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http://www.gamespew.com/2017/04/expeditions-viking-review/
http://cogconnected.com/review/expeditions-viking-review/
http://www.gamespew.com/2017/04/expeditions-viking-review/
EXPEDITIONS: VIKING REVIEW
Leaving behind the Conquistadors, developers Logic Artists take us to Scandinavia for this instalment.
Following the same format of their previous title, Expeditions: Viking is a historical strategy RPG that doesn’t jam the history down your throat. Here, it’s all about strategy, exploration, survival, and leadership.
Expeditions: Conquistador was a surprise hit when it dropped in 2013. The mix of historical narratives, strategy, and deep RPG elements struck a chord with fans of the genre. With some new additions, Expeditions: Viking follows suit with fluid combat, a vibrant world, and lots of depth. Step into the shoes of the new ruler following your father’s death and lead your clan to prosperity. Gain their trust, build your homestead, create alliances, and defeat your enemies. There’s a lot to balance, but if you are patient enough the game will reward you. Create your character through a fairly detailed customisation section, and jump into the world.
“Not enough can be said about the mass amount of useful information Expeditions: Viking gives you at all times.”
The main goal in Expeditions: Viking is to become the best leader for your clan. Doing this is far more difficult than it sounds, since the game gives you a lot to balance. How you react to situations, speak to others, build your homestead, etc. will affect how people view you. Each member of your group, your ‘hirdsmen’, individually reacts and bonds with you, and even though you’ll strive for a sense of community, each person, neighbouring clan, and townsmen must be treated as an individual. This feature of the game really gives you the feeling that you’re trying to be a true leader, as you endeavour to be friendly and diplomatic, both at home and away. However, after a while, it can become overbearing trying to keep each party member happy.
The hex-based combat system makes a return, along with a few additions, and it is still fantastic. You can fight with up to five combatants initially (though that number grows), controlling each separately. The game allows you to have an action phase, and a sort of set up phase. Use a skill, heal a teammate, or attack an enemy and then seek cover before the enemy moves. The combat system is simply brilliant. Intuitive, deep, and effective. Finding cover allows you to avoid certain attacks, and the new ‘Attack of Opportunity’ system adds a wrinkle into the flow of combat. Move across a hex parallel to an enemy, and they’ll get a free attack on you. It’s a simple addition that drastically affects lengthy battles. The combat never fails to be fluid and engaging, and it kept me hungry for more.
When you begin to assemble your larger group of warriors, Expeditions: Viking does something really fantastic: you don’t just pick from a group of people, you create them. Their names, looks, stats, classes, abilities; all of it. It really lets you set up the game the way you want. Just be warned, your newly created hirdsmen won’t have weapons or armour, so make sure to equip them! Upgrading stats, choosing abilities, and managing your crew is daunting but doable if you pay attention to the excellent UI descriptions and tutorials. Camping is a vital process, with an insane amount of detail in it. With this process, you’ll basically keep your team alive, happy, and well fed. Divvy up time between hunting, healing, cleaning, and guarding. It’s another piece of the game that truly gives you the feeling of being a leader.
Expeditions: Viking isn’t without flaw, though. Loading times, whether between areas or just starting up, can drag on at times. The camera is lightly touchy and hard to control until you figure out the finesse of it all. Dialogue, while mostly enjoyable and well written, is sometimes littered with out of place vulgarity that seems unnecessary. It has more to do with the fact, I think, that whether the dialogue is actually spoken or not seems pretty random. It can be extra weird when random team chatter is going on while you’re in a conversation with someone else. It’s hard to read with talking in the background, or even worse when two people are talking over each other. But worst of all, by far, are the crashes. My game had a crash at least every other sitting.
Not enough can be said about the mass amount of useful information Expeditions: Viking gives you at all times. Hovering over enemies in battle, after selecting an attack or ability, will show hit probability, potential damage, block chance, and anything else you could ever need. One thing the game doesn’t blatantly tell you, that I wish I knew earlier, is you can search defeated enemies for items. Having resources is useful for trade (another great system in the game), building your homestead, and crafting equipment. No matter what element of the game you examine, there is loads of helpful detail and information for you to take in.
However you cut it, Expeditions: Viking is a great strategy RPG. There is more than enough to keep you busy, plenty of skills to customise your playstyle, and loads of quests and adventure. The combat system is near perfect, crafted in a way that gives the players control over every element. I constantly found myself enjoying something new each time I played. Layered with enough depth and intricacy for genre veterans, but loaded with fantastic tutorials and information for newcomers, this game welcomes all types of players. A formula that has been bettered, through and through, Expeditions: Viking is an absolute joy.
EXPEDITIONS: VIKING IS AVAILABLE ON PC.
EXPEDITIONS: VIKING REVIEW
Battle system is nearly flawless
Fantastic UI, tutorials, and detail
Great freedom in character and party development
Truly makes you feel like a leader
Some camera issues
Seemingly random nature of spoken dialogue
Game crashes
Overall Score 8
http://cogconnected.com/review/expeditions-viking-review/
EXPEDITIONS: VIKING REVIEW – CHOOSE YOUR OWN (BLOODTHIRSTY) ADVENTURE
Expeditions: Viking Review
The year is 790 A.D. Your father, one of the noble Thegn’s of the Norse, has died in pursuit of treasure said to be found on foreign shores across the sea, to a place no one has ever set foot. The burden of leading the clan now falls to you under the guidance of your grieving mother and closest friends. However, you have been blinded to the disdain the other Thegn’s had towards your father and your family. Betrayal is at hand, and the High King will do nothing to help you.
Published and Developed by Logic Artists, Expeditions: Viking is a phenomenal journey through history, weaving a tapestry of realism and clever RPG gameplay into a satisfying experience that drags you into a world not yet civilized. Players will begin by customizing their character, with the options they make here cleverly adjusts your characters biography to reflect who they are: my green eyed and red haired Viking with a penchant for axes was described as having “captivating green eyes and hair the color of fire”, as well as classing me as a known Berserker. It was a small but appreciated touch.
The story follows your character shortly after the death of your father, the Thegn of your region, leaving you to take his place as ruler. It takes little time to discover that the other lords are not happy you were handed your crown without having earned it and a plot is forged to take your land. This begs the question: what kind of ruler will you be? Expeditions: Viking gives players multiple options when confronted with various scenarios: some will show you are a merciless and bloodthirsty Thegn, others show you are kind-hearted and wise. Each decision will affect the future of your clan in very real ways, and even failing to complete a quest opens up new avenues to explore as you write your own history. It’s a fantastic and thought provoking mechanic, but it also means that losing a battle is not an option, as it could lead to the downfall of your people.
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The graphics are generally pleasing – if a little dated – and reminiscent of the Dungeon Siege titles. For all the detail and texture that goes into the game, it’s a pity the camera remains pulled back; I would have liked to zoom in more often and get a good look at characters and their surroundings. Of course what good is a Viking game without solid combat? Expeditions: Viking uses a turn-based strategy approach reminiscent of Dungeons and Dragons, where characters are able to both attack and move during their turn, as well as use special abilities in relation to their equipped weapon. Once you have engaged an enemy face to face you will be locked in combat; any attempt to move away from them will result in a free hit as you turn to leave. It’s an amusing mechanic that makes you consider your parties strengths and weaknesses.
Characters are accompanied by immaculate voice work, each feeling very much alive and real. Several times I found myself engrossed in the game’s story and wanted to learn more about each person, I needed to know more, I was compelled to get to know who they were. This kind of engagement made me feel more motivated to be a strong leader and protect my people because I actually cared about them. The ambient sounds and inspired soundtrack are crisp and perfectly honed to the game’s persona, but it truly is the voice acting that stands out.
Expeditions: Vikings will also see players upgrading their homestead and turning it into a worthy capital to stave off invaders and those who would try to enslave your people. Throughout your journey, your party will collect resources to build and upgrade your modest home into a proud stronghold. You can also craft your own gear in true Nordic fashion by bringing the necessary materials to the local smithy.
This game has a lot to do: from leveling up, to crafting, upgrading your home, foraging, and protecting your people, it does a good job of introducing you to each new feature so you don’t feel overwhelmed when you realize just how much there is to do.
With fully flushed out characters and serious consequences for your actions across multiple paths, Expeditions: Viking finds an excellent balance between historical realism and RPG mechanics. Voice acting is a highlight of the game, however the soundtrack and general ambient noise – while good – was lacking. Combat is newcomer-friendly to the tactical genre but characters had too few skills available to them, which could make for some repetitive gameplay. All in all, this was an immersive and delightful experience I found myself getting lost in, full of rich culture and overall stunning presentation.
*** PC key provided by the publisher ***
79
The Good
The Bad
- Superb voice acting
- Historical inspiration
- Make-Your-Own-Path storyline
- Repetitive combat
- Limited camera
