Land of the Vikings
Review
For Valhalla
by Howie Howard
reviewed on PC
Early Access really does help!
Land of the Vikings is the new Viking themed survival / colony building sim game by developer Laps Games and publisher Iceberg Interactive. The game has been in Early Access for almost a year since its initial release back in November last year. The Early Access process served its purpose with the developers receiving and then fixing thousands of bug reports and user suggestions and implementing many of them into the game. Laps Games then went ahead and brought players over 10 major updates along with improved features. A few of the new features include the addition of hero characters, new maps, game automation and the fan-favourite building editor which fans of the game can use to design and share their Viking city scenarios with others. The developers really did use their early access time wisely and they promise not to stop there and will continue to improve the game going forward after release.
A history lesson
Land of the Vikings is a game about the life and times of the seafaring people originally from Scandinavia known as Norsemen or Norse people. In modern times we have named and called them Vikings. These people from the northern lands were farmers, merchants, traders, hunters, explorers and they were especially feared for their brutal war like actions as raiders and pirates. The Vikings settled throughout Europe during the 8th to 11th centuries and they brought down a reign of terror that is still talked about today. Vikings are portrayed in various media such as literature and movies and it is a very popular computer game topic too. All of the Viking-era life and activities are depicted very well in this game.
In Land of the Viking, players take on the role of a Viking Jarl, a rank of nobility in Old Norse Scandinavia. It meant chieftain and as Jarl in game it is the players duty to rule an assigned territory and to expand said territory through trade, terror or any other way deemed necessary. Of course, there will be many roadblocks thrown in your way and some of them can be downright terrifying, even for a sturdy Viking. However, a new Jarl will need to start out by building a strong Viking city from the ground up. This is accomplished by harvesting necessary resources like trees and stone in order to be able to construct dwellings, build weapons and so on. Also hunting, farming and fishing has to be undertaken in order to insure the people do not starve.
The tree of life
There's an extensive technology tree in game called the Yggdrasil Tech Tree of Life. This is where new buildings, bonuses and technologies can be unlocked. As Jarl, you are required to use built up fame points when unlocking new technologies on the tree. Doing so will ensure that your Viking village can grow into a city that will flourish, while also bringing the blessings of Odin down on all Vikings and their Jarl. Placing the various available decorations around town can help appease the gods, increase storage, add to defence as well as other benefits. Don't forget to save up some silver and gold and add plenty of decorations, the people will love it.
As mentioned previously, the developer Laps Games have added a lot of new features during the Early Access. Some, like natural disasters, will be sure to please, but most likely they won't be all that pleasing at all. Natural occurrences like freezing temperatures and snow will be a constant threat for Vikings living in the north country. Throw in a couple of earthquakes and some volcanic bombs, if you are unlucky enough to have chosen the new volcano island scenario, and these threats will be sure to ruin any Jarl's day. Of course, there will always be the threat of an attack from next door neighbours, so choose wisely before making too many enemies in the game. Sending villagers off on diplomacy or trading missions might even prompt neighbours to lend you a helping hand in a time of need.
My, My, what smart villagers you have there...
Of course, the resource gathering and building with advancing technology method of game play has been used many times over the years. However, the majority of those titles have not focused on Vikings and that's the key here. The subject of Vikings always seems to draw interest and cause game players to flock to such titles. There needs to be something else though and Land of the Vikings may have hit on something that is very appealing. Other gather and build games like to use the lowly villager only as workers or cannon fodder. Land of the Vikings has given all of their villagers’ different personalities along with a built-in intelligence and likes and dislikes. That will make it necessary for the Jarl to choose the proper individual for each village job. A warrior might not like being assigned to a trading or diplomatic position. Choose wisely because the people gain experience, and they will be more efficient in their work as a result.
Land of the Vikings looks like it has delivered the goods when it comes to producing a city builder / gatherer sim game. There is a lot in the game, so players will have a lot to learn, but need not worry because it comes with a wonderful tutorial that can teach the basics. Even if real Vikings were generally described centuries ago as being violent terrorists, the Vikings in this game will be sure to provide a satisfying and enjoyable gaming experience. Odin, a Norse God was said to have a burning desire for knowledge and is quoted as saying “Wisdom is welcome wherever it comes from.”
Hope you learned something today and enjoy the game. We sure did!
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8.6
fun score
Pros
The Viking topic is very popular, and this game does the subject justice
Cons
The gather and build sim method of game play has been used many times before and this could put a damper on this one.
