The late 2000s saw a lot of open world games but Battle for Asgard does its own spin on the genre. Liberating each island involves a cycle of sneaking, sabotaging and then launching a massive siege against Hel’s Legion garrisons.
Creative Assembly’s latest console hack and slash adventure has finally landed on PC. But it’s not quite what you expect.
Throwing Axes
After their 2005 success with Spartan, Creative Assembly decided to apply their Total War technology into a game that wasn’t a real-time strategy. Enter Viking: Battle for Asgard, a hack and slash that has you play as Skarin, a Viking warrior recruited to fight an invasion of the Norse gods’ home world, Midgard. It’s a pretty standard affair, you scour the huge map of Midgard, rescuing imprisoned Viking brethren whilst building up an army big enough to invade Hel and her demon minions.
Combat is pretty basic, you have a light attack, heavy attack and a block button to use, along with the ability to enter a rage mode that allows you to do even more damage. The only other variation to combat comes from a series of magic abilities that allow you to add fire, lightning and ice buffs to your attacks. Unfortunately though these are rare and don’t really add much to the formula, it’s basically just mashing the attack buttons all the time.
You start out with just your sword and battle axe but as you progress through the game you can unlock a whole bunch of new combo moves at the ‘Arenas’. These allow you to do things like instantly stealth kill enemies by creeping up behind them and hitting the appropriate button, which is nice for breaking the monotony of combat.
One of the things that stands out the most about Viking is its stunningly moody atmosphere, the bleak world and lack of music really makes you feel for the characters you’re fighting. The only thing that spoils this is the occasional clunky frame rate dip or hiccup, especially during large battles when there are hundreds of enemies onscreen.
Viking is a fun if shallow hack and slash. The story is non-existent and the fetch quests can get tedious but for a few hours of mindless slaughter it’s an enjoyable experience. And who doesn’t love the idea of throwing a giant axe at an enemy? It’s a game that can be played with friends over beer and snacks, perfect for a night in the pub.
Weapons
Axes fly, blood splatters and bodies scatter across the ground in Viking: Battle for Asgard. It is a video game made by the British studio The Creative Assembly, best known for their turn-based strategy games like Spartan: Total War. While this Viking game carries on the legacy of its predecessor, it does not have nearly as much tactical depth or military and historical realism. Instead, it plays like a gory version of a Hollywood action movie.
Players can choose between a variety of weapons to use during battles. The most useful of these are the throwing axes. These have high damage and a wide range of attack arcs, making them ideal for one-hit kills on enemies and mobs. They can be thrown at enemies or objects, and they also sometimes stick to surfaces and enemy soldiers, which allows the player to pick them up and throw them again.
The game also has fire pots, which function similarly to throwing axes but are much more powerful and can deal damage over a wider area. These can be used to resupply the axes’ ammunition. They can be thrown at enemies or even enemy axes, but the player must carefully consider the target’s position before throwing to ensure that they can avoid being hit by their own weapon. The player can also equip a health potion to restore a small amount of health, which is particularly useful for long battles.
The player can also use action commands to perform certain attacks, such as kicking a Legion assassin in the head or knocking an enemy out by hitting them with an axe. There are also a number of achievements that can be earned, such as killing Hel’s army and defeating the game’s final boss. These can be difficult to obtain, but are worth the effort. If a player does not want to spend time completing the game’s quests, they can always try the quick playthrough on normal difficulty. This will take around 8-12 hours. However, the player can choose to increase or decrease the game’s difficulty to suit their tastes.
Ammo
A fierce struggle is taking place within Asgard – the realm of the Norse gods. It has escalated, spilling into the mortal world of Midgard. Now, a Champion must be found – a warrior who can sway this war that threatens the fate of Asgard and of all mankind. The Goddess Hel, daughter of Loki – the Norse God of mischief – has seized control of her own realm, launching an invasion with her army of resurrected Viking warriors. It is up to you to liberate settlements and free prisoners, dispatching her minions along the way and preventing Hel from unleashing the ancient wolf-god Fenrir, bringing about Ragnarok and the end of the gods.
As you liberate the various villages and cities you will unlock more and more of the prisoners to aid you in your quest. They can be armed with the throwing axes, making it even easier to take out the guards. There are several tricks that can be used to make this a lot easier, for example if the prisoner is near a guard you can throw the axe right at them and they will immediately pick it up and fight their guards, leaving you more time to free them. Another trick is to use the flame pots when liberating a village, as they will distract the guards but do not sound an alarm.
There is a massive amount of content to do in the game, from simple missions like freeing prisoners and destroying enemy bases to epic battles where you can command hordes of Viking warriors and unleash powerful magic powers. The game is very open, and you can freely explore the massive islands that make up Midgard. There are also some more linear levels that force you to go through certain areas in a specific order, but the majority of the levels are very open-ended and can be played through at your own pace.
The graphics are very nice and the combat is fun and varied, but it does feel a little repetitive. Viking axes are a great addition, and the story is intriguing, but it is not enough to save this game from its monotonous nature. Despite the good graphics, the gameplay feels like a half-baked console port that has been saddled with awkward keyboard controls and a capped frame rate.
Magic
A fierce struggle is taking place within Asgard, the realm of the Norse gods. It has now spilled over into the mortal world of Midgard and a Champion must be found, a Warrior than can sway this war that threatens the fate of Asgard and the gods themselves. Hel, the goddess of death and vengeance – daughter of Loki, Norse god of mischief – is on the verge of enslaving the mortal realm of Midgard and releasing the ancient wolf-god Fenrir, which legend tells will bring about Ragnarok – an apocalyptic battle that will destroy Asgard and the gods themselves.
Skarin, a Viking warrior resurrected by the goddess Freya, is the chosen Champion and her only hope of stopping Hel. He must liberate her imprisoned Viking kinsmen across three massive islands to raise her army of warriors and stop Hel. He will be able to improve his combat skills by unlocking new fighting techniques at what are known as arenas.
The gameplay in Viking is said to have more of a Dynasty Warriors feel than Spartan did and the game features a variety of attack options from light attacks through to devastating combos. Players will also be able to use blocks, shield charges and evasive maneuvers to give them an edge in the battlefield.
Another interesting aspect of the game is the use of magic. This can be used to amplify the damage of the player’s weapons or to slow down enemies. The three types of magic available are fire, ice and electricity. Ice is the most effective as it can be used to cut right past enemy shields and then shatter them for a one hit kill, while fire and electricity offer a little more range in their attack capability.
The graphics in Viking are pretty impressive for a game that has only just been released. The characters are slightly stylized and the game has a gorgeous use of color in the particle effects. The game is rendered in high definition and the animations are smooth and fluid. The sound in the game is also very good.
