New 'Witcher Meets Bloodborne' Horror RPG Officially Announced

Nordic horror may be one of the most underrepresented genres in gaming, and while hit franchises such as Alan Wake and Hellblade have brought elements of its eerie atmosphere to wider audiences, Scandinavian, Finnish, Icelandic, and Faroese folklore is ripe for video game adaptation. These myths include haunted forests and ancient spirits, creatures hiding at the edges of civilization, etc., and its darkest legends feel tailor-made for RPGs.

Luckily, there’s a new horror experience built around supernatural and mythical investigations inspired by Nordic folk legends set in an alternate 19th century style fairy tale, evoking The Witcher‘s folklore-inspired creatures and Bloodborne‘s Gothic atmosphere. The mysteries unfold through players’ choices and a shared story, and it’s an especially unsettling flavor of horror that’s getting a fresh chapter just in time for Halloween.

Legendary game developer Free League has officially announced a new RPG experience titled Death of Songs, arriving in 2027 with a digital download available to claim now.

First released in 2020, Vaesen is an award-winning tabletop RPG from Free League Publishing that combines Gothic horror with the supernatural creatures and legends of Nordic folklore. Based on the work of Swedish illustrator Johan Egerkrans, the game takes place in a mythical version of 19th-century northern Europe, where industrialization and modern civilization are slowly replacing ancient traditions.

Players assume the roles of supernatural investigators capable of seeing mysterious beings known as vaesen, which remain invisible to most ordinary people. As members of a secret organization called the Society, players investigate terrifying mysteries, encounter creatures from regional folklore, and make decisions that can have lasting consequences. The gameplay uses a modified version of the Year Zero Engine, which focuses on investigation, storytelling, and survival as opposed to action-heavy combat.

Now, Free League is expanding the RPG with Death of Songs, a new campaign that takes the supernatural investigations much further and explores the Society’s own mysterious history.

Beginning in the Swedish city of Upsala, the campaign sends investigators across northern Europe as they uncover a sprawling conspiracy connected to the Society’s past. According to the official announcement, the choices players make throughout the campaign could ultimately determine the future of both humanity and the vaesen themselves.

Written by Nils Hintze, who served as lead writer on the original Vaesen core rulebook, Death of Songs continues the storyline from the game’s introductory adventure, The Dance of Dreams. The upcoming expansion also features artwork from Johan Egerkrans and Anton Vitus, along with several substantial additions to the original experience.

Free League highlights three major features included in Death of Songs:

• Four New Mysteries: Journey from Upsala across northern Europe to uncover a conspiracy rooted in the Society’s past.
• A Continuing Story: Continue the story introduced in The Dance of Dreams, written by Vaesen core rulebook lead writer Nils Hintze.
• Expanded Campaign Play in Upsala: Explore an extensive chapter dedicated to campaign play in the Society’s home city.

Perhaps the biggest draw for existing players is the opportunity to revisit mysteries introduced in the original adventure while uncovering more of the Society’s secrets. It also promises a much larger interconnected narrative, with players’ decisions potentially influencing the fate of the supernatural world.

Death of Songs is available to pre-order now through Free League Publishing’s official website, with the physical expansion scheduled for release in the first quarter of 2027. Those who pre-order will receive immediate access to a digital PDF copy, allowing them to begin exploring the new campaign well ahead of its physical release next year.