Draugen Reviews
Draugen manages to surprise player at one point in its story, but fails to keep pace after that. You'll like it if you're looking for a short, calm and relaxing game (thanks to its gorgeous views), but prepare to be disappointed if you want a real adventure game.
Review in Turkish | Read full review
All in all, it is definitely a game that deserves a place in any adventurous gamer's digital library.
Draugen is a frustratingly creative attempt from Red Thread Games that some will appreciate, while others brush it aside without much thought.
Draugen is not bad, just disappointingly... mediocre-to-decent, when it could be so much more. The whole noir mystery narrated by an unreliable protagonist thing definitely manages to spark some interest, but this never really becomes the engrossing tale it wants to be. Forget the marvellously rendered Norwegian landscape, and the magical music that keeps it company. What lies underneath is just an okay-ish, walking simulator.
While it is not perfect, Draugen is a charming experience and a beautiful journey that could invade enter your heart. it's definitely worth trying.
Review in Arabic | Read full review
As an immersive experience, Draugen is a pleasant surprise for those who seek to contemplate, explore and enter the reconstruction of a story of drama and tragedy. Although its limits are evident, Red Thread Games knew how to make the most of its resources, delivering a work that promises to be the beginning of great projects for the future. Graavik is a beautiful place, the soundtrack is impeccable and the story is very interesting, it is definitely an experience you have to live.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
As slow-paced first-person mystery adventures go, Draugen is about as middle-of-the-road as you could get. It offers an intriguing story with interesting subject matter in a picturesque setting yet it ultimately feels unfulfilling once the brief story reaches its conclusion.
There's Norway you won't be engrossed in this beautifully crafted and well written Scandinavian mystery.
Draugen can be a thrilling experience at times, but its unimaginative gameplay and weak finale knock it down a peg or two.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
Many plot threads are resolved, and the observant will be able to narrow down the catalyst for the overarching mystery to two possibilities, but a number of details and ancillary mysteries are left unaddressed so as to impart to the ending the same feeling of creeping uncertainty that defines much of the preceding game.
From bothersome, stiff animations to stories that often stumble, failing to successfully transmit their gravity past the screen, unearthing Draugen’s excellent parts requires a fair bit of digging through its less impressive ones.
What starts as a mystery tale about the protagonist’s sister disappearance turns into a journey into obsession, what make us obsessed and how it can make us blind to the world around us. Extremely compelling and sometimes, even heartbreaking.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
In some ways, those adjectives suit Draugen as a whole. Slightly dated game design and some poorly telegraphed narrative elements aside, the game makes for a wonderful four-hour adventure. The town of Graavik is a delight to look at, and the stories it hides drag players deep into the mystery. The design tropes of walking simulators are backed up with more logical cause than is often the case, while the story leaves just enough open to keep the player thinking after the credits have ceased to roll. Draugen seems unlikely to win any awards for originality, but it shows what mastery of the ‘walking simulator’ format looks like.
Draugen tells a beautiful story that fans of the genre won’t want to miss. A runtime of only two or three hours, depending on how much extra exploring you do, should allow for the game to be completed in just a couple of sessions.
For as much as I wasn't blown away by Draugen's plot, I enjoyed my time with Edward and Lissie and their adventure to Graavik quite a lot. I do hope they return, sooner, rather than later, old-bean.
Despite its short length, Draugen is a narrative adventure which you shouldn’t miss out on. Visually the game is absolutely stunning, from it’s highly detailed and realistic characters to the picturesque environments within this Norwegian setting, it’s easy to get lost in the moment as you wander around and admire its beauty. Thanks to the mysterious and harrowing nature of the narrative, the story brings up questions which will stick with you long after you’ve seen the final credits roll – some of which may be answered in the prequel comic book which is due for release later this year as (possibly free) DLC.
After all is said and done, Draugen feels like a beautifully-crafted, but unnecessary, prologue to whatever story lies ahead of it. It’s worth a spin, most of all for its short playtime and gorgeous presentation, but least of all for its actual mysteries.
Draugen is a stunning, emotionally resonant experience, and one of the best games I've played in 2019. For those unfamiliar with titles like Gone Home and Dear Esther (with a hint of BioShock), from which the game heavily lifts its inspirations, this might not be your cup of tea.
Draugen is an atmospheric adventure filled with mystery, confined within the limitations of the walking simulator genre, with some unfortunate technical and story missteps.
Review in Greek | Read full review