Even if you can’t see Vikings anymore, you shouldn’t throw Sons of Valhalla overboard too soon. We were able to play it for a few hours and are of the opinion: There is potential in it!
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I’m like you: I read a game title like Sons of Valhalla and immediately have to be careful that my eyeballs don’t start rolling so violently that they tumble out of my skull. Because few things make me scream inside like another Viking game with a title that sounds as if it has plopped straight out of a random number generator.
Wikings are known to be the new zombies and often titles with this scenario are made up of the same words. I mean, look at this list alone:
- The Viking Way
- Odin: Valhalla Rising
- Viking City Builder
- War of the Vikings
- Viking: Battle for Asgard
- Vikings: Wolves of Midgard
- Shadow of Valhalla
- Die for Valhalla!
- Eye of Odin
And now Sons of Valhalla is added to the list. What I want to say: I understand very well if the name of this game triggers virtually no joyful excitement in you. In fact, the opposite is probably true. Because on paper, a game with a name like that now sounds even more interchangeable than a shelf full of Ikea jars.
But I’m here to tell you that your feelings are wrong! Ok, that sounds very rude. But really, take a moment and listen to me. You see, Sons of Valhalla is far more than stock. This neat little game is one of the most unusual strategy games of the year – if it is still released in 2022. But you know what I mean.
I was able to spend a few hours in the first chapter of Sons of Valhalla and had a lot of fun. I’ll tell you what I experienced here. So gather up your eyes that have rolled out of your head. You don’t want to miss this.
Table of Contents
What is Sons of Valhalla about?
Admittedly, even the story of Sons of Valhalla does not suggest that we are dealing with a special game here. For the initial situation could hardly be more classic. Like a full-bearded Super Mario, I set out in the role of Thorald Olavson in search of the love of my life. For the fair maiden has been snatched by a Viking rival named Valgard and (of course) shipped off to England.
This sends Thorald into a half-berserker rage, vowing revenge on Valgard, manning a longship and leading a group of tough guys. But they’re probably not quite that tough after all, because they all drown in a shipwreck.
Now Thorald is left with only his advisor and has to wait for reinforcements from home. But since the Saxons at home are preparing to beat the invaders back into the North Sea, Thorald begins his preparations.
And then we finally get to the special part – because Sons of Valhalla may seem like an action sidescroller, but is actually an almost classic real-time strategy game.
What makes Sons of Valhalla special?
As a stranded Viking, the very first thing Thorald does is to build up his base. Because yes, even though Sons of Valhalla relies on a 2D look and then a side perspective, it is built up here like most RTS.
I can also simply go off on my own with Thorald and compete directly with the Saxons or Valgards – but this will most likely result in a free ticket to Helheim. Where Thorald may then go head-to-head with Hel to get revived, but it’s still not a pleasant journey!
So Thorald needs reinforcements. To do this, I build individual buildings such as a fishery, a barracks, a smithy or a shooting range at predefined points. Economic buildings such as the fishery or a woodcutter generate passive resources such as wood, food or gold. Thorald uses these resources to either buy his own tonics (fish, meat, mead) or to hire new soldiers (foot fighters, shield bearers, archers). In addition, units and buildings want to be improved so that our troops in the homeland heal faster, cause more damage, take less damage or workshops pump out goods faster.
If the barracks or the longhouse are enlarged, the number of troops Thorald can maintain at the same time also increases. If there are enough, the fighters are shouted at and then follow Thorald to the left or right. This continues until the group comes across an enemy base. Here, after a successful battle, command points are conquered, which also generate resources.
If Thorald and his Vikings destroy a large camp with ramparts, I can raise a second base here and free up additional building sites. Then there might even be room for a workshop that makes catapults that can even make stone walls less formidable. As you can see, Sons of Valhalla is clearly more of a strategy game than an action game.
How it plays
All the time I control Thorald directly. According to the menu, this works best with a gamepad, but I also managed well with a mouse and keyboard. There are not too many actions anyway. Thorald can hit hard or easy, block, do a pike roll or attack with a bow or throwing weapons from a distance.
The trajectories of the projectiles should not be underestimated. Especially when Thorald’s army charges a wall and is targeted by the archers behind it. I can only hit them if my arrow flies over the wall in a perfect arc. So this requires a lot of concentration. Which is not easy, because in the heat of the battle I regularly lose track of what I’m doing.
Thorald’s troops act largely independently and Thorald himself tends to get lost in the crowd. This makes it all the more important not to rely solely on the fighting strength of your comrades-in-arms and Thorald’s sword arm. Although there are only two directions and a handful of commands, Sons of Valhalla offers quite a few strategic possibilities for this purpose.
The most important thing is the composition of the army. A balanced army or one that is too small will quickly be worn down. In addition, it is always important to know when a strategic retreat is due or to recognise how to weaken the enemy’s camps.
For example, I liked to send Thorald as bait in front of the wall and lure a few reckless troops outside – directly into the prepared shield wall. Then we went on the offensive, smashed the gate and burned down the now defenceless camp.
Now this is not as strategically demanding as an Age of Empires 4, but it doesn’t have to be. The battles are fun, and in addition to shouting orders, I can also actively strike myself. It’s a bit like Mount & Blade. Only two-dimensional.
What do I like, what don’t I like?
What do I like
- Sons of Valhalla is an unusual strategy game whose 2D principle has not been seen very often so far and which fits the Viking scenario with shield walls and base building in England very well.
- Sons of Valhalla offers a cool mix of strategic battles and personal action interludes. Even in boss fights Thorald occasionally has to hold his own.
- Sons of Valhalla looks really pretty. Not everyone may like the pixel look, but what the team conjures up on the screen with the help of weather effects, environmental details and day/night changes is quite something to behold.
I don’t like it
- Sons of Valhalla does not yet manage to give me comprehensible hit feedback. It’s often not obvious what exactly is damaging Thorald at any given moment, and if you don’t glance at the life bar all the time, you can unexpectedly find yourself in front of Hel.
- Sons of Valhalla does not tell an extraordinary story. At least at the beginning of the game, it works with many narrative standards. A kidnapping, a burnt village, a stoic hero. You’ve seen it all a dozen times before.
What do you think of Sons of Valhalla? Was this unusual strategy game with its very stale scenario able to arouse your interest? How much do you like the pixel art? Write us your opinions on the game in the comments!
Editor’s verdict
Actually, Sons of Valhalla actually has two things that are massively overused in the video game segment. Because besides the Viking scenario with the obligatory generator name, pixel art as a stylistic element in the indie sector is unfortunately no longer as creative and wild as it was a few years ago. But while I couldn’t stop rolling my eyes at the title of Sons of Valhalla, the visuals didn’t put me off one bit. Whether worn out or not, this kind of pixel style just looks beautiful. And that’s why I was immediately intrigued by Sons of Valhalla after all. No matter how hackneyed the title might be.
And I’m really glad that the visuals got me excited about this game! Because Sons of Valhalla is a lot of fun. Especially for me, who is exceptionally fond of both active melee action and strategy. I enjoyed charging into a group of Saxons with Thorvald, drawing my sword across their helmets, firing arrows and then retreating behind a wall of shields to watch my colleagues clean up with the scattered remnants.
Sure, this is all still a first impression and it remains to be seen how long the concept will hold up, which is unusual but not completely new either. Nevertheless, I have a good feeling about this and very much hope to install the finished version on my PC before the end of the year.
