Through the Woods

Lore & Background

The game follows Karen, a widowed woman living in a cabin on the western shore of Norway with her son Espen. After Espen disappears from an old pier, Karen discovers he has been taken by a mysterious old man called Old Erik, an old Norwegian name for the devil. She pursues them to a mysterious island where the moon has been shattered, and is confronted by dangerous creatures from Norse mythology and Norwegian folk tales, including trolls, Hulder, and talking wolves. The island is revealed to be a forgotten time that stopped after Ragnarök, where the warrior Vidar and the World Eater Fenris made a pact requiring a child sacrifice every odd number of years. Old Erik reluctantly took children to Fenris, but discovered a way to travel between worlds, leading him to Karen and Espen's world. Karen's backstory involves accidentally hurting Espen, leading to a divorce and her husband's suicide, which she feels great shame over. In the end, Espen accepts his sacrifice to delay the apocalypse, and Karen, after failing to save him, takes up Old Erik's mantle to continue the pact.

Reader's Guide

Through the Woods is significant as a horror adventure that draws heavily on Norwegian folklore and Norse mythology, using its setting and creatures to create a distinct atmosphere. The game's narrative explores themes of parental guilt, sacrifice, and the cyclical nature of violence, with Karen's personal tragedy intertwined with the mythological pact. The gameplay emphasizes stealth and exploration, with the player equipped only with a flashlight and needing to sneak past creatures. The game originated as a student project and was developed by a small team including Dan Wakefield (game designer, composer, sound designer, writer), Stian Willums (art director, character artist), Torje Dreng Andersen (environment artist), Torstein Vien (programmer), and Eirik R. A. Hanssen (programmer). It won the 'Sound of the Year' award at the Norwegian GAME Awards on 19 February 2015, and was successfully funded via Kickstarter in 2015, exceeding its $40,000 goal. The game was later released for PS4 and Xbox One in May 2018.

Did You Know?

• The Kickstarter campaign raised $43,833 from 1,272 backers, exceeding its $40,000 goal.
• The protagonist Karen must take up the mantle of Old Erik to continue the child sacrifice pact with Fenris.