Werewolf: The Apocalypse – Heart of the Forest | Switch Review

January 18, 2021 Alyssa White

It’s honestly kind of surprising that there is a huge lack of video games centered on werewolves. They’re one of the most popular mythical creatures, and they seem ripe territory for the games industry to me. Different Tales’ Werewolf: The Apocalypse – Heart of the Forest is a refreshing entry into this barren genre. Based off of the tabletop RPG of the same name, and threading real locations, events, and legends into its story, this is a must-play experience, especially if lycanthropy interests you.

Howl at the Moon

You are Maia Boroditch, a young woman who has just arrived in Poland to investigate your family roots and answer questions you have about yourself. Maia has been having disturbing dreams that all take place in the same area, and she is adamant about finding the reason behind these dreams. I really loved how this is based on the logging controversy surrounding the Białowieża Forest. The game encourages the player to make decisions about how to feel about such an integral environment being destroyed. Do you face it with anger, compassion, or an analytical eye?

This is a visual novel, but the game implements a choice-driven narrative mechanic. At certain points, you’ll be faced with choosing whether to sacrifice some of your rage, willpower, or health to progress the story. If you use up all of your allotment of each element, though, certain paths will be locked off to you and will alter your journey. The colorful, bold visuals help immerse the player into this world, and the sound effects are pitch perfect. I adored each character I encountered, and cared about their well-being. I became extremely wrapped up in this story, and didn’t want it to end.

Getting Lost in the Forest

I do wish that the actual werewolf portion of the story was longer. What is woven into the tapestry of the narrative is excellent and deep, but it feels much too short. I wanted to explore what being a werewolf is like in a much deeper fashion. The game does explain the different types of lycans and their clans beautifully, and your choices affect which group you fall into. The overall time it took me to wrap up my playthrough was a fairly short three hours, and I could have played for far longer. I was left yearning for more.

The Final Transformation

Werewolf: The Apocalypse – Heart of the Forest is a beautifully and respectfully crafted visual novel that ties the mythology of werewolves into a real location and actual historical events. I loved molding Maia into the person I wanted her to be, and chewed my fingernails trying to decide if I should use up some of my spare rage, willpower, or health to branch my experience off. The striking art style also had me transfixed, often causing me to pause from reading to admire the detail on the screen. I just wish there had been a little more werewolf content and that the game had been longer.

This review is based on a Nintendo Switch copy of Werewolf: The Apocalypse – Heart of the Forest provided by Homerun PR for coverage purposes. It is also available on Steam for Windows PC, Mac, and Linux.