Assassin's Creed Valhalla female character roaring with her battle axes ready for battle

Five Must-Play Viking Video Games

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by

Ashley
in

So I have a little secret (which I don’t keep very well): I write Viking books.

Maybe it’s all that time I spent watching The Vikings TV show. Maybe it’s my DNA results revealing I have Viking ancestry. Maybe it’s being a history major and having a dozen books (and counting) on Viking culture and daily life. Whatever the case, I literally dreamed a story idea: three Viking sisters—a shieldmaiden, a seer, and a queen—with interwoven destinies. It became my Daughters of Valhalla series, and that kicked off an even deeper obsession with all things Viking.

But even before writing my Viking books, I played lots of Viking games. Hmm… is that the real reason I write Viking stories now? Because in my opinion, there’s no better way to immerse yourself in a world than through a video game!

If you’re like me and want to feast on Viking history—maybe with a side dish of Norse mythology—these are some of my favorite Viking video games.

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla

Assassin's Creed Valhalla female character roaring with her battle axes ready for battle

OPEN WORLD NARRATIVE GAME WITH LOTS OF ACTION & HEART

As a huge fan of the Assassin’s Creed series, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is easily my favorite Viking video game. The series dives into several different time periods and settings in history—and Valhalla is all about the Vikings. It’s a huge open-world game with gorgeous Scandinavian landscapes to explore. And for Norse mythology lovers, there’s a whole section of the game set in Asgard with the Norse gods!

Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice

Senua in Hellblade with a bleak sky behind her

DARK, CREATIVE GAME WITH COMBAT, PUZZLES, & AN UNFORGETTABLE HEROINE

Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice is a haunting game following a young woman journeying through a violent Viking world. She also hears voices… and they are not always kind to her. I love how Hellblade explores mental illness with creativity and respect. The game’s combat also scales with your skill, so the challenge should always be right at your level, which I love. But what I enjoyed most about this game were the puzzles as you navigate this gritty, mysterious world. If you like games on the darker side, Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice (and its sequel Senua’s Saga) are a great time. The whole game’s vibe partially inspired my upcoming novella The Last Valkyrie. You can read my full game review here:

-> READ MY HELLBLADE REVIEW

God of War (2018)

Kratos and Atreus on a snowy mountain in God of War

STORY-DRIVEN GAME WITH CHALLENGING COMBAT, STEEPED IN NORSE MYTHOLOGY

God of War is a masterpiece in so many ways. The game follows the journey of Kratos and his young son Atreus, giving us a unique look at fatherhood in a violent world. The game is also full of Norse lore, with combat and navigational puzzles. I love the humor woven in through the dwarven smiths and Mimir, the hilarious talking head Kratos begrudgingly carries around with him. If you want to dive into Norse mythology, you will love this story (and its sequel God of War Ragnarok).

For Honor

For Honor poster with three warriors

ACTION ADVENTURE COMPETITIVE MULTIPLAYER GAME

When For Honor first came out in 2017, my husband and I were obsessed for a while. Here we are a decade later, and the game is still kicking with a very loyal fanbase. For Honor is a fast-paced multiplayer game with a unique mix of classes: medieval knights, samurai, and Vikings. The game also has a fun single-player campaign where you alternate between the three stories to get to know each faction. I loved them all, but the Viking campaign is the best in my mind! You can read more about my early experiences with the game here:

-> READ MY FOR HONOR REVIEW

The Banner Saga

Blond Viking man with horns and shield in Banner Saga

TURN-BASED NARRATIVE GAME THAT FEELS LIKE A REAL SAGA

I first played The Banner Saga for work back in 2014 and instantly fell in love with its gorgeous 2D animation. It has Oregon Trail vibes, but with Vikings and a wintry world. There’s a great story with dialogue, as well as turn-based combat that you can take as fast or slow as you want. Of all the games on this list, The Banner Saga is the most relaxing choice that’s perfect for gamers looking for a game that unravels like a good old Viking saga. Just keep in mind that, as in the sagas, not all characters survive the story.

Have you played any of these games, or do you have any other Viking games to add to this list? I’d love to hear them!

– Ashley

Comments

2 responses to “Five Must-Play Viking Video Games”

  1. Tyler F.M. Edwards Avatar
    Tyler F.M. Edwards

    I’m also big into Nordic history and mythology, to which I at least partially credit being one quarter Finnish, with some Swedish ancestry on that side of the family as well. I think it also stems from my love of the fantasy genre and Norse mythology being so much of the basis for it. Tolkien was pretty much writing Norse mythology fan fic.

    That does unfortunately give me very high standards when it comes to games based on Norse culture, though. I struggle to find any that feel like they do it justice.

    I played a decent amount of AC: Valhalla and mostly liked it, but eventually the Ubisoft open world grind burned me out. It’s just such a huge game; I was 80 hours in and still nowhere near the end. But I did enjoy those 80 hours. I often think about picking it back up again, but it hasn’t happened yet.

    I remember playing a Diablo style ARPG called Viking: Wolves of Midgard a few years back. It was very much in the double-A jankfest category, but I largely enjoyed it. It did have Alix Wilton Regan (Samantha Traynor in Mass Effect 3, female British inquisitor voice in Dragon Age: Inquisition) voicing the female MC, which is always a plus in my books.

    My whole interest in mythology in general and Norse myth in particular mainly goes back to playing Age of Mythology when I was a kid, so that’s probably still my favourite game for Norse vibes, if only for reasons of nostalgia. It’s not a perfect representation — the campaign is campy, and the visual designs of the units are very much pop culture Vikings rather than anything historically accurate — but it’s still super cool to train up an army of Valkyries and then finish your foe off by dropping Nidhogg on their base.

    There’s also the OG Age of Empires franchise, which already had decent Norse representation and now has a bunch of Nordic DLCs lined up for the end of the year. While I think it’s a bit goofy for AoE2 to add two more Norse civilizations when it already had Vikings, the Harald Hardrada grand campaign looks cool. I’m more looking forward to AoE4’s Raiders of the North expansion, which is adding Vikings to that game for the first time.

    Reply
    1. Ashley Avatar
      Ashley

      Oh I’ve always wanted to play Age of Mythology. I know a lot of people love the game Valheim as well. There are so many Viking-ish games, and not all good or very accurate representations of Viking culture but can still be fun. Thanks for these other game recommendations! Yep you’re right, so much of the fantasy genre is inspired at least partially by Norse history/culture/myth. I love fantasy that feels REALLY Norse though, Bloodsworn Saga comes to mind as one of the best recently!

      Reply

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