Viking: Battle for Asgard

"Is Viking worthy of Valhalla?"

Viking is a free roaming hack n' slash about a viking named Skarin. The basic story is that the main character Skarin falls in battle, and is brought back to life by Freya, a goddess, who then makes Skarin her personal champion to reclaim Asgard from Legion forces. Another goddess named Hel leads the legion forces who have captured most of Asgard and is Skarin's job to liberate it.

Story-5/10
The problem about the story is, that's really about it. Pretty basic with only a few cinematics. The basic principle is liberate this island, okay now this one, and now this one. There is more to it (slightly) but I don't want to mention any major spoilers.

Sound-6/10
The sound is great at first, but after a while you've heard everything. It seems like there's only 2 maybe 3 songs that play at most, but it blends into the background. The sound effects are great especially with the gory executions you can perform...however their are only around 10 executions total so they get repetitive.

Graphics-9/10
Now when I say the graphics deserve a 9, I don't mean all the graphics, don't worry I'll explain later. The graphics for the most part are about an 8, the land is colorful, the armor and weapons are detailed (even Skarin's lock of hair swirls around beautifully). Now the reason I give the graphics a 9 are because of the massive battles that take place! Throughout the course of the game their will be battles with, I'd say at least one hundred AI on the screen at once! The best part is that I never once experienced a slowdown! The game ran smoothly, the characters were all rendered neatly, and the animations (which I'll go into more detail later) are very gory, seriously which you expect a game about Vikings not to be extremely gory?

Controls-7/10
For the most part the controls are pretty solid, but their definitely were times that made me drop it down from a 9 to a 7. The biggest and most noticeable problem is the camera. It's controlled with the right thumb stick, but for some people it's just too sensitive, and can get annoying when you can't see the enemies stabbing you in the back. Another problem (which I guess could be under gameplay too) is that finishers (which are executed by pushing X when shown above the enemies head) can sometimes be deadly for you as well as the legion. If you're near a cliff looking over the ocean and you attempt a finisher, you very well might fall over the edge yourself...and no Skarin cannot swim! Other then that the controls are pretty basic using A for a normal attack, X for a strong attack, and the right bumper to open your runes, and left trigger for items. The last bit of controls I feel worth mentioning is that when you run towards a really low fence, unlike most games where you either can't go over it, or have to manually jump over it, Skarin automatically leaps it without any extra effort on your part.

Gameplay-7/10
Viking is a hack n' slash meaning it's combat is usually only pressing one button. However Viking has other moves Skarin can eventually learn from a soldier in Valhalla. Skarin can also get health upgrades, treasure maps, and meals (which temporarily give Skarin 50% more health). Skarin can also buy and upgrade 3 different runes, fire, ice, and electricity, which he may use after saving up energy which is dropped from slaying enemies (and gets even more when a finisher is used). You can also buy throwing axes and health potions, and eventually flame pots (like a mid-evil molotov) also which make gameplay a bit funner. Viking isn't all about ripping legion arms and heads off though, stealth also plays it's part. When Skarin senses an enemy near by he automatically ducks down and enters stealth mode, which he can silently take enemies out without alerting other enemies. The main thing you do in Viking is run around freely, killing legion, liberating other viking tribes to assist you in major battles, and other quests you recieve (such as summoning dragons or liberating farms and quarries).The problem with Viking is that the combat gets repetitive, and the bigger batlles can seem tedious sometimes, not to mention that everything begins to feel the same somewhat early on in the game. This tediousness however makes the game seem longer, but really the game isn't quite as long as most games today. I'd say it took me around 12 hours due to getting stuck at certain points in the game where the map was a little misleading.

Overall-7/10
The game is definately worth a rent, but it would be very hard for me to suggest to anyone to buy it. Visually it's pleasent, the controls for the most part are simple, but the game is a bit short and combat is repetitive...but I must say when I played the first major battle I was so amazed and that feeling alone makes it worth playing, so if you want a game to burn up a weekend, or casually play for a week, then Viking is definately a great pick! I just don't think that shelling out $60 is worth it.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 04/28/08

Game Release: Viking: Battle for Asgard (US, 03/25/08)