‘War of the Vikings’ brings ruthless medieval warfare to life
By SHAYNE MCKAY | GamerHub.TV (MCT)
War of the Vikings
Publisher: Paradox Interactive
Platform: Microsoft Windows
Genre: Action
ESRB Rating: M, for Mature
Gritty. Raw. Violent. Chaotic. These are just a few words to describe medieval combat, and now developer Fatshark looks to bring the gory face-to-face fighting of the Middle Ages to life on PC with its latest title ‘War of the Vikings’. Much like its previous title ‘War of the Roses,’ ‘War of the Vikings’ drops you right in the center of the brutal conflict between the Vikings and the Saxons as you seek to conquer it as a Norseman or defend it to the bitter end as a Saxon.
What separates this latest installment from its predecessor is the intuitive combat system that looks to make fighting more dynamic and bring a more realistic approach to the gameplay. When attacking, you move the mouse either left, right or above to choose which side you swing from, thus adding a layer of depth that could have you hitting an opponent around their shield or making an attack from above they’re not expecting. This allows for more strategy in combat as you will have to know where to place your block, or when is the exact moment to parry to avoid death and hope to gain the upper hand on your opponent, as well as trying to diminish or completely eliminate the use of button mashing.
Currently the game is in its Alpha release and has three character types available: the Thane, who is a medium class fighter armed with a sword and shield and is an all-around warrior; the Huscarl, who wields a two-handed ax and is heavily armored for high-damage attacks; and lastly, the light classed Hirdman, who uses a bow for distance attacks as well as a light ax for when things get too close for comfort. Each is well balanced and fit for various environments as well as having a special attack for each weapon to create more diversity. Along with this, customization options are available to change the look of helmets, shields and armor to give each player a unique character that fits his or her desires.
There are two maps available to play that are both arena-type settings, with one being at night in a swamp-like area and the other taking place on monastery grounds, with plans for more in the future. The game also looks to support 64 players on a single map with two game modes: arena, where you have a single life, and team death match, where you can respawn.
‘War of the Vikings’ is currently available on Steam’s Early Access for $19.99, or 10 percent off if you already own ‘War of the Roses’ or ‘Mount & Blade.’ Think you can handle the raw carnage of realistic Viking warfare? Don your helmet, ax and shield and prepare to find out.
