward and Alice tick. The only location our protagonist have access to at the start is the main home in Graavik because that was where they were specifically invited. The developers do a fantastic job here of pacing the story and using its setting to drive the tale. It doesn’t hurt that Edward and Alice seem to be the only people left in town either. Locked in a fjord with one telegraph service and getting mail from time-to-time, Graavik is an immediate puzzle box. Even by 1920s standards, the town is isolated. Let’s start with the town of Graavik itself. Together, you must explore this scenic coastal community - nestled amongst the fjords and mountains of rural Norway - in your search for Edward’s sister, and unearth the darkness that lies beneath the picturesque surface. But you’re not alone: at every step of the way, Edward’s accompanied by his ward, Lissie a gregarious, independent and enigmatic young woman. You play Edward Charles Harden, an American traveler who’s come to Norway to find his missing sister. Genre: Mystery, Walking Simulator, Supernatural.But, can it walk the line and deliver? Let’s find out. Draugen, at its core, aspires to be a classic mystery: using the traditional noir archetypes of a quiet town and a troubled protagonist. Red Thread Games decided to walk this line with their latest project Draugen. However, for writers that are up for the challenge, it can mean either a very rewarding product for the audience or a very frustrating one. It allows the audience to engage with the story without having to worry about if they’re keeping up with the mystery. ![]() Most modern mysteries rely much more on the character development and overall plot for this reason. ![]() It allows for the audience to enjoy the story while not getting overwhelmed trying to figure it out. Same for most classic detective or noir stories. This is why the point-of-view character for the Sherlock Holmes stories is not Holmes himself. This means the characters must be engaging and smart, but not smarter than the audience itself. At its core, a good mystery is a puzzle for the audience to solve while providing enough of a narrative to keep the story itself going outside of the crumb trail of clues. A good mystery is a challenge even for a veteran writer.
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