SEGA’s Saga: Promising
But Not Great
Viking: Battle for Asgard is a simple hack-and-slash adventure that takes players through a fictional Viking world full of battle-scarred warriors, foul demons, and vengeful gods. The brutal carnage, Viking theme, and solid visuals go a long way to making the game an enjoyable experience, but the straightforward battle mechanic and repetitive story devices make the game feel monotonous after a while.
Despite the title’s overly simplistic combat and narrative, the pacing is so fast that it should keep you engaged to the bitter end. If, however, you’re looking for a deep and complex title to feed your love of Norse sagas you won’t find it here; all you’ll get is a gory demon beat-’em-up. If hacking off the limbs, heads, and midsections of wave after wave of nondescript undead warriors is your thing, Viking: Battle for Asgard may be just what the doctor ordered.
The development team at Creative Assembly obviously drew a lot of inspiration from the God of War series, as the game feels similar in a lot of ways: as you progress through Viking you will acquire power orbs, obtain new combat maneuvers, battle the goddess of the underworld, go through the occasional cutscene button sequence, and rapidly tap a button to open chests, portals, and doors. The similarities don’t stop there, however. The humorous and gratuitous use of gore during combat is also present, and it is probably the saving grace for the game. Unfortunately, Viking doesn’t execute upon the simple formula nearly as well as God of War did. That being said, it’s still a fine attempt and provides gamers with several hours of gory goodness.
The game has players take on the role of Skarin, a Viking warrior who has been given a second chance at life by assuming the mantle of champion for the Goddess Freya. Skarin is tasked with ridding the world of Midgard from the undead minions of the goddess of the underworld, Hel. This demonic army is known as Legion and has brought pain, death, and suffering to all mortals. By freeing the various towns, fortresses, and economic centers from Legion’s tyranny, Skarin becomes more powerful and renowned. The honor of fighting as Freya’s champion should guarantee him passage to Valhalla unless he forsakes the true path like the goddess’ former hero did.
That’s really all there is to the story. It is pretty inconsequential and won’t serve to motivate you through the quest, though I wouldn’t describe it as bad either. It just doesn’t accurately capture the amazing mythos and legends that surround the Viking culture. As a result, it may be a disappointment to history buffs that are truly engaged by it. However, for those that just want to kick some butt, the story will satisfy more than just your simple bloodlust. Unfortunately, the tasks and quests you take on throughout the adventure are so similar to each other that they quickly become tedious. They include objectives such as: free your Viking comrades on the beach, go clear out the Legion presence from the cave, free the brewery, clear out the quarry, etc. When you get right down to it, it all feels the same.
The simple combat mechanic is entirely unoriginal, but I guess you could say it is tried and true. It is a straightforward combo, button-masher that has the user mix speed and power attacks in order to defeat their foes. The developers rarely vary the kinds of opponents gamers will face, and subsequently you can get by with your three favorite attack combos. There is no substantial challenge in slicing through the Legion armies, but it is fun to see their arms get lopped off while they helplessly watch you spin around and decapitate them with a hand axe. That never really gets old.
There are a few modifications you can make to the sword that add elemental damage to attacks, but other than adding pretty spell effect animations, they don’t make Skarin much more powerful until he acquires the most potent runes later in the game. In other words, Skarin is a barbarian bruiser that always deals more physical damage than the enchantments on his weaponry ever could. In fact, I found only the ice power to be helpful, as it will freeze a few pesky enemies and help you wade through the swarm of baddies.
The developers do throw a couple of different things into combat to try to mix things up a bit, but they aren’t substantial enough to provide true variety. For starters, you will acquire your father’s battle horn early on, which allows you to summon your Viking armies to help you attack various strongholds. This doesn’t really change the core mechanic of battle, but it does change up the environments from an individual point-of-view to that of a pitched battle. This feature looks cool, but it takes all of the challenge out of busting through fortified areas.
At the end of the first third of the game, you will be able to summon your first dragon. By performing heroic acts during battle you will accrue points that can be spent in the summoning of wyrms. After calling forth the dragon, you can select key choke points on the battlefield that you would like your dragon to attack. The destruction that will be wrought is total, helping your forces to surmount the opposition’s fortifications. Accordingly, summoning dragons makes pitched battles even easier than they already are. Needless to say, this game should probably be played on the hard difficulty setting.
The game’s presentation is very good except for the unfortunate camera angles that overcomplicate an otherwise pleasant world. The visuals are very nice. There are no framerate issues and the environments are detailed and beautiful to look at. I really enjoyed the way sunshine breaks through the clouds after cleansing the land of the evil taint. This simple detail really does a nice job of setting the mood. Additionally, the combat animations are smooth, and the exposed bones and squirting arteries are almost worth the price of admission. As for sounds, the voiceover is well done. The gruff collection of accents from the British Isles may not be accurate, but for an ugly American like me it gets the job done nicely. Of course the sound of steel ripping through demon flesh is very satisfying. Sadly, there is an atrocious camera that plays havoc with the fun at inopportune moments. For the most part you shouldn’t have any trouble seeing what you’re doing, but if you get backed up against a wall or a tree, or cornered in a cavern you better pray your opponent is right in front of you.
There is no online or multiplayer component, so if you like to play games with friends you’ll have to trade off the controller. Thankfully, the controls are pretty tight and allow any seasoned gamer to break skulls in a matter of minutes. For Xbox 360 owners, one thing you’ll notice almost immediately is the ease with which you will accumulate achievements. You’ll be able to get almost the entire 1000 point allotment in a single day. I don’t think that’s what Microsoft had in mind, but nevertheless if you want a fun and easy game to beef up your point total, then Viking will do the trick.
All in all, this is an extremely uncomplicated title that has its fair share of fun due to the hilariously brutal combat animations. Unfortunately, there is little more than a linear quest track and a simple hack-and-slash battle mechanic. Therefore, it is quite possible that some will give up on the game after passing the first zone. However, the speed with which you’ll accomplish objectives, gain abilities, and move the story forward is fast enough that most are likely to finish the game. I’d suggest renting the title because it can be easily completed in a weekend, has no lasting value, and yet is fun enough that it’s worth the $8 fee or the time in your rental queue.
RATING OUT OF 5 RATING DESCRIPTION 4.2 Graphics
The graphics are smooth and appealing, but the camera angles can get horrendous at times. 4.3 Control
There is almost no learning curve involved, as everything feels very familiar. 3.8 Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
The music is practically non-existent, but the ambient noises, gruesome sound effects, and professional voice talent all come together well. 3.1 Play Value
You’ve probably played this game a million times already in various other incarnations. The unoriginal formula is played out, but all but the snobbiest gamers will find at least a few hours of enjoyment here. 3.6 Overall Rating – Good
Not an average. See Rating legend above for a final score breakdown.
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