We reported on the release of Sons of Valhalla back in March and now we’ve had a chance to play the game to give our thoughts on this action strategy game that is out now on Steam. From developer Pixel Chest and publisher Hooded Horse, this game plays out at the time when Vikings invaded England. It was originally a Kickstarter but has now been fully released and ready for battle.
You control Thorald Olavson, a leader whose village was ransacked and his beloved Raija has been kidnapped. As he sets out to reclaim her, his ship sinks and he ends up in Valhalla but is resurrected by Oden who wants him to succeed in his quest. From there you cannot die until you complete your mission and every death will result in a resurrection but at the cost of one of your sacred runes.
Sons of Valhalla is a blend of real-time strategy and action that involves troop recruitment, resource management, city building and the all-important action. The story mode is broken down into several chapters, each pitting you against a formidable Lord of the land who also acts as the final battle in the level. These final battles are just a small part of the overall game, however.
You start each level with limited resources and must build up your fishermen for food, lumberjacks for wood and barracks for troops. You also have some basic defences that allow you the time to build up before conquering the next village in the level. Once you make your way across the entire level, you will attack the Lord’s castle before moving on to the next stage.
As with any good real-time strategy title, you can upgrade your troop’s equipment to give them better defence and attack as well as special moves such as fire arrows or healing powers. If you find yourself being defeated you will need to sit back, resupply and continue building to toughen up before trying again to attack the next portion. It’s all wonderfully balanced and you never feel as though you are truly stumped as you can go back and upgrade other buildings or troops.
Once you build a force and have your supply lines working, you can spend time building up Thorald who acts as your general as well as the main focus of the story. He also acts as a hero troop himself and you lead your troops into battle and can attack, shoot arrows and perform tasks as you go. Every so often, you will find a magic rune that grants extra powers, bolsters your defences or grants buffs to your troops. You must choose wisely though, as Thorland can only hold as many runes as his belt allows.
The gameplay is finely balanced and the switch between city building, troop management and resource foraging is blended wonderfully against the intense battles and action that enables you to continue conquering. This excellent gameplay balance is commendable and Sons of Valhalla feels like a quality title at every turn. The entire game is then mixed up at the end of the level boss stage which is just you against a powerful Lord and you will have to use all your cunning to defeat them.
During the levels, you can choose to go full strategic, using siege weapons and shamans, or just build a giant army of archers and swordsmen to storm your way through the land. You can also simply take your time and build the resources to upgrade every inch of your troop complement then take a crack force of elite units to the frontlines. If you do sit back too much though, the enemy will keep building and will constantly attack your outer defences. Everything has been thought of, the gameplay is simply brilliant.
The presentation is also wonderful featuring rich pixel art that gleams from the screen. Some of the animation is excellent and the tones used to portray an ancient England is spot on. Each troop unit looks different and new enemies appear with each passing level to keep the battles fresh. The backgrounds have details to pick out and the fire effects of burning buildings look amazing. There is also some delightful medieval music that plays along in the background and ramps up when battle commences.
Sons of Valhalla is a quality game that will be liked by both strategy buffs and action fans who want a little more depth to proceedings. It’s also very challenging, the bosses pose a real threat and will take some trial and error to defeat. This is a truly remarkable blend of genres that balances action and strategy in a new way but never falters in either. The excitement is just as bold as the intrigue and the story is compelling enough to make you want to see it through to the end. One of the best games this year.
