Nicest Viking-inspired games

Viking history is something that all of us enjoy. The gamer inside us always leaps with joy when a new Viking-themed video game is released featuring the extensive lore and history of the Scandinavian tribes.

Many may have gotten into Viking games through watching TV-shows like Vikings or “The Last Kingdom”, but the pioneering nature of some of the games I’m about to list here cannot be ignored.

In most cases, people expect Viking-themed games to be nothing but hack and slash, and the majority of them are, but there are more than enough players who prefer games related to storytelling and games of chance, that have that extra Scandinavian flare. Let’s look at some of the nicest designed and executed Viking-inspired games available to us all.

Skyrim

When thinking about a game based on Vikings, Skyrim is the first thing that comes to mind. Although it is not situated in the real world of Earth, it is still able to convey the nature and culture of ancient Scandinavians.

Skyrim has been named as “Game of the Year” multiple times and is still one of the most played games on Steam, despite the fact that it was first released in 2011. The rich lore that Bethesda managed to create for the game’s Vikings, also known as the Nords is something people get immersed in and have a very hard time looking away from.

The incorporation of magic, different races, play styles and hours upon hours of content, puts Skyrim on the top of our list of Viking-themed games.

However, despite all of the action and the story, the most eye-catching Viking-themed place in all of Skyrim is the mission to go to Sovngarde. The developers and writers at Bethesda took Sovngarde right out of the Scandinavian lore books. Sovngarde, in the real world, was referred to as Valhalla, where only the bravest and most capable warriors could enter.

Skryim went ahead and let us go to that mighty hall to eat and drink with the heroes of Skyrim.

It’s safe to say that, it was one of the most Vikingy experiences I had with the game.

Viking Runecraft

Viking Runecraft is not a video game that many could be expecting, but the design and adaptation of the Scandinavian culture in a slots game are remarkable. Although it can be frowned upon by many that it takes advantage of the users’ interest in Viking history to make them gamble, it still deserved the title of “Best Viking Slot” by the Norwegian website NorskeCasino, which specializes in these types of games.

The game revolves around spinning a 7×7 grid and hoping that the same symbols appear in a line. The symbols mostly range between ancient Viking runes, hammers, necklaces and various tattoos that actual Vikings were discovered to have.

Overall, the game tries to adopt the Viking culture onto a game, which provides the sensation of chance as well as knowledge of what different artefacts looked like in ancient Scandinavia.

God of War

God of War has already been named “Game of the Year” in 2018 and is a more story-driven, but still hack and slash oriented game that takes place in ancient Scandinavia or the way the Norse called it, Midgard.

Kratos, who is a Greek demi-god turned god, turned god killer, found his way North somehow after the previous game ended with him bleeding out atop mount Olympus with a wound he inflicted himself.

Although there is plenty of action in the game, it takes a more serious approach, displaying Kratos as a caring father trying to take care of his son, rather than a ruthless murderer we’re more used to seeing him as.

But the Viking-culture in this game is on a whole different level. The amount of Norse mythology being exposed here is unimaginable. Things such as the world serpent, Yggdrassil, the Vanir, Dwarves and the Dark Elves are all parts of the rich Scandinavian mythology and the continuation of Viking culture.

Although we don’t meet real Vikings in the game, we get to see famous figures such as Freya and Mimir. Those who’ve read anything about Norse mythology will know about them.

Overall, God of War was a masterpiece that took us through the adventures of a Viking’s perception of their world teeming with myths.

For Honor

For Honor tries to display the Vikings in as much detail as possible. Although most of the tactics and fighting manners are relatively unrealistic, the look and feel of the characters though scream middle ages Vikings.

The game is a sandbox, skill-based fighting game where three factions are pinned against each other. Popular historical warriors, such as the European Knights, Japanese Samurai and the Norse Vikings battle it out with each other on a number of custom maps, with a goal to capture objectives and get enough points.

The game is not Viking-centric, but it does tell us how the original Vikings may have looked like in the past, even if there are some inaccuracies here and there. In fact, some experts have said that the main characters look nothing like real Vikings, but the cannon fodder minions do.

In the single-player campaign, we get to look at their tribalistic ways of living and fighting for survival, which gives us a perspective of Viking culture never seen before. Although the campaign wasn’t the main focus of the game, and neither was it any good for entertainment’s sake. It was still very nicely designed with believable locations.

What makes a good Viking game?

The essence of a good Viking-themed game is not the gameplay, nor is it the execution. It is about the visuals and how well a group of developers and designers are able to showcase it on a screen.

The more in-depth a game, the harder it is to portray it as realistically as possible, therefore some fantasy aspects are required.

But as long as a game makes you see and believe that a character is a Viking, then it’s a good Viking-themed game in my books.

Full article available here: https://norskecasino.casino/nyheter/de-beste-viking-inspirerte-spillene/