Scandi fantasy adventure Röki looks quietly brilliant Eurogamer.net If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy. Scandi fantasy adventure Röki looks quietly brilliant Moomin on up. News by Tom Phillips Deputy Editor Updated on 2 Sep 2019 10 comments A few hours before I'm due to see indie adventure Röki somewhere within Gamescom's cavernous halls, developer Polygon Treehouse sends a minute-long video to my phone. The clip shows the winding path to find the game on the showfloor: into the correct hall, onto the right stand, and over to a hidden meeting room. A few hours later I'm tracing that same path, pulling my phone from my pocket to consult the video again, and my tired brain thinks, 'this feels a lot like using something from my inventory to help solve a puzzle'. Clunky opening metaphor done, I'm very happy to say Röki is a lot more fun than all of that. This gentle, Scandinavia-set fantasy is an antidote to the noise around me, even if its puzzling nature feels slightly familiar. You play as Tove, a bright bobble-hatted young girl searching for her family in a snowy word where monsters from folklore are both friend and foe. It's an adventure game through-and-through - with an inventory to fill, locked gates and doors to open, items to combine to solve puzzles - but one built so its formula never gets in the way of the story. Watch on YouTube Much of this story lies under-wraps, the pages in Tove's journal (described by developer Polygon Treehouse as her "grail diary") hidden from view in this brief 15 minute demo. As Tove, I puff through the snow to find a troll under a bridge with a sword stuck in its back - a sword which may well be useful to jimmy the lock to a gate I need to open. Exploring a nearby house I find rope and a bear trap I can combine into a troll-saving tool, and pretty soon the gate is open. Röki looks beautiful - a mix of Wind Waker and Tearaway via a trip to see the Moomins - and sounds it too. Despite the noise surrounding the game's booth, I'm struck by what a peaceful experience it seems - doubly so now I'm home, watching through footage again and able to better appreciate its atmosphere. Tove speaks through text dialogue but, as in Zelda, will make sounds of surprise or frustration. An early idea to have the entire game voiced was dropped, I'm told, though the Scandinavian voice talent remains. It's been two years since our first glimpse at Röki, announced just a few months after Polygon Treehouse founders Alex Kanaris and Tom Jones were cast adrift by Sony when it shut down Guerrilla Cambridge. Back then it was a point-and-click adventure game, due sometime in 2018. Now, point-and-click has been replaced with free movement - all part of the studio's desire for a frustration-free experience - and Röki is currently scheduled for a winter 2019 release for PC and, just announced, Nintendo Switch. Become a Eurogamer subscriber and get your first month for £1 Get your first month for £1 (normally £3.99) when you buy a Standard Eurogamer subscription. Enjoy ad-free browsing, merch discounts, our monthly letter from the editor, and show your support with a supporter-exclusive comment flair! Support us View supporter archive More News Splatoon 3 Amiibos will be out next month Ink-coming! 3 Fans think Phil Spencer's shelf is teasing the Xbox Game Pass streaming box UPDATE: Xbox confirms old Keystone prototype. 61 Modder dives into Demon's Souls files following PS5 jailbreak, discovers fabled Ring of the Chieftain Who knows what's nexus? 4 Google announces cloud gaming Chromebooks less than a fortnight after Stadia shutdown GeForce Now preinstalled. 11 Latest Articles Digital Foundry Sennheiser's legendary HD 599 open-back headphones are just £70 at Amazon in the Prime Early Access Sale Comfortable with neutral sound and a wide sound stage. Preview Football Manager's new Console edition is the best you'll get without a PC Getting Touch-right. 1 Splatoon 3 Amiibos will be out next month Ink-coming! 3 Fans think Phil Spencer's shelf is teasing the Xbox Game Pass streaming box UPDATE: Xbox confirms old Keystone prototype. 61 Supporters Only Premium only Off Topic: Take a minute to appreciate Cookin' with Coolio's incredible scallops recipe. What a great book. Premium only Off Topic: Reading City of Glass in comic form "Where exactly am I going?" Premium only Off Topic: Il Buco is a transporting film about a really big hole Underlands. Off-Topic Netflix handled Sandman brilliantly It was Dreamy. 9 Buy things with globes on them And other lovely Eurogamer merch in our official store! Explore our store