I’m happy to say that the Sons of Valhalla demo really surprised me. I initially thought it’d be less involved, but there’s actually more to do than you’d expect. The story basically is the main character needs to rescue someone, but they die and are brought back to life in order to complete their task. So, it’s pretty cliche, but it does a good job of setting the basis for the journey you’re about to take. Also, there’s voice acting! I don’t know why this surprised me so much, but I was definitely expecting to just read all potential text. The voice acting is also pretty immersive and fits the theme of the game, so it’s enjoyable to sit through.
As for the rest of the game, there’s actually a good amount to do for a demo. Camps you have to capture, a base to build, and a boss fight so you have a good hour or two of play time. I’m also pretty confident that rune drops (drops to enhance your abilities) are completely random, so you may have an easier/harder time playing. Additionally, if you die, you lose one, so another element to keep in mind. I also like how the base physically changes the more you add and upgrade it. You can see wood being cut and the fishing that people do, so basically just nice little details that are added which are nice to look at. It creates a change of pace from the dying and fighting you’ll be doing. Another detail I liked was the little map scroller on the bottom of the screen.
Safe to say, this game is in pretty good hands with developer Pixel Chest and publisher Hooded Horse. It has a lot of potential, as for right now I don’t really have anything to say about potential improvements (besides teleporting back to your base). I look forward to its eventual release slated for this year.
You can wishlist Sons of Valahalla for PC via Steam. The game is slated to release this year.
Related: Reviews by Maryanne Fadonougbo
"I've enjoyed gaming since I was little, playing games like Pokémon, Rayman, and Naruto every day. Besides that though, I've always had a love for writing. Now I am combining the two for the best of both worlds! My ultimate goal is to do narrative design for video games."
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