"If Odin played Early Access strategy games, I imagine he’d be pleased," said T.J. Hafer of Northgard in February last year.
"Claiming Thor's Wrath will please the hammer-wielding god of thunder, granting you an attack boost," said Sam Horti of the game's October update.
"Northgard has a release date", says me, right now.
Having spent the past year living in Early Access, Shiro Games' Viking RTS colony sim Northgard will launch in full on March 7, 2018. Comprised of pretty artwork and snippets of in-game footage, here's a campaign trailer:
At launch, Northgard introduces a new 11-chapter-spanning single-player campaign that follows the saga of Rig. He's out to avenge his father's murder—who was once the High King of the Vikings—while investigating the theft of a Regal Horn.
Alongside best chum Brand, Rig's journey sees him travelling to the eponymous continent of Northgard, where he'll make new mates and will battle hostile natives and monsters in his quest to do his dad proud.
Northgard's multiplayer component featured in its Early Access state. Let's read T.J.'s impressions from last year:
Just as the Vikings did much more than the pillaging they’re infamous for, Northgard offers several paths to victory. Some of them don’t even require you to bury axes in your enemies’ skulls. You can win a Trade victory by making a certain amount of money selling resources you have a surplus of to the other chieftains on the map.
You can win a Prestige victory by performing great deeds to gain the title of King and building an associated wonder. A Lore victory requires you to seek out ruins and ancient standing stones to complete the modest tech tree and earn the blessings of the Norse gods. Or, you know, you can just kill everybody. I tried each path at least once. They all feel fleshed out and interesting, with their own unique concerns, which bodes well for replayability.
If any of that floats yer longboat, know that Northgard is due March 7 on Steam. It'll cost £23.79/$29.99 when it docks.
