‘Through the Woods’ is more than cheap jump scares.

Through the Woods is out and it’s shinier than it was when I played the demo back in 2015. To be fair, it released back on October 27, 2016 and even though I had a copy of it at launch, I took my sweet time getting to it. Certain elements of the game were, of course, altered in the nearly year and a half since my initial preview run. The narrative style is different, the game engine is new, and the graphics are more polished. Players are still treated to the same atmospheric experience as before, just a bit updated. I’m glad I decided to back it on Kickstarter those many months back.

Through the Woods is the story of a mother (Karen) trying to get back Espen, her stolen son. Old Erik has been stealing children for years, and now he has Espen. You must gather your courage and plunge into a dark, ominous world filled with unreal terrors to save him. It’s a tale of loss and despair where nothing is as it seems. Through dynamic narration and a lot of searching, you’ll start to uncover the truths behind the myth. Just watch your step or you might not make it out alive.

Is that Mjolnir?

Norse mythology and Norwegian folk tales combine to form the backdrop of this psychological horror game. Trolls, witches, draugr, and some rather vicious wolves all make appearances throughout the game. Sound, however, is the most frightening part of Through the Woods. I suggest the use of headphones while playing to enhance the experience. Ambient sound contains just enough noise that it can sometimes become startling. A breaking twig, for example, from off to the side that reveals nothing when spinning around to look. A moan in the distance or a rattling door can be a source of intrigue or fear depending on who holds the controller. It’s the suspense and tension created by the sound that sells the whole experience as something beyond a jump scare laden horror game.

While ambient sounds in Through the Woods add plenty of tension, the voice acting quickly breaks the spell. Our narrator exists simultaneously in two distinct periods during the game. Part of the time she’s retelling the events of the story after the fact and part of the time she’s speaking in the moment. The distant, almost wistful tone she uses to recall events on the island is spot on. It’s when she’s trying to be in the moment, experiencing anguish, frustration, or fear that everything falls apart. I find her voice to be too mechanical–as if she’s reading the script for the first time. I feel that she lacks proper inflection, similar to the voice acting from the original Resident Evil game.

Be very quiet.

The difficulty in Through the Woods comes from being unable to fend off virtually anything. There is one creature that will run from your flashlight and one that will run from a torch. Beyond those two examples, the only weapon you have is your wits.  Exploration will be key to achievement hunters like myself, but curiosity will probably lead to a good deal of screaming and reloading. Outrunning monsters is rarely an option, so it’s often best to accept your fate and try again. (Achievements are given for getting killed by each creature type.)

They’re creepy and they’re everywhere.

Through the Woods is a relatively short game for the genres it falls under. My first playthrough took me about four hours and includes a good deal of exploration. I’m still missing a few achievements, but they’re all by very small margins. Some people report completing the main story after two and a half hours. Exploration is rewarding, but not as important as it is in most walking simulators out there. Weird and creepy things are scattered all over the place like the trees with the glowing faces. Large crystals jutt oddly from the ground in some areas. What I’m saying is that you shouldn’t rush blithely forward, heedless of all the cool details stashed around the world.

Through the Woods is an awesome experience and I love the sort of “what if” theme dealing with Ragnarok. I said before that it’s about loss and despair, but one of the more subtle themes is one of empathy. Karen, in her attempt to save Espen, has to learn about Old Erik. Through that learning comes understanding and a means to question her own assumptions about him and the nature of her whole world. She’s an imperfect person with a troubled past that’s slowly revealed over the course of her journey.

If you want a game to get a bit frightened by on a Friday night, Through the Woods is for you. I know that the price point might feel a bit steep, but I don’t regret my decision to back it on Kickstarter years ago. If you have to, wait for a Steam sale.