There's One Game Don't Nod Narrative Designer Nina Freeman Won't Ever Uninstall From Her PC, Because It's Banned on Steam

When it comes to the games that Nina Freeman—a narrative designer at Don't Nod and indie developer—will never uninstall from her PC, there's one that stands out. It's a game that's actually banned on Steam, and she calls it "tragic, because everyone should play this game." That title is Rodent's Revenge, a relic from the early days of PC gaming.

Freeman's first experience with PC gaming dates back to Microsoft Entertainment Pack 2, which was released in 1991. The pack included a variety of mini-games, and Rodent's Revenge was one of them. It was a puzzle game where a mouse had to push blocks around to trap cats. "I didn't have a computer until I was 10, so I think I played this on my friend's computer, or at school or the library," says Freeman. "I don't remember how it works, but I remember playing it … it was sort of like a puzzle horror game, if you will."

A Career in Narrative Design and Indie Gaming

Freeman has built a reputation in the games industry for her work on autobiographical titles like Cibele and Last Call, which explore themes like relationships and sexuality. She has also worked on narrative-driven first-person adventures like Tacoma and Open Roads, and was a writer and principal narrative designer on Lost Records: Bloom & Rage. Currently, she's working on an unannounced project with Don't Nod and a horror game called Size Zero with her husband and fellow game designer Jake Jeffries.

"I'm working on a few projects right now," Freeman says. "Progress is slow as a snail, but technically I have that on the back burner."

The Games on Her PC and Steam Deck

Freeman took a break from narrative design to guide us through the branching pathways of her PC and Steam Deck. Her current game of choice is Angeline Era, which was a grand prize finalist at the IGF this year. "The devs are friends of mine from way back," she says. "We started in the industry around the same time and knew each other when I lived in New York City. Melos and Marina are amazing and I've actually worked with both of them."

She praises the narrative depth of their games, noting that they don't spoon-feed the story. "You have to work for it in a way that's satisfying," she says. "They're good at telling stories that are subtle and end up feeling profound and human, while often being in a fantasy setting."

Freeman also highlights Scarlet Hollow, a visual novel by Black Tabby Games, which is still installed on her Steam Deck. "It's a masterpiece," she says. "As a narrative designer, it's the kind of game that I feel very nerdy about because it definitely has the most complex branching structure I've maybe ever played in a game."

The Oldest Game on Her PC

When asked about the oldest game currently installed on her PC, Freeman surprised us with Rollercoaster Tycoon Deluxe, which was released in 1999. "I'm actually glad it's this game," she says. "I did play a lot of Rollercoaster Tycoon as a kid, and I think that's probably why I picked it up as an adult in a sale or something, because I was feeling nostalgic."

She recalls building never-ending rollercoasters as a child, a habit she says is similar to playing The Sims. "I remember doing that and just being very amused as a kid," she says. "Similar to how I would play The Sims, and you would make a pool and delete the staircase to leave."

Freeman also mentions that her first game on Steam was Magicka, which she played as a freshman in college. "That was the first time in my life I ever discovered what an indie game was," she says. "I remember playing Flower and Magicka and a couple of other games."

She has always had a love for co-op games, whether local or remote. "I've definitely, my whole career, had a love for local or remote co-op games."