Trial by Viking Demo

Few cultures are as revered for their courage as the Vikings, and you only need to have a glance at their mythology to see why. Even their gods were giant and merciless, not to mention all the gruesome creatures they believed to be real. However, they also had a sense of honor, and they wouldn’t hesitate to help their comrades when times were dire.

Trial by Viking is an action-platformer with a variety of other elements thrown on top, such as role-playing and a few puzzles. It almost plays like a 2D dungeon crawler, but the dominant gameplay mechanics make it a platformer first, which is still good news. On the other hand, the abundance of different ideas can yield awkward results as well, which is true for the game at hand in a few regards.

The story won’t knock you out of your chair, but at least it gives you a purpose over the course of the adventure. Hence, you play the role of a Viking who gets recruited by Odin to fight against the forces of Loki, which means that you’ll travel between worlds and stick your axe in a variety of unholy creatures. There’s a dose of humor in there as well, just to make the whole thing a tad more enjoyable.

Most of your time is spent trying to avoid various traps, jumping between platforms and battling enemies. The combat system is intriguing, to say the least, but it’s not at all comfortable, at least not at first. Hence, you can either fling your weapon at melee range and hit the enemy once he gets close, or you can chuck something at him before he gets to you, such as an axe or a bomb. However, these ranged attacks are very imprecise and frustrating, a flaw that’s beyond annoying when you come across stronger enemies.

Lastly, you can use the currency earned during the levels by acquiring better gear from the shop. Whether you want better weapons or some kind of enchanted armor that grants you passive bonuses, there are many ways to diversify your experience. In fact, the game is very fun in this regard, and it’s also a great way to encourage replayability.

Trial by Viking is quite clearly a good game, but someone made it very hard for players to enjoy it. Most of its flaws can be fixed with a patch or two, on the other hand, so there’s still a chance for this to be a hit with the crowds.