Tossing the player into Viking lore, Viking: Battle for Asgard rips its numerous concepts from various popular titles and with uneven success. Sharing its open world style with Fable, the gratuitously violent combat with God of War, and massive battles of Dynasty Warriors, Viking is enjoyable in spurts.
Split over three decent-sized islands, the game deals with an evil undead plague taking over the homeland, and it’s logically the player's problem to deal with. Levels are rigidly set up to follow a repetitive pattern of finding trapped Vikings, rescuing them, and then taking them all into an epic Lord of the Rings-style brawl to finish the stage. The concept never changes, and the flow of the game remains the same from the opening moments to the finale.
Newcomers will be overwhelmed. The game explains nothing, and gives the player a massive canvas to play with and no explanation of how it works. You’re aware that an army needs to be constructed, yet given no instruction as to how to make it all work. The entire first stage is then an elongated training level to understand the basic mechanics and learn how the next two levels will play out.
Limited power-ups are a disappointment. There is no RPG-style leveling to be had, which is a shame as it could have lessened the repetitiveness of the constant combat. Viking is unquestionably hard, and taking on more than a few foes at a time is a sure way to get you killed. Pacing yourself and setting up stealth kills is crucial when invading enemy camps.
Aside from a lack of combos, the fighting carries excellent weight and power. Seeing a foe split in half never loses its impact. The two buttons that deliver each blow make for easy play.
Roaming the land reveals small hidden treasure which, of course, you’re the only one who seems to notice. Money can be spent to add some fire, ice, or lighting powers to your sword, buy health potions, maps, throwing axes, or bombs. The sword powers can also be transferred to your allies in battles, giving them an advantage.
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