Roki

A group of Killzone veterans rediscover the mystery of childhood

Dig deep into the etymology of the word ‘monster’ and you’ll find that it refers to something part-beast, part-human – horrifying yet recognisable, even sympathetic. This ambiguity forms the heart of many a dark fable, from Beowulf to the forthcoming Röki, a lonely adventure based on Scandinavian folklore, crafted by a team led by veterans of Guerrilla Cambridge, the Sony satellite studio that closed its doors in 2017. The game’s diminutive star, Tove, is searching an ancient wilderness for her brother Lars, who has been abducted by a giant spectre with a crocodile grin. To find this creature – the titular Röki – she’ll need to earn the trust of other beings, including bridge trolls and trees hung with eyeballs, their lids flickering audibly.

Tove’s greatest asset in this regard is her youth, as narrative designer Danny Salfield Wadeson explains. “In today’s world there’s quite a lot of monsters living out in the open, who look human but act otherwise. The idea of a child going into the wilds and meeting actual monsters, but with their innocence, being able to look past the monstrous image and see the humanity underneath, and help them out, find out what they’re struggling with… we found that quite interesting.”