There’s just something about Vikings and their heritage. I don’t know what it is, but their mythology make for good stories. And it’s time to Ragnarok the house with Trial by Viking, a side scrolling action game that borrows heavily from the Nordic traditions. There’s really no story there that I could tell when reading the pitch, but then again this is pretty much a hack-and-slash pure and simple.
In Trial by Viking you play as an unnamed pillager of the seas as he goes out to kill stuff. There’s more to it than that, and you do have to make some tough choices during parts of the game, but in the end it’s all about going on a murderous rampage cutting down mythical beasts with your greataxe. And other weapons that you might find or upgrade throughout the over hundred levels and nearly as many unique enemies to wade through.
Trial by Viking could probably be best described as a Metroidvania game and based on the video and screenshots it certainly feels like one. I’m not particularly a fan of the genre as I prefer my games a bit more cerebral, but I do love the underlying themes behind this one. Aside from the obvious Nordic tones (I’m a huge fan of pretty much any mythology known to man) you have the permanent “level ups” that you can purchase via a currency known as sunstones between levels. The best part? You can always return to previous levels to get the ones you missed.
Perhaps my favorite gameplay angle is the occasional switch up in the level designs. Examples include riding a Viking ship in pursuit of your quarry and being held aloft by the wings of a Valkyrie. And the boss battles are equally varied. If you’re a fan of side scrolling hack-and-slash games you might want to check Trial by Viking out.
Track the progress of the Trial by Viking Kickstarter in our Campaign Calendar.
