Heart of the Forest brings psychological FMV horror to the Black Forest, out now on iOS and Android
Hike gone wrong
- Four students' internal traumas become weapons for a vengeful forest entity
- The narrative shifts between multiple character perspectives
- Inspired by authentic German folklore
FMVs have always been a funny little corner of mobile. They pop up, disappear, and then come back whenever someone figures out a new way to make interactive storytelling feel closer to a film than a traditional adventure. Wales Interactive has been one of the names keeping that format alive, and now it’s teaming up with debut studio Trapped Predator for Heart of the Forest, which is out now on iOS and Android.
If you remember the wave of interactive films flooding streaming platforms before quietly dying out, you’ll probably know what this one is going for. Heart of the Forest, like most FMVs, is a psychological horror thriller, following a group of students on a routine hiking trip through Germany’s Black Forest. At least that’s what it should have been.
Naturally, things go sideways once a vengeful spirit enters the picture. Now, every decision you make starts pushing the story towards something much darker. You will be guiding multiple characters as perspectives shift between them, which means you’re never quite settled in one viewpoint for long.
Choices shape relationships, determine who holds it together when things spiral, and decide who actually makes it out of the woods. And honestly, Iwan probably said it best before – nothing good ever seems to happen in forests in horror stories, and this one clearly knows it.
Being an FMV means presentation needs to do a lot of the heavy lifting. The performances and atmosphere aim to make you feel uneasy, rather than going for the same old over-the-top jump scares and spooky voices. I find this much scarier and more entertaining than plain horror.
Heart of the Forest is free to try, with the full story unlocking for $4.99 or your local equivalent.
And if interactive stories are your thing, you can always check out our picks for the top narrative adventure games on mobile.
