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Though AAA giants like Alan Wake 2 and Alone in the Dark dominate the mystery horror genre, some of its most interesting works keep smaller profiles. Nowhere draws upon Nordic mythology to tell the tale of the gods in the aftermath of Ragnarok. You’re no god, however. Instead, you’re an investigator digging into a string of disappearances in an eerie forest. Grab a flouncy hat and smoking pipe, because you’ll need to do a bit of sleuthing and free-form exploration to piece together what happened. The fog is thick, and the vibes are sketchy. Welcome to Nowhere.
Solving Mysteries and Running in Terror
Four tourists go missing in the forests of Norway, and you’re the kind of person who thinks it’s a good idea to go in after them. Conveniently, you’re also the kind of person who can summon a caseboard from thin air like Saga Anderson. Nowhere isn’t just a creepy walking sim. You’ll need to find clues as you navigate the fog-shrouded forest with your camera, listening to the crunch of your footsteps in the undergrowth and casting nervous glances back over your shoulder. These range from runes and unsettling photographs to abandoned buildings and straight-up murder scenes. All is not well in the forest.
It’s not clear from the demo how deep Nowhere‘s detective mechanics are, but it nails free-form exploration. At the beginning of your hike, you find a vague map pointing you in the direction of major landmarks such as a ruined church. How you approach them, how thoroughly you search for clues, and what you photograph is up to you. The forest fog’s deep blues and steely grays blanket your path in all directions, building strong “oh, this was a mistake, we should go” vibes the moment you arrive. It’s more akin to a cryptid hunt than Silent Hill, but tell that to my heart rate.
Red Lights and Deeper Levels in Nowhere
A horn sounds in the distance, breaking through the cold air like a chisel. The moment it does, the sky turns a livid red. Things start moving amongst the trees. Without spoiling the particulars, you aren’t alone anymore. Gone are your leisurely inspections of each photograph and misplaced brick. You’re being hunted, and the slow speed of your shambling pursuers is cold comfort. Materializing from the woods on every side, forcing you to abandon the path and sprint blind through the undergrowth, they take their time. It’s all as if to say, “Why rush? Your fate is inevitable.”
Run long enough and the red light will fade again, taking the monsters with it. That gives you a moment to reorient, study your case board, and pick a new destination in the forest. This tug-of-war between investigation and panicked flight keeps Nowhere uneasy. Even when the sky is blue and there are no monsters about, you can’t fully relax, knowing the forest is one horn blow away from crawling with them again. There’s not a ton of mechanical depth on display in the demo, but if the rest of the game can capitalize on its spooky ambiance in the same way, Nowhere could be an exercise in quiet horror.
Goodbye, Jump Scares & Hello, Demo
Jump scares, though a valuable tool in horror, oversaturate many games in the genre. That makes Nowhere‘s intelligent avoidance of them all the more impressive. You can play Nowhere‘s demo on Steam starting August 15th, and if you’re on the hunt for tantalizing mystery horror projects, you should. Though the demo plays some cards close to its chest, there’s enough quality content on display here to give me hope for its future (if not so much hope for anyone in the woods of Norway). Just keep your ears tuned for the sound of a distant horn or we’ll have to add a fifth disappearance to the list.
