Heart of the Forest was designed by Jacek Brzeziński and Artur Ganszyniec, the leads behind the first game in The Witcher PC series. Both creators are also known as authors of numerous traditional role-playing games, editors of the most influential Polish RPG magazines, and writers of pen-and-paper RPG supplements.

In the video game industry, they became known for their work on The Witcher, Dying Light and Hitman. Their latest titles are the critically acclaimed Wanderlust: Travel Stories and its standalone expansion Wanderlust: Transsiberian.

World of Darkness is one of the most important role-playing brands, which revolutionized the genre in the 1990s. It was the first to shift the focus from mechanics to narrative and storytelling, and to present the world from the perspective of monsters, portrayed as tragic figures. Games set in the World of Darkness universe soon became incredibly popular and made a lasting impact on pop-culture, changing the perception of legendary creatures.

Gamers worldwide can now take their first steps into the World of Darkness in the playable demo for Werewolf: The Apocalypse – Heart of the Forest, available on Steam until the 1st of September.

In the demo, you will experience the start of the adventure, and taste the initial choices your character will face. Every choice affects Maia’s stats, and this in turn reflects on her way of seeing the world. The primary resource is Rage, which opens more proactive paths of progression, but leads to losing sight of the intricacies of the surrounding world. Balancing it will depend entirely on player choices, bringing the game close to its tabletop inspiration.

Discover a hidden world

In the demo, you will visit real-world places located in the Bialowieza Forest, the last primeval wilderness in Europe, and face real legends. These include:

• The Barrows. This is a real resting place of a tribe that lived in the Puszcza 1,500 years ago and mysteriously vanished. 
• Kazan the Wolf. The most famous wolf in Poland and the symbol of protection over his endangered species. In 2001, he died after being wounded in a fight against another male wolf.
• Places of Power. There are numerous legends of Places of Power located across the Puszcza. In the 1990s, diviners from around the world used to gather in the forest and search for these sites of magic.

Heart of the Forest is a narrative adventure game based on the legendary role-playing game Werewolf: The Apocalypse. You play as Maia, a young woman looking to uncover her family’s history. In the pursuit of past mysteries, she arrives at the Białowieża Forest, an ancient wilderness full of ancient and dangerous secrets.

The game’s mechanics are based around three main resources: Rage, Willpower, and Personality. They determine the choices available to Maia and influence the overall presentation of every scene.

The game is set in one of the last primeval forests of Europe - the Bialowieza Forest. It is a vast area located in Poland, Europe, full of myths and legends which players will also find in the game. The first people settled here 1,500 years ago, but their presence remained relatively limited until they eventually vanished. The mix of nature and mystery makes the Bialowieza Forest a perfect setting for a World of Darkness story. 

Just like the original Werewolf: The Apocalypse, Heart of the Forest has many themes. These vary from mythological to inspired by its real-world setting, e.g. where should our interference in nature end? Aren’t we morally bound to interfere? How far would you go for a good cause?

The game stands out thanks to its unique art style. Dynamic collages, which mix photography with hand drawings, are used to represent not only the forest environment but also Maia’s state of mind. The main inspiration for this look was the art of Dave McKean, especially his legendary covers of The Sandman graphic novels. The design team also studied works of artists such as Elke Trittel and Wangechi Mutu.

Werewolf: The Apocalypse - Heart of the Forest is coming to PC/macOS/Linux (Steam and GOG.com) in Q4 2020.