Among the Trolls is a first-person survival-adventure game set in the remote forests of Finland. Players take on the role of Anna, who arrives from the United States to find her grandfather missing from his isolated cabin. The experience blends resource management, exploration, and encounters with creatures drawn from Finnish folklore.
Gameplay
The core loop centers on surviving the wilderness while progressing through a narrative mystery. Players gather scarce resources, construct shelters and tools, and craft items to handle changing weather and wildlife threats. A key system involves balancing two forces called Väki, representing magic, and Lykky, tied to luck. These elements affect how the character interacts with the environment and supernatural events.
Exploration reveals hidden locations and clues about the grandfather's fate. Actions taken in the world create a symbiosis with nature, where player choices influence creature behaviors and the surrounding landscape. Combat and evasion occur against both ordinary animals and mythical beings inspired by the Kalevala. The first-person perspective emphasizes careful navigation through dense woods and ancient sites.
Progression ties into uncovering family history and ancient shamanistic practices. Players adapt their strategies as they learn more about the animistic forces at play, combining practical survival skills with the management of magical and fortunate elements.
Game Modes
The game operates as a single-player experience focused on story progression and open-ended survival. There are no separate competitive or cooperative modes confirmed at this stage. Instead, the structure combines directed narrative segments with free-form exploration and crafting in the forest setting. A demo version allows players to sample these systems before the full release.
Development updates have highlighted features like portals and dungeons as part of the world design, integrated into the main survival and discovery loop rather than as distinct modes. The emphasis remains on a cohesive journey through the Finnish wilderness and its mythological elements.
Story and Setting
The narrative follows Anna as she traces her grandfather's steps through an abandoned cabin and into deeper forest territories. Long-lost memories of past summers surface alongside revelations about Nordic mythology and ancestral secrets. The environment itself acts as a character, with harsh conditions and living natural forces shaping the path forward.
Creatures and phenomena draw directly from Kalevala traditions, presenting players with encounters that blend folklore and survival challenges. This setting distinguishes the game by grounding its mechanics in specific cultural mythology rather than generic fantasy tropes.
Development and Current State
Among the Trolls is scheduled for Early Access release in 2026 on PC. A playable demo is currently available, providing insight into crafting, resource systems, and initial story beats. Developer Avantgarden has shared updates on mechanics such as crafting refinements and environmental interactions based on community feedback from the demo.
The project has undergone changes in development direction over time, with the current team focusing on core survival and mythology integration. System requirements indicate support for mid-range hardware, with recommendations for stronger setups to handle larger exploration areas.
Is It Worth Playing?
Players drawn to first-person survival games with strong narrative ties and unique cultural themes may find value in the demo to test the resource and magic systems. The combination of wilderness management and mythological encounters offers a distinct alternative to more common survival titles. Those interested in the story of family mystery and Finnish folklore will appreciate the focused single-player structure.
With Early Access planned for 2026, the game remains in active development, and the demo serves as the primary way to evaluate its current form. Individuals who enjoy adapting to environmental pressures while uncovering lore through exploration stand to gain the most from the experience once it advances further.