Expeditions: Viking - Preview @IndieGames

IndieGames takes a closer look at Expeditions Vikings and likes the game but finds it combat heavy.

Vikings is divided into two campaigns, the first of which has you consolidating your power in your northern home. Questing about in isometric view, leveling up a formidable array of different skills, and slowly getting ready to depart for Britain's shores, ripe for raiding and plundering - or so you've heard. While you're following a fixed storyline, it doesn't really feel like you're traversing a set path. There are numerous optional quests and enough decisions to give you the illusion of freedom. It's worth noting that you're not bound to a good or evil path - you can be the nasty brute, the wise ruler, and everything inbetween.

You're starting out with a fixed cast of characters, and a few hours in you can also recruit fully customizable mercenaries. Build a boat, get some men, and travel the high seas towards Britain. This is where the game's second campaign, which has you raiding along the British coast and even venturing further inland, starts. Travelling the northern roads is no walk in the park, and you often have to make camp, which involves guarding, hunting, fixing wounds, and generally trying to get a good night's sleep before the marching continues. All of this makes secondary, non-combat skills feel like more than an afterthought. In fact, you're going to run into trouble keeping your warband alive if you don't take care of these things and delegate the nightly tasks to suit your characters' abilities.