Viking: Battle for Asgard Review

It’s all been done before…

Timed button-mashing wasn’t a novel mechanic when God of War was released on the Playstation 2, but the team at SCE’s Santa Monica studio hit the mark in terms of visceral, combo-laden combat that couldn’t get stale. Set in Greek lore, we were introduced to a mortal-turned-demi-god, and an enticing story portrayed through superb narration. Since its critically revered reception, there have been many titles that have looked to capture the same essence as the God of War franchise and capitalize on the precedent; yet, nearly none come to mind in succeeding. Creative Assembly’s Viking: Battle for Asgard, is the latest to integrate context-sensitive attacks, but mixes things up with Norse Mythology.

The Creative Assembly studio is same group which, a few years back, released another colon-infused title by the name of Spartan: Total Warrior. The cross-console game unleashed massive battles unto players, rich with bits of customizability and a strong technical prowess, as well as invoked a sense of believable action through competent AI assistance.


God of what…

You may ask yourself, “why all of the talking around Viking?” Simply put, the game feels more like an amalgamation of different gaming experiences, compiled into one repetitively-mediocre, Scandinavian bag. Essentially, Viking not only pulls from its God of War and Spartan forerunners, but it implements sneaking elements previously seen in the Mark of Kri, as well as character design pulled from the Lord of the Rings universe (both film and game).

While it would be easy to call out Viking for completely ripping off the story told of Kratos, the struggle to save Asgard, in the actual Viking mythology, is not much different than that of the Greek Mythos. Like any classical lore, there is an impending evil, and a single character is chosen to fight on the side of good. In this case, Hel and her Legion are bent on destroying Asgard (the gods’ realm) after Odin cast the goddess from Valhalla. In her path is Midgard (the mortal’s realm) and it is only Skarin who is brave enough to fight Hel’s Champion, but who is ultimately killed in the battle. Upon being chosen by Freya, the Goddess of Love and War, Skarin is granted immortality and promised a place in Valhalla if he is successful in defeating Hel and her army.

Although you’ve most likely played through this scenario many times over, Viking’s presentation is just as good as any before it and remains a competent plot. The narration adds a strong storytelling element, and coupled with great character dialects, the game is one of the best actions titles out there in terms of dialogue.




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