Used To LOVE These Guys

Reminds me of the river next to where I grew up

16JAN2020

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Indie Game Spotlight: Röki 

We’re back with another Indie Game Spotlight! Inspired by Scandinavian folklore and described as an explore-o-puzzle, Röki is an adventure game that takes the shape of a dark contemporary fairy tale underpinned with deep narrative, satisfying puzzles, and atmospheric exploration. We join Tove on a fantastical journey to save her family into a hidden and long-forgotten world of lost folklore filled with strange locations and even stranger characters. 

We spoke with Alex Kanaris-Sotiriou, one of the founders of Polygon Treehouse (a fairly new indie studio from Cambridge, UK). Alex is responsible for the character and monster art and animation in the game. Read on!

What was the main inspiration for the game?

We were inspired by the classic point-and-click games we loved so much growing up but wanted to update and re-imagine the genre for today’s players. Röki is not ‘point-and-click,’ but instead, you take direct control of Tove with the gamepad and explore the world directly in 3D. We feel this makes the game feel more immediate and responsive, as well as enabling the player to form a stronger attachment to Tove. Basically, we wanted to make our take on a modern adventure game that is frustration-free and that all players can enjoy.

For the setting/themes for the game, we had a few different ideas for floating around that we were both quite excited about. However, once we stumbled upon Scandinavian folklore the rest quickly faded into the background! We’re not really talking about the Norse gods, more the creepy creatures lurking in the lakes, caves, and forests. They felt so strange, grisly and fun that we fell in love and set off creating our own world inspired by those tales.

Also, we really like the idea of running around in the snow, so that clinched the deal!

What does Röki mean, and how does it relate to the game?

Like the movie Jaws, our game is named after the monster! However, when you encounter monsters in the game, it’s about understanding and helping them, rather than harming them. As a child, Tove looks past the monstrous appearances and sees the humanity underneath. She has to solve the riddles of the forest to fix what’s troubling them, even if they’re not very friendly, to begin with. We like the idea of exploring shades of grey with our characters, rather than binary ‘good’ and ‘evil.’ On a personal level, it’s nice to make a non-violent game with an undercurrent of kindness.

Röki himself is a fascinating, almost tragic character—but you’ll have to play the game to find out more!

What are some aspects of Nordic folklore that players can expect to spot in the game?

Many aspects of our wintry world draw upon Scandinavian folklore. The monsters are very much our own reimaginings of those tales, with a few of our own creations added into the mix.

We undertook reference trips and took about a gazillion photos to feed our work and make sure there was a strong sense of place. That way, not just the forest feels right, but also the cabins, abandoned churches, and shrines feel cohesive within the game world.

We try to make sure each ‘ingredient’ contributes to the world. For example, the voice acting in the game is all done by Norwegian actors, so you get subtle inflections and accents from the region. We have a fair few Scandinavian friends who’ve had eyeballs on the game from an early stage, and the reaction from showcasing the game over there has been amazing. We think we’ve managed to create something that is very much our own but has that flavor running through most aspects of the game.

If you suddenly found yourself in your game, do you think you would survive?

Ha, I’m not sure I have Tove’s resourcefulness, but I do get on well with pretty much everyone. Hopefully, a grumpy troll would take pity on me, and we’d go drink tea in their cozy cave until the snowstorms passed.

Either that or I’d be gobbled up in seconds, not sure!

If you’re ready to befriend some monsters, Röki is coming to Nintendo Switch and PC in 2020—or you can wishlist on Steam here.