Gerda: A Flame in Winter is a narrative adventure game with RPG Elements developed by PortaPlay and published by Dontnod Entertainment released on September 1, 2022.
You play as Gerda Larsen, a half-German, half-Danish nurse living in the town of Tinglev, Denmark during its occupation by Nazi Germany during World War II; now, in early 1945, the end of the war is in sight, but the German occupation has begun brutally cracking down on the resistance. On February 4, 1945, Gerda returns home to find that her husband Anders has been arrested by the Gestapo in connection with a factory bombing, and she must use any way she can, with the help of the locals, La Résistance, or even the occupation, to find him.
A DLC side story, Liva's Story, was released on May 23, 2023, detailing the story of the resistance leader Liva "The Sparrow" before the events of the game.
Gerda: A Flame in Winter provides examples of:
- All for Nothing: Like many characters, it is possible for Anders to die, making Gerda's quest to save him all for nothing.
- Artistic License – History: Gerda states in her opening monologue that communists, along with students, were among the earliest opponents of the Nazi occupation. Communist parties weren't overtly anti-Nazi until Operation Barbarossa in June 1941, when Nazi Germany broke the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact by invading the Soviet Union. That doesn't mean there weren't individual initiatives, since many anti-fascist communists were taken aback and baffled by the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, but by and large it took the biggest communist country in the world at the time to be invaded for Western Europe's communist movements to generate resistance movements, often getting orders from Moscow. Many non-communist resistance movements were formed as early as summer 1940 for countries like France and, obviously, late 1939 for Poland. This may be justifiable given it is presented as the perspective of Gerda, who the game makes clear was not always aware of several political aspects of the war and just wanted to keep her head down till it ended.
- Black Market: Gerda can use a ration stamp to buy some real cinnamon or art supplies in the black market.
- Child of Two Worlds: Being half-German and half-Danish, Gerda can easily communicate both with her Danish neighbours and the German occupiers. However, this leads to several complications as neither group unconditionally accepts her as a member of their own; for instance, if you talk to your father near the clinic, a Danish local will see you and assume that you're trying to cozy up to the occupation, causing you to lose favour with the Danes in the town.
- Childhood Friends: Peter and Anders, also Gerda and Margit.
- Chummy Commies: The communists, represented most directly by resistance leader Liva Hansen, are presented as staunch anti-Nazis, and, according to Gerda's narration, were among the earliest opponents to the German occupation.
- Les Collaborateurs: Downplayed, but most of Tinglev has accepted rule under the Germans relatively quickly, not least because the town had been part of Germany in living memory, and the occupation has been fairly accepted by the community. This is most visible with Gerda's father Dieter, who went so far as to join the Nazis even before the war came to Denmark, and Margit, who is being courted by a Nazi officer and whose father's factory is supplying the Nazis.
- Dangerous Deserter: When Gerda is going to Dr. Lindholm's clinic on the second day, she can encounter a group of German soldiers who have deserted because they have been assigned to the Eastern Front, which they consider to essentially be a death sentence. They are wheeling a large cart with possessions they have plundered from several Danish houses, and if Gerda admonishes them for looting, they subtly threaten her, saying that because they are deserters, they have nothing to lose.
- Distant Prologue: The game starts in December 1939, with Gerda's return to Tinglev after her time at nursing school, being received by Anders (at this time her fiancé) and Dieter; while the war has not yet reached Denmark, it seems to only be a matter of time, and Dieter and Anders discuss its implications, with Dieter supporting the Nazis out of a sense of national pride and Anders opposing him. While they stop their argument for Gerda's sake, it becomes a much more pressing issue once the Nazis occupy the town, with Dieter becoming a member of the party. The game proper starts in 1945, by which time the days of the German occupation are numbered, and the end of the war is in sight.
- Foregone Conclusion: With it being the winter of 1945, the third Reich is quickly approaching its end. Notably, this is acknowledged in-universe: smatterings of news about the Soviet advance in the east and the Anglo-American advance in the west have reached the townspeople, and it is expected that the war won't outlast the yearnote .
- The Mole: The Gestapo officer Felix Stahl shows Gerda a ring provided by an informant of theirs, at the end of the game. It is revealed to be Torben. Who was doing this to save his fiance, Yrsa and he was going to give her that ring to propose to her. You can choose to reveal this information or not. Though if you do, Peter will not take this news well, especially if Anders died. When Torben runs, Peter shoots him dead.
- Quitting to Get Married: Subverted. When Dieter, Anders, and Gerda meet the train conductor, the latter, talking about Gerda and Anders's upcoming wedding, says that her nursing education would be pointless once the two are married. When Gerda says that she plans to work in Dr. Lindholm's clinic even after their wedding, he responds with a huffy "I see. Hm, how very...er...modern."
- Random Number God: Several dialogue choices rely on a dice roll for their success. These rolls may become easier or harder depending on items Gerda possesses, her relationship with certain people/factions, and her personality scores.
- Relationship Values: Gerda's relationships with people or factions is represented by a numerical score, which increases or decreases depending on your decisions. Having a higher score with a particular person makes them more likely to trust or agree with you.
- Shout-Out: Typically in achievement names.
- La Résistance: Liva's band of resistance fighters.
- War Refugees: After Anders's arrest, Gerda finds a note in the chicken coop regarding a place where "hatchlings" are kept. These "hatchlings" are revealed to be Esther and Sophia, two German Jewish refugees who are fleeing The Holocaust.
