Gamingmythology

What are the best games based around Norse mythology?

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Jotun: Valhalla Edition vs The Banner Saga vs The Banner Saga 2

 vs Dragon's Crown vs Niffelheim vs Northgard

Specs

Platforms

PC, Mac, Xbox One, Playstation 4, Nintendo Switch

Genre

Action, Adventure

Steam Rating

-

Co-Op

-

Controller Support

-

Platforms

Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, PS4, PS Vita, Xbox One

Genre

Turn-based RPG

Steam Rating

Very Positive

Co-Op

None

Controller Support

No

Platforms

Windows, PS4, Xbox One

Genre

Turn-based RPG

Steam Rating

-

Co-Op

-

Controller Support

-

Platforms

-

Genre

-

Steam Rating

-

Co-Op

-

Controller Support

-

Platforms

-

Genre

-

Steam Rating

Very Positive

Co-Op

-

Controller Support

-

Platforms

-

Genre

-

Steam Rating

Very Positive

Co-Op

-

Controller Support

-

Pros + Cons

Pro
 Beautiful hand-drawn graphics

The graphics and animations resemble a painting in motion thanks to their colorful, hand-drawn style. Lines are bold, with lots of contrasting colors. The crisp, vibrant look is easy on the eyes and helps to make your journey through green plains, forest, and snowy fields even more inviting. With gorgeous backdrops and scenery throughout, exploring the world is simply great.
Comment

Pro
 Relaxing exploration

Much of the gameplay is simply focused on enjoying the scenery and soaking up the lore as you explore. Roaming around and encountering lore items that dot the map and then taking a break to listen to the stories contained within can be quite calming. Walking through snowy fields as the soundtrack plays Viking-inspired music really gets you in the state of mind to see whats around every bend. Casually exploring while enjoying the atmosphere is really what this game is all about.
Comment

Pro
 Great boss battles

Squaring off against the larger-than-life Jotuns (bosses) is action packed and requires paying attention to the mechanics, but the encounters never really feel unfair. Trying to get a hit in with your axe while dodging massive attacks and environmental attacks can be challenging, but doable once you learn the patterns. Each boss features their own mechanics, and surviving each of these encounters can be rewarding knowing you beat it through skill and persistence.
Comment

Pro
 Immersive Nordic atmosphere

Not only do you fight war gods as a viking warrior, but the entire landscape and story is steeped heavily in Norse lore from start to finish. Rune stones are scattered around the world which give glimpses into tales and stories about mythology. The landscape itself is heavily influenced by Norway including green plains, mountain vistas, and rolling fields of snow. The soundtrack hums along in the background with soothing, woodwind ballads and crashing battle music. All the voice acting is in Norwegian. Taking on the role of a viking warrior as you roam this vast and detailed world is incredibly well done.
Comment

Con
 Combat is too minimalist

There is only a light attack, heavy attack, dodge, and a couple special abilities (which are learned as you progress). You'll also use the same axe for the entire game.
Comment

Pro
 Bosses provide an exciting shift in tone

Encountering a powerful boss after the relaxing nature of the exploration is a huge shift in tone. Rather than calmly discovering and taking your time, you're thrown headfirst into action-packed battles. This stark contrast between calm exploration exploration and thrilling combat is incredible, as the sheer physical size of the bosses shows how massive the world truly is.
Comment

Con
 Can be a bit boring

Much of the gameplay consists of walking around searching the various areas for power ups and runes. With the exception of the boss fights, there is very little combat. This slower pace may be boring to some.
Comment

Con
 Overtuned last boss feels very out of place

The last boss is so hard and unforgiving, that it completely ruins the laid-back feel of the rest of the game. This sharp difficulty spike feels very out of place compared to the other bosses.
Comment

Pro
 Great hand drawn graphics

The all hand drawn graphics are animated smoothly and are extremely detailed which makes for one heck of a good looking game.
Comment

Pro
 Bleak yet beautiful music score

Composed by Austin Wintory, the musical score is quite beautiful and haunting.
Comment

Con
 Pretty difficult and uneven

The difficulty is sometime uneven with some battles being not to hard after one that was extremely difficult. Couple this with how difficult the game can be even on the easy setting and it is very apparent that the game will take some patience to complete.
Comment

Pro
 Great hand drawn graphics

The all hand drawn graphics are animated smoothly and are extremely detailed which makes for one heck of a good looking game.
Comment

Pro
 Helps the player learn the gameplay

The first title in the series had a bit of trouble explaining all the aspects of play of the game. Luckily this has changed in the second release as there is now a camp where a trainer will give challenges to the player that explain the game a lot more in-depth. This is great for new players as they can learn the ins and outs a lot easier.
Comment

Pro
 Great combat

Much of the mechanics found in the original title remain the same, which is a good thing as the turn based tactical grid based combat is the strongest thing about this game series. There have been some slight improvements though making for a more balanced rhythm to the game by adding new units to both the players choices and the enemies, which mixes up the gameplay quite often to keep it feeling fresh.
Comment

Pro
 Allows for imports of gamesaves from first game

Players of the series can import their game saves from the previous title, giving them the option to start as one of two different characters. This ensures that choices made in the previous game are not lost when starting this game and experiencing the story it has to tell.
Comment

Con
 Story feels a bit weak compared to the previous game

Much like the sophomore album syndrome (where the second album from a break out band falls flat) the story in this release feels a bit weak. While not horrible, it will have trouble connecting to players who are not already familiar with the series. There is also a sense that many of the story elements are setting up events to be found in the third game, meaning that players will be left unknowing what the conclusions are.
Comment

Con
 HP damage based attacks leave little room for expanding ones tactics

Due to the design of the gameplay, the amount of hit points a players unit has is the exact amount of damage they will inflict on an enemy. This makes for the winning strategy to always hit all enemy units on the playing field to ensure they inflict as little damage as possible. While players can go about it many other ways, this strategy tends to do the best, which is a bit limiting.
Comment

Pro
 Good selection of characters to choose from

There are six different classes in the game that the player can choose to play with. Each with their own skill tree that allows for growth of skills through playing the game. The characters found in each class all have their own unique looks and strategies as well. Some may be slow brutes while others are quick and nimble magicians. This way each feels different from the other but also allows for a good amount of growth.
Comment

Con
 Boring repetitive story

The story found within can become quite repetitive and is a bit contrived. While it is not the main focus of the game and does not detract from the gameplay too much, it can be tough to feel any reason to complete the game when it comes to finishing the story.
Comment

Pro
 It's a mix between a sandbox and a survival game

It has both ingredients to enjoy.
Comment

Pro
 Great nordic lore

Strong and accurate nordic mythology facts.
Comment

Con
 It has no replayability

Once you've beaten, you will not touch it again for a while.
Comment
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