Swiss Review / February 2022 / No.1 21 Images RAINER SIGL Fair-weather visitors to the Alps know little about the darker side of Europe’s most important mountain range. Manywho live highup on the pastures could, on the other hand, tell you stories that would freeze your blood – countless myths and legends that often reveal a sinister wilderness above the treeline. These grim tales are precisely what inspired the 39-year-old Lucerne-based artist and game developer Michel Ziegler to devote six and a half years to creating “Mundaun” – a video game that was released in spring 2021 andwent on to scoop “Best Swiss Game of the Year” at the Swiss Game Awards in November. “Mundaun” is a first-person horror adventure seen through the eyes of themain character, who is on the trail of a hidden secret in a secluded spot of the Swiss Alps. Following the mysterious death of his grandfather in a fire, the protagonist returns to the place where he spent his childhood, high above a cloud-covered valley under the gaze of twin mountain peaks. His grandfather’s hut, nestled amid freshlymown pastures, is the starting point of an adventure that quickly transitions from rustic idyll into surreal, scary andmythical mountain environment. A world in sepia The game has a unique atmosphere on account of its completely hand-drawn graphics. Ziegler has transported every texture, every scenic element, and every character from pencil into a three-dimensional world. This gives the game a distinctive sepia-toned feel that harks back to old photographs and black-and-white films. Ziegler says he took inspiration from the rawness of nature, from old myths and tales, from photo albums and archives documenting Alpine life inGrisons, and, not least, fromthe old stables and houses of Platenga, a tiny hamlet in the Surselva region, where he spent his childhood holidays. Many locations – the little chapel, for example – have been taken directly from real life, he adds. The voice acting is also completely in Romansh, translated into subtitles. This, the graphics and an oppressive atmosphere underscored by the game’s excellent music “GAMES” Exhibition at the Forum of Swiss History in Schwyz Most of us will have heard of Fortnite, Mario Bros. and Minecraft. Little wonder, given that 2.5 billion people play video games worldwide. The “Games” exhibition takes visitors on a journey through the 50-year history of electronic games. It traces the historical and technical development of video games and also explores aspects that are perceived as a concern. In addition, dedicated pods allow visitors to try out the games for themselves. Open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed on Mondays. www.forumschwyz.ch/games Handcrafted Swiss horror A pencil-drawn horror tale set high in the Alps, marrying folklore and surrealism – the Swiss video game developed by Michel Ziegler is a remarkable work of art.
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