Awaken the Wolf Within On October 13
I have talked previously about my love for the World of Darkness, and the upcoming Werewolf: The Apocalypse – Earthblood. I was thoroughly surprised and delighted to learn that there will be another Werewolf game, and it is coming even sooner! Werewolf: The Apocalypse – Heart of the Forest comes to PC and Mac on 13 October 2020.
Making the transition from a tabletop RPG onto a digital platform is always challenging. How does one convey the imagination, storytelling and the wealth of player-made decisions that come from a group of fried sitting around a table, into a game that is far more structured and contained?
Heart of the Forest has picked one of the most optimal ways, by taking advantage of the visual novel format and mixing in elements from the original tabletop game. The developers claim that this allows for over 200,000 paths leading to 5 main endings. The game will be narratively focused, presenting a horror story set in the real world location of the Białowieża Forest, which straddles the border of Poland and Belarus and is one of the largest remaining parts of the old-growth forest that used to span northeastern Europe. Such a setting is perfect for any Werewolf game.
This game also reminds of me another game in a similar vein and set in the same World of Darkness universe (Vampire: The Masquerade – Coteries of New York) which compounds my interests even further. Look for more information about this game in the full press release below.
WARSAW, Poland – October 1, 2020 – Different Tales and Walkabout Games are proud to announce that Werewolf: The Apocalypse – Heart of the Forest, the first-ever video game based on the legendary tabletop RPG, will launch on October 13, 2020, on PC, Mac, and Linux through Steam, GOG.com, and GeForce Now, at $14.99/€12.49/£11.39. A special 10% discount will be available for 7 days from the day of release.
- Heart of the Forest on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1342620/Werewolf_The_Apocalypse__Heart_of_the_Forest/
- Heart of the Forest on GOG.com: https://www.gog.com/game/werewolf_the_apocalypse_heart_of_the_forest
Werewolf: Heart of the Forest is a savage, story-focused, horror game that features extensive narrative branching, with more than 200,000 paths leading to 5 main endings. The player becomes Maia, a young woman who comes to Poland looking for her roots only to end up being drafted into an ancient war.
This game elevates the visual novel genre by adapting the Rage and Willpower mechanics from the legendary tabletop RPG. Maia’s personality is determined by the player’s choices and the world around her adapts accordingly. By controlling Rage, the game’s primary resource, the player can change Maia’s perspective and see aspects that will be invisible in other playthroughs.
Heart of the Forest is set in a real-world location: the Bialowieza Forest a.k.a. the Puszcza, the last primal wilderness in Europe. Maia’s story was inspired by 2016-2017 protests against commercial logging of the forest, which resulted in the European Union judiciary ordering a stop to deforestation.
Game Highlights
- The first video game ever based on the legendary RPG Werewolf: The Apocalypse.
- Visual novel elevated to a new genre with mechanics inspired by tabletop RPG.
- A rich story with extensive branching.
- Set in real places, inspired by true events.
- A distinctive art style that suggests rather than simply depicting.
Press Accolades
- PC Gamer – “Definitely one to keep an eye on for World of Darkness fans.”
- GamesRadar – “As atmospheric as it is intriguing.”
- GamesHedge – “Really engaging and I absolutely loved the visual art style.”
- Polygamia – “The attention to detail, the celebration of the moment. (…) It’s a pity we had to wait so long for such games.”
- TheGamer – “The writing in Heart of the Forest is stellar (…) helped by the excellent artwork that accompanies the story.”
- Gameffine – “A truly engaging experience.”
- SAgamer – “I found myself wishing for more.”
“We’ve been Werewolf and World of Darkness nerds for 20+ years, and working on this game has felt like coming home after a long trip,” said Piotr Gnyp, Head of Biz Dev at Walkabout Games. “We want players to experience what made us fall in love with this brand when we were young: the ability to create your own stories in a world that is familiar, yet strange. When you finish the game, tell us your version of Maia’s story, using the hashtag #WerewolfHOTF”
“As a dark fantasy layer over our real world, the World of Darkness is perfect for telling compelling supernatural stories in familiar environments,” said Sean Greaney, Brand Manager for World of Darkness. “We love Different Tales’ and Walkabout Games’ passion for Werewolf: The Apocalypse and the care they’ve taken in crafting a story around a place and event they know so well.”
