Gerda: A Flame in Winter
- September 1, 2022
- BirdIsland/PortaPlay
Buoyed by consistently strong writing, Gerda: A Flame in Winter handles its compelling narrative with aplomb.
Get on Steam"Gerda: A Flame in Winter" is a single-player Historical Role Playing game with a good story, marvelous gameplay, and pretty visuals. The game received high praise from reviewers, including a 9/10 score from Gamereactor and a 4.5/5 score from Hey Poor Player. In the game, you play as Gerda in February 1945, fighting for survival as the war nears its end. The Modstand Bundle includes the main game and the additional content "Liva's Story."
Reviews
- Gerda: A Flame in Winter offers a deeply immersive narrative experience with meaningful choices that significantly impact the story and character relationships.
- The game features a unique art style and beautiful graphics that enhance the emotional weight of the story, set against the backdrop of WWII in Denmark.
- Players appreciate the game's replayability, as multiple paths and endings encourage exploration of different choices and outcomes.
- Some players experienced technical issues, including bugs and glitches that affected gameplay, such as save game problems and soft locks.
- The game can feel repetitive over longer play sessions, and some players found the lack of manual save options frustrating.
- Certain story elements may feel forced or lack depth, leading to moments where player choices seem to have limited impact on the overall narrative.
- story111 mentions
- 31 % positive mentions
- 67 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The story in this game is highly praised for its depth, emotional weight, and the meaningful impact of player choices, set against a historical backdrop that enhances its narrative. Reviewers commend the well-developed characters, immersive dialogue, and the game's ability to evoke a range of emotions, making it a captivating experience. While some note occasional forced events, the overall storytelling is considered engaging and thought-provoking, with significant replayability due to its branching paths.
“The authors obviously put absolutely tons of love, creativity, research, and probably thousands of hours into the conversations, interactions, relationships between multiple characters and how it all plays out as the story goes along, at certain branch paths and ultimately the end results.”
“A wonderful and dismal experience that forces you to make difficult choices that have far-reaching consequences in the story.”
“The choices you make during the story do matter and will determine how everything unfolds.”
“It is nearly impossible to complete the story without characters being scarred mentally or outright killed.”
“Story kind of falls apart at some places where events seem forced regardless of choice.”
“Sometimes the choice you have to or can make is a random chance roll and whenever it succeeds or fails, the story moves forward, but your resources are affected.”
- gameplay29 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 52 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The gameplay in "Gerda: A Flame in Winter" is characterized by its simple yet engaging mechanics, blending classic point-and-click elements with RPG features and a compelling narrative. Players navigate choices that have significant consequences, enhanced by unique mechanics like "mental energy," while the fluid gameplay experience and charming art style contribute to an immersive atmosphere. Although some reviewers noted a lack of complexity, the overall consensus highlights the game's ability to deliver a thought-provoking story alongside enjoyable gameplay.
“But the story here, the characters, the gameplay, and the feeling of free choice made this game pretty darn incredible.”
“This game masterfully merges RPG mechanics with a compelling story of Danish resistance against the Nazis.”
“The storytelling is great and enticing; there are some interesting additional gameplay features apart from the classic multiple choice dialogue options, and the art style is very charming and charismatic.”
“The gameplay is about first choosing a location - without knowing which is which, and maybe to gain replay value, you are bound to miss out on something because you are informed events are happening at the same time.”
“Gameplay doesn't have any new insights.”
“So gameplay is very simple, it's impossible for you to get lost, not know what to click on, or even what to do (click on Gerda for your current objective which is usually just to speak to someone in the scene).”
- graphics26 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The game's graphics are characterized by a unique watercolor art style that many players find beautiful and atmospheric, enhancing the overall experience. While some reviews note occasional glitches and a lack of detail, the visuals are generally praised for their charm and suitability to the historical setting. Overall, the graphics contribute positively to the game's narrative and emotional impact, making it a visually appealing experience despite some minor flaws.
“The art style is beautiful.”
“I was drawn in by the premise and the gorgeous art style.”
“Gripping story, beautiful graphic style and stellar voice acting.”
“The visuals are a bit bland and lack detail.”
“Graphics in Gerda is debatable.”
“Another game like this with better graphics and OST would draw quite the attention, I would say.”
- replayability16 mentions
- 31 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 19 % negative mentions
The game offers significant replayability due to its branching narrative and multiple outcomes, allowing players to explore different choices and locations in each playthrough. With a main story that can be completed in 6-8 hours, players are encouraged to replay to uncover missed events and experience various plot twists. The presence of random events further enhances the replay value, making each session feel unique.
“It's a game for narrative novels and you can complete it in 6-8 hours, but there's multiple replay value.”
“While the main story is short, there is quite a lot of replayability.”
“The gameplay is about first choosing a location - without knowing which is which, and maybe to gain replay value, you are bound to miss out on something because you are informed events are happening at the same time.”
“It is also quite replayable since most of the time you can visit only about 1/2 to 2/3 of the locations that are available in each chapter, which does make a difference in the long run.”
“The various outcomes that are possible make this game replayable.”
- music15 mentions
- 47 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its beauty and ability to enhance the atmosphere, perfectly complementing the visuals and narrative. Reviewers highlight how the soundtrack elevates emotional moments and immerses players in the story, contributing significantly to the overall experience. However, some users expressed frustration with difficulties in accessing the soundtrack despite it being advertised as free.
“The art style is suitable, the music is beautiful and perfectly matched, the voice acting is excellent, and the writing is evocative.”
“The music fits the story and swells when important decisions must be taken.”
“The art and music set the mood well and fit the somber nature of the story nicely.”
“I just wish I could decipher how to download the soundtrack (which they claim is free), but I've been unable to do so.”
“Another game like this with better graphics and OST would draw quite the attention, I would say.”
“Scenes and music are cooperating elements; in critical moments, the music raises the rhythm and the playfulness.”
- emotional8 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game "Gerda" is highlighted by its profound storytelling and innovative choice system, which deeply invests players in the protagonist's journey. Reviewers describe the experience as heartbreaking yet poignant, with tough decisions that enhance the emotional weight of the narrative, ultimately leading to a reflective and positive outlook on the story despite its challenges.
“As someone deeply moved by the experience of playing Gerda, I can attest to the profound emotional impact of the game.”
“A heartbreaking, all too true story - and one that I was never even expecting a truly happy ending from.”
“Heartbreaking storytelling with some very tough choices.”
- grinding4 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
While "Gerda: A Flame in Winter" is praised for its engaging storytelling and is enjoyable in short sessions, players note that it can become repetitive and tedious during longer playthroughs, particularly when attempting to achieve all endings. The absence of grinding and backtracking is appreciated, but the inability to skip dialogue or scenes can make replays feel cumbersome.
“The game offers a smooth progression system that minimizes grinding and allows for a more enjoyable experience.”
“I appreciate how the game balances grinding with meaningful rewards, making each session feel worthwhile.”
“The absence of tedious grinding makes the gameplay flow much better, keeping me engaged and motivated.”
“Gerda: A flame in winter overall is a fun game to play, yet sometimes repetitive and it does get boring and tedious if played for a long time.”
“Phenomenal storytelling, just wish you could skip dialogue or scenes for replays - becomes really tedious if you want to try to get all the endings.”
“Surely if you want to play some kind of 'iron man' style, people can limit themselves without the developer forcing a tedious play style on everyone.”
- stability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
The game features appealing graphics and a unique aesthetic, but users have reported occasional glitches and freezes. Interestingly, these freezes can lead to unexpected random events, enhancing the game's replayability despite the stability issues.
“The game offers some nice graphics and a really cool aesthetic, although there are some ugly glitches here and there.”
“In fact, something good came from one of these freezes. I know, weird huh? Let me explain: I had a random event come up on my way to a main story mission that was in the road, and I only realized it was a random event because of the freeze. When I reloaded, it was an entirely different event on the road, so nowhere have I seen it stated that this game has random different events, giving it great replayability.”
“The game frequently crashes, making it frustrating to progress through the story.”
- atmosphere1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is enhanced by its stunning, painting-like visuals and evocative music, which together create an immersive experience that is further deepened by the incorporation of historical facts, reminding players of the real horrors associated with the setting.
“The painting-like visuals and the music add to the atmosphere, while the historical facts remind us that the horrors of this setting have been all too real.”
- character development1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Users express a desire for a sequel that not only explores a new historical setting but also enhances character development, indicating that they seek deeper growth and evolution of the characters in future installments.
“I hope there will be a sequel with a new historical-based setting and further character development.”
- optimization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Players report that the game requires further optimization, as it strains older hardware significantly, leading to performance issues reminiscent of demanding titles like Forza Horizon 5 with ray tracing.
“I would love to play more and certainly will, but at the moment the game still needs some post-launch optimization as it makes the fans of my old GTX 980 spin up like it's trying to run Forza Horizon 5 with ray tracing on.”
“The game is fun, but the optimization is lacking; I experience frequent frame drops and stuttering, which really detracts from the overall experience.”
“Despite the interesting gameplay, the optimization issues are frustrating. I often encounter long loading times and performance hiccups that make it hard to enjoy.”
Critic Reviews
Gerda: A Flame in Winter review
Gerda: A Flame in Winter tells an intimate tale of love and sacrifice, and forces you to make difficult decisions you often struggle to make.
80%Gerda: A Flame in Winter review
In a medium preoccupied with guns and bombs and violent, power-fantasy notions of heroism, Gerda: A Flame in Winter treads a quieter path through its World War II setting, and is perhaps all the more powerful for it.
80%Gerda: A Flame in Winter Review – Stellar and forlorn
Gerda: A Flame in Winter is a must play if you’re a fan of well-thought out choices matter RPG games like Disco Elysium. Not only will you get a nail-biting story with high stakes, you’ll come out knowing a plethora of historical details and challenges of the Danish people during WW2. You will come to love or hate the cast of characters, depending on what pathway you choose, but there are endless possibilities because of the games re-playability. Persevere if your first playthrough is not everything that you imagined, because Gerda: A Flame in Winter gets better and better the more you play.
85%
