Nowhere Demo – An Atmospheric Mystery in a Fearsome Nordic Forest

“The Norse myths are the myths of a chilly place, with long, long winter nights and endless summer days, myths of a people who did not entirely trust or even like their gods, although they respected and feared them.” – Neil Gaiman

Overview

Nowhere is a narrative-focused mystery survival horror game influenced by Nordic mythology and aesthetics. Inspired by games such as Resident Evil, Outlast and The Vanishing of Ethan Carter, Nowhere follows its detective protagonist as he searches for a group of missing tourists while trapped in a Norwegian forest. This review takes a look at the demo, which is available now on Steam.

Narrative

The narrative is introduced quite concisely in the Nowhere demo, which follows a detective protagonist who is trapped in a Norweigan forest searching for four missing tourists. The game makes use of Nordic mythology to embellish the various locations and inspire the horror elements of the narrative.

The story is mostly delivered through the found documents such as journal entries, notes, and photos, as well as the environment itself; there is no narration or dialogue apparent in the demo. There is a small amount of information and exposition delivered via the game’s loading screen and as the demo begins but this text disappeared too quickly to read it all. The demo does, however, succeed in creating intrigue and provides just enough story and character information to make sure players are eager to find out more.

Gameplay

The gameplay demonstrated in the Nowhere demo is largely akin to that of a walking simulator, as the player explores a somewhat open-world environment finding clues and narrative tidbits about the local lore and mythology as well as the missing tourists, why they were there, and what might have happened to them. The player can walk and sprint, but not jump, and in the demo at least, there were no weapons or combat. The protagonist is equipped with a journal, to keep notes of useful information and case notes, a map which updates as new locations and waypoints are discovered, a camera, and a lantern.

At various points throughout the demo, a loud horn blares and the visuals are tainted red. This indicates that enemies have been activated and will chase the player slowly. If the player is caught they must answer a question correctly or die. It is unclear what triggers this event, whether it is a certain amount of interactions or a timer, and it is also unclear what causes the event to end. The main objective in these sections seems to be simply to avoid the encroaching enemies.

There are some puzzle-type elements present in the gameplay, for example, in the demo, the player must find the correct items to sit on a series of altar plates. This increases the levels of interaction and elevates the gameplay to something beyond a simple walking simulator.

Styling

The Nowhere demo shows off the game’s detailed, realistic, 3D art style. It uses a very cool colour palette, rich in blues, greys and greens, and boasts highly atmospheric lighting such as shafts of light through the trees, a lantern, and fires. The coldness of the visuals helps to make the juxtaposition of the red tint during enemy encounters even more prominent and jarring. The enemies shown in the demo are not overly intricate in their design, but rather menacing. Something about their unrushed approach makes them seem more sinister and the overall effect is quite threatening.

The music includes ominous drums, dramatic strings, woodland, and ethereal droning, creating a mysterious ambience and a subtle sense of dread. It suits the eerie themes and Nordic setting of the game very well and solidifies the experience within those parameters. The sound effects, such as the protagonist’s footsteps and breath, as well as forest sounds, and fires crackling, are effective at adding an extra level of creepiness and further immersing the player in the experience.

There is room for improvement in the way the sound is implemented, mainly in terms of volume levels. The music was difficult to hear, even set at max volume and using headphones, and the sound effects tended to dominate the soundscape.

Summary

The Nowhere demo does a great job of showcasing what an atmospheric, enigmatic and creepy experience the full game will be. It demonstrates the stunning and immersive art style, the ominous sound design, an intriguing narrative, and varied gameplay that ranges a variety of genres such as horror, detective, walking simulator and puzzle games. Its Nordic setting and themes are prominent without being overdone and the environment and various locations are cohesive whilst also providing variety and plenty of interest.

Some minor bugs are present, the most prominent of which was that the ‘out of bounds’ message that appeared on screen after attempting to wander beyond the scope of the demo, stayed on screen for the remainder of the play session. However, as the developers are paying close attention to feedback and making regular updates I am confident that any issues will be promptly resolved.

The demo will take around 20-40 minutes to play and is well worth checking out for anyone who enjoys more nuanced horror experiences. I very much enjoyed playing and will be eagerly following the progress of the full game and awaiting its release.

If you like the look of this game, you may also enjoy these reviews:
The Outlast Trials – A Disturbing Psychological Survival Horror – Still Wakes the Deep – Lovecraftian Terror on a North Sea Oil Rig – Martha is Dead – Disturbing New Psychological Horror

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