Vassgard – first computer game from Setesdal in Norway

The first game from Spelgarden will have the main title Vassgard, which is also the name of the planet, which the plot is set to. It has an episodic science-fiction-crime story set to the rural environment of Shielingdale in Sureg, a country on the southern hemisphere of Vassgard. Expected release year is 2021.

Text: Targeir Attestog

Illustrations: Kenneth Iversen

Vassgard is supposed to be a series of adventure games set to another planet, where both ordinary humans and hulders exist (known from Norwegian fairy-tales). Hulders have a tail, which they can use as antenna for sending thoughts between each other, as long the distance is within 10 kilometres if there are no obstacles. The world of Vassgard has already long ago entered the digital era, and hulders are today able to connect to wireless data network for sending thoughts over even longer distances.

Orid Icepond, fox hulder, former intelligence-service agent, playable character in the game, who recently became superintendent at the local police station in fictional Ryeland municipality.

In the story of the first game, the administration of Ryeland municipality in the valley Shielingdale in Sureg (corresponding Bygland, Setesdal, Norway in our world) is victim to mysterious data attacks, which make the employees forget things or remember things that never happened. The first victim is the chief of cyber-security Morten Moore, whose entire memory is deleted before it is restored to the last backup from early in the evening before.

It is then up to the new superintendent Orid Icepond (female mountain-fox hulder) to solve this and other connected mysteries, by interviewing victims and witnessess, and by searching for clues on physical places in the vicinity. Gradually, she gets better at reading the hidden thoughts of others and performing other kind of analysis, and discovers more and more clues, which one can hope will lead to the apprehension of the ones behind the attacks.

Morten Moore, squirrel hulder, chief of cyber-security datasikkerheitssjef in fictional Ryeland municipality.

The story may take different turns, dependent on what choices the play takes for the main character in the game. Development of social and technical abilities, which are simulated in the game, are then important.

Two significant themes of the game are:

• Feeling a little outside in the local culture when moving (back) to a place.

• Cyber-security is important. That is illustrated somewhat caricated in this story, but still chillingly realistic in the principles.

The game is planned to be released on PC (Windows, Mac, Linux) and mobile units (Android, iOS). Launch is expected to happen sometime in 2021.

Before that time, Spelgarden will at some point surprise with a demo-minigame with a short story set before the story of larger game.