It isn’t often that I find myself playing games set during World War II. This is mostly because I am not interested in games that glorify the violence of the period, like certain large franchises that I won’t name. I also tend to find that most games set during the period focus on a very specific angle and tend to be formulaic. Gerda: A Flame in Winter is far and away the best game I’ve played from this time period, and it isn’t afraid to showcase the horrors of war from a unique perspective.

Gerda: A Flame in Winter takes place in the real Danish town of Tinglev, a village under German occupation during the second world war. You play as Gerda Larsen, a nurse of both German and Danish descent, who finds herself caught up in a struggle as the end of the war looms. Without spoiling anything, Gerda finds herself navigating the various factions vying for control in Tinglev to protect what she holds most dear.

The game plays similarly to a point-and-click mystery game, though you control Gerda, navigating various areas and interacting with things in the environment. Gerda spends a lot of her time navigating her surroundings via conversations with other characters. Depending on what you say, your reputation with various factions and characters can increase or decrease.

As you can expect, this can have far-reaching ramifications for Gerda’s journey. If you upset one character, you might block off certain avenues that could help you later. However, spreading yourself too thin isn’t good either, as having a few strong allies is better than a ton of lukewarm ones.

Gerda also makes use of what the game calls “Mental Energy” which falls into one of three categories, Wit, Compassion, and Insight. These mental energies are a limited resource and can get you out of various binds or help you persuade people. Using these mental energies effectively, collecting information, and making good use of resources is vital to succeeding in Gerda’s pursuit of peace and safety.

There are a lot of different endings available in Gerda: A Flame in Winter, but you won’t be able to save everyone. As in war, sacrifices must be made. Gerda will only have a limited amount of time to do things each day, so she’ll have to prioritize who to help and when to help them. You won’t know whether these choices will help or hurt you till the end though. As with real life, Gerda must live with the choices she makes.

There isn’t much to complain about with Gerda: A Flame in Winter either. While there were a few cases of lag spikes between sections, the game plays well. The voice acting is well done too, and there are a variety of accessibility features such as variable font and UI scaling. Overall, Gerda: A Flame in Winter is a unique look at how ordinary people can change when caught up in the horrors of war.

I recommend this game to anyone who finds themselves interested in history or narrative games that tackle hard-hitting themes. I could see this as being an interesting teaching tool as well since these topics are a part of our history. Gerda’s themes are as important as the time period the game is set in. This is a game that really makes you think about the consequences of your actions, and how sometimes even the best intentions can get you burned.

A Nintendo Switch review copy of Gerda: A Flame in Winter was provided by Don’t Nod for this review.

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Gerda: A Flame in Winter

$19.99

9.5

Score

9.5/10

Pros

• Powerful Narrative
• Lots of Replay Value
• Great Accessibility Options
• Good Voice Acting
• Beautiful Visuals

Cons

• Minor Lag