Summary
With nine realms of lore and more spilled tea between the gods to fill all the cups of Valhalla, Norse mythology is a potent source of inspiration for any kind of story, video games included. Stories of glorious war sagas, primordial beasts, and the tangled threads of prophecies have inspired some of the finest virtual worlds known to gamers.
With so many genres and ways to interpret the old Nordic myths, gamers get to experience the full spectrum of Norse legend in staggering multiplicity. From “AAA” to indie, from battling monsters in the cold and shadowy abyss of Hel to the neon-lit, techno-magical realm of Asgard, there are many ways to win glory and catch the gaze of the Allfather.
Apsulovis not about becoming a mighty Viking but surviving a primordial evil with a taste for technology. Depictingthe Norse pantheon as sci-fiis not new, butApsulov: End of Godsmasterfully blends cyberpunk and steel with Nordic-style eldrich horror.
Players explore the deepest depths of a human-led dig that uncovered the secrets of Yddrasil, and along with them, a horror that not even the gods could control. This short, immersive first-person horror game offers plenty in the way of Nordic mythos to chew through, if the player can avoid being eaten themselves.
Although there are plenty of stories about Vikings going their own way and forging their own singular legend, there is great appeal about being a member of a Viking tribe.ASKAallows players to become the leaders of a village during the Nordic time of myth.
Players decide exactly how their settlement should look and the rest of the tribe will work tirelessly toward its success. While player characters are out battling fearsome animals and the undead, their NPCs will work industriously to shore up their defenses, resources, and luxuries.
After surviving a car crash out in the forested parts of contemporary Sweden in the opening act ofUnforgiving: A Northern Hymn, the player character (voiced by a Swedish VO) finds themselves awash with darkness and fear as eyes as old as folk stories watch beyond the trees.
As it turns out, the trolls, wraiths, and other malevolent entities fromthe darkest fairytalesare not only real, but make their homes within the game’s abandoned mines, cabins, and copses. There are plenty of games out there that star Vikings and feature Odin and his extended kin, but fewer draw upon the rich tapestry of Swedish and Nordic folklore.
The imagery of Odin in his hall may evoke sentiments of glory and conquest, but a large part of his legend is an affinity for wisdom and craftiness.Munintests players' mental will and determination as they help the titular Munin, one of Odin’s all-seeing ravens.
Cursed into the shape of a human, across the nine worlds, Munin must retrieve her feathers to recover her old body and return home. The hand-drawn landscapes and rotatable pieces of each of the 2D puzzle platformer’s levels lend a tactile and nostalgic quality evocative of pop-up storybooks.
Besides being able to use the eyes of a bird to scout the area (very Odin-like) and a hidden blade,Assassin’s Creed Valhallafeels unlike its siblings, and not just in a way thatchanged theAssassin’s Creedseries.Valhallamay as well have been a new Viking-themed IP in theACuniverse.
The “AAA” money affordedValhallaa level of realism, immersion, and expansiveness unmatched in any other game inspired by Norse myth. In a loose continuation of theACstory thread,Valhallabrings an interesting take on the Nordic gods as part of a prior civilization, where magic and technology are indistinguishable and an ancient lust for power holds strong.
The Viking influence is obvious from the tapestry-meets-Disney art style and setting inThe Banner Saga, but the Nordic mythology is more low-key, at least initially. Throughout the game is a strong focus on the human elements, warring groups doomed to a world in eternal twilight in a botched Ragnarok scenario.
This requires players to adopt long-term thinking as they fight for survival in each turn-based, tactical battle. The lives of the refugees are in the player’s hands, and a single death can alter the story in unexpected ways.
While most Norse-inspired games focus on gods and warriors,Bramble: The Mountain Kingdigs into the terrifying creatures lurking between the pages of Scandinavian bedtime stories.
Players are put into the shoes of one of those children, Olle, pitting him against a world of darkness and danger on a quest to reclaim his sister from a sinister troll.Bramblestays true to the genuinely dark, older incarnation of fairytales, rarely holding back on tension and gore.
Few games can pull off a setting and story as raw and personal but as epic asHellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice. Each step on Senua’s journey to find her lost lover feels brutal and earned as she slugs against demons ambiguously of the Norse underworld or her own damaged psyche.
The level of detail, from the eerie backdrop of Hel to the Senua’s expressions as she struggles andsuffers through each trial mentallyand physically, leaves a strong impression, especially from a self-described “AA” studio.
Valheimputs players on a personal quest through the various planes of the Norse afterlife, where they must use all their skills and the resources available around them to prove themselves worthy of Valhalla.
There is no bloodthirsty rampage to the golden mead hall of legend though, only levels of a purgatorial proving ground where each fallen Viking must build their own glory in Oden’s eyes from scratch.
The Elder Scrollscomes with its ownprofoundly deep lore, butSkyrim’s depiction of horned warriors, world-eating dragons, and magical shouts was obviously influenced by Norse myth. Skyrim wears its cultural influences on its sleeve, borrowing from cultures such as the Ancient Egyptians and indigenous Americans as well as old Scandinavia.
However, there are few other games that understand the power fantasy of being a skald and blowing away enemies with a well-executed holler. Exploring its vast tundras dotted with mead halls and standing stones feels like walking through a Viking-age folktale.
