A co-op survival game where trolls aren't just there to be killed? 'We don't talk about them as enemies, but rather as neighbors'

A deep forest of towering trees can be an intimidating place, especially if you're only three inches tall. In co-op PvE survival game Trollheim: Gnomes, you're a wee little Sprýg Gnome looking for a new place to call home after Oden has driven you from Midgård.

That home is a dense, dark forest, and you're not the only one seeking refuge there. In addition to foraging, exploring, building your home, and dealing with survival systems like cold and hunger, your gnome will have to contend with other residents of the forest, which the Trollheim devs call väsen.

Väsen can be faeries, sirens, and you guessed it, trolls. But unlike the trolls in another 'heim I could name, Trollheim's trolls aren't just there to ruin your day with a well-swung tree trunk or to be defeated for their resource drops.

"When we talk about our NPCs, we don't talk about them as enemies, but rather as neighbors," said Jojje Dalunde, game …