For Vikings, Valhalla is the place to be where they can enjoy their riches and fame that they’ve gathered along the way by killing a large number of enemies. The only way in is, of course, being killed during a battle, so you’ll want to make the most of your time alive before you “buy your way in”. Of course, some people will still have to prove themselves even in the afterlife and that’s where your story as a Valkyrie begins…
The setting of the game is quite simple. In a land domesticated by Vikings, an overflowing portal of monsters has been opened. Chaos spreads over the land and it’s your job as a Valkyrie to save the world. Of course, before you can even join the ranks, you’ll have to prove your worth by gaining experience as a Valkyrie. Only by killing monsters, you’ll be able to hone your skills that’ll help you to set yourself apart from all the others and eventually be noticed by the big chief. From that moment, there’s no way back and you’ll have to give it your all to save the land from those treacherous monsters.
“Chaos spreads over the land and it’s your job as a Valkyrie to save the world.”
The game offers you a couple of interesting game modes: a normal and hardcore mode. The normal mode is a larger world that’s a lot more forgiving than the hardcore mode because “Death is not permanent”. However, within the hardcore mode, death is permanent, and a couple of potions will also have disadvantages besides the advantages. Also, as you play the game, you’re Valkyrie will level up and gain skills. The moment your Valkyrie vanishes, her skills will be gone too. There’s also a “Death match” mode that’ll let you play a match where you take up arms against your local friends. Not only are you able to fight against your friends, you’re also able to team up with another player and play the arcade mode together.
Like the setting has already set some boundaries, the game lets you play a Valkyrie. A Valkyrie is a supernatural entity that has the power to possess fallen Viking warriors. Along the way, you’re able to kill enemies in this spirit form but you also have the ability to go towards a tombstone and possess the buried warrior. These warriors have their own weapons and skills to use. Your Valkyrie can use the Vikings in her advantage, but the Valkyrie can also choose to drop out the body whenever she wants and possess another Viking warrior to gain access to his or her set of skills and weapons. Even if the Viking Warrior dies, the Valkyrie is still able to roam to another Viking. As a player, this feature gives you some tactical choices and helps you to gain the upper hand in difficult situations. The player does have to keep in mind, that each Viking the Valkyrie possess, always has to start off with the basic summoned stats. These stats can be upgraded during your play through. These upgrades can affect the Warrior’s stamina or power.
There are 7 different warrior classes and all of them are generated during the level. The game will also constantly mix up the gender and appearances, so you won’t have to play the same skinned Viking repeatedly, which is a nice touch. You also will get some help along the way thanks to some followers. This can be very handy when you’re having the single-player experience. Each follower will have its own effect on your battles. Eventually, your goal is to fight your way through all these waves of enemies during the level and defeat the end boss.
Most of the time, each level will bring up a new “mechanic” that you’ll have to keep an eye on. These mechanics are introduced by short scenes that are often funny and can really help the player to immerse him-/herself into this world full of rampaging Vikings. These scenes also help with unfolding the story’s plot.
“You can make a “build” that fits your own playstyle.”
This 2D side-scrolling brawler has different progression systems that makes the game a lot more interesting. At first, your possessed warriors gain experience by killing enemies and survival. With each level gained, the Viking gains more stamina and health. These two attributes are very important if you’re in it for the long haul. These attributes make your vessel stronger and thus a lot more effective in battle. Health is of course the symbol for the amount of hit points your Viking can take and stamina helps your character to dodge more. Your Valkyrie can also level up by gaining Glory. Glory points can be gained by playing through the level and reaching the end of the level. If you’ve gathered enough Glory points, your Valkyrie will level up and influence all the bodies you’ll possess in the future. With each level you gain as a Valkyrie, you’ll be asked to choose between different cards (kind of modifiers) that’ll shape the battle ahead. Every level also gives you some stat boosts. These stats will be upgraded with the help of a stat boot grid. These progression systems make the game a lot more enjoyable as you can make a “build” that fits your own playstyle.
During your playthrough, you’ll also find some interesting items that will unlock certain clans. These clans give the player unique abilities and/or bonuses. This also will help to make the perfect build that’ll fit your own playstyle. Try different clans out and join the clan that fits you the most. There’s a great number of clans to choose from.
“The developers did a great job in creating this Viking world that’s challenging enough to play and yet easy to pick up.”
Let’s talk a bit about the graphics. The graphics are okay and decent enough to keep your interest high enough to keep playing. It’s a 2D styled side-scrolling hack and slash that offers a lot of different animations. Music is also okay, but it can become a bit repetitive. However, I must say that the sound effects of this hack-and-slash game fit the game perfectly. Overall, the developers did a great job in creating this unique Viking world that runs fluently on our machines, just don’t expect anything mind-blowing.
Conclusion:
The game is a great indie game that’ll keep your interest for a couple of hours. It’s an easy brawler that you can pick up and play solo or with “local” friends. Hopefully, they’ll add an online component soon, so you can team up with other Valkyries around the world. This game is just made for cooperation. The game has different Vikings with their own set of skills and weapons but none of them take away the enjoyment of learning. The game has no steep learning curve, so this will make the game accessible for a lot of casual gamers that are just looking for something to pass some time with friends. The developers did a great job in creating this Viking world that’s challenging enough to play and yet easy to pick up.
