Among the Trolls

Among the Trolls is a first-person survival action adventure game. It's a debut of Finnish studio Forbidden, made up of developers formerly working on The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines and Fallout 4. Veli Kokkonen, one of the programmers who created the Unity Engine technology, leads the company.

Early Access

Among the Trolls was released as an Steam Early Access game in 2022. That version of the game featured the first of four chapters, each of which would add new locations, mechanics, and story elements to the game world.

Plot

Alex and Anna are American siblings who one day go to Finland to visit their grandparents. However, upon arrival, it turns out that they have disappeared without a trace, and their grandchildren will be drawn into a world straight out of Nordic myths and their own memories.

Game mechanics

Among the Trolls is in line with typical survival games. The action is observed from a first-person perspective, and the gameplay is primarily an exploration of locations in the open world, where we collect materials needed to craft items and try to discover the secrets of the Finnish forest. It is also necessary to take care of the needs of the hero (or heroine, because we can direct both Alex and Anna): without food, water, etc. we won't survive long in the wilderness.

The developer also added a lot of elements that are absent in most survival games. The forest in the game is inhabited by creatures from Finnish myths, including the titular trolls. From time to time we have to gain their favor by sacrificing necessary items in special places. Otherwise, you have to expect difficulties, not necessarily in the form of attacking beasts - offended mythical creatures can even affect the environment.

In addition to the standard statistics, heroes also have three additional ones, inherited from their ancestors: Sisu (Strength), Väki (Magic) and Lykky (Luck). These have different effects on other character traits, but also on the environment, resources and fantastic creatures.

Game modes

Among the Trolls lets you play solo or in co-op mode for two players.

Technical aspects

The main attraction of Among the Trolls is the audiovisual setting. The developer used its well-known Unity engine to create forests full of authentic sounds of Scandinavian nature. The soundtrack, combining modern instrumentation with music from the old times, also builds the atmosphere.