Land of the Vikings Review (PC)

Building a big raiding ship requires a lot of resources. My villagers, despite having to deal with freezing winter temperatures and being impeded by a blizzard, have managed to bring together all the supplies needed to create the massive war dock, easily the biggest structure in the village. It might be some time before we get the first drakkar out.

In the meantime, we also have to prepare some warriors. They require armor and weapons, which in turn need leather, iron, coal, and more. My blacksmith and tailor have what they need and are fully staffed up. But I am considering putting down one more of each production building, which probably means I have to invest in more mines and roads to connect them to the rest of the village.

To complicate the situation more, a new group of refugees was recently approved to join my clan. They need houses, the good kind, to avoid bringing down the general mood with their homelessness. I prioritize this problem, even if it means I need to wait some more before raiding other villages. There are also a few buildings that need to have their staff evaluated and possibly replaced. It might also be time to create another production chain for beer.

Land of the Vikings is developed by Laps Games, with publishing handled by Iceberg Interactive. I played it on the PC via Steam. The game features well-worn city building and survival mechanics as players develop the settlement of a small clan of Northern warriors.

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The opening cinematic does a good job of quickly setting the narrative up. The Vikings had become too proud and careless, were attacked by a superior enemy, and only a small group managed to escape. Gamers will control them as they rebuild, create a thriving settlement, and deal with disasters and enemies.

The game doesn’t do a lot with the theme. There are a few events, with mostly uninspired writing, that offer small choices. The game has a pretty good tutorial that guides players and explains the big gameplay concepts. But there’s nothing innovative or special about the universe.

Players start off with limited resources and a small number of refugees. Initially, it’s all about ensuring access to the basics. There’s no direct control over villagers but there are tools to mark trees to be felled and stone deposits to be mined at the center of the interface. It’s also important to quickly use hunters and gatherers to explore the unexploited wood areas for food and medicine.

Production chains for wood and stone should be easy to set up (do not forget about a good firewood supply). Then it’s time to open up the Yggdrasil tech tree and unlock farming options. Wheat and barley, alongside chickens, goats, and cattle, will ensure a steady food supply as well as adjacent resources to be turned into winter clothes and armor. Each building requires players to manually assign workers (an automatic option can be unlocked in the late game) and it’s important to match villager stats to the task they are performing.

When winter comes, the fields become fallow and the village will mostly eat from the stores, while also consuming resources to make sure all homes are well-heated. It’s a good moment to empty some buildings and focus on bigger projects, like coal and iron mines or a shipyard, once they are unlocked. Building up housing stock to welcome groups seeking to join the clan is also a good move.

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Always keep an eye out for the overall happiness of the settlement. The initially available homes aren’t impressive but prioritize them to avoid homelessness. Helpful red markers clearly show when someone is hungry or sick and gamers are well served with dealing with issues as soon as they appear. Villagers also like their paths and meeting places to be well-lit, which can be a constant drain on silver.

Once the settlement is running well, it’s time to open up raiding and trade. Both require specialized docks and ships, which eat up resources. They can also bring in significant resources, including the rare gold.

The game’s mechanics work well. The balance between the fun of development and the challenge of winter is decent. The biggest problem is the slow pace. Players have to gain Fame, which is mostly linked to increasing population, to get points to spend on the Yggdrasil tech tree. It takes time and the game does itself no favors by locking some quality-of-life options behind research.

Land of the Vikings looks pretty good, in line with most city-building survival hybrids. There are some nice effects when the seasons change. During winter, I like the way villagers and animals leave traces in the snow while moving around, offering some decent idea of where extra roads need to be built when the player has some extra silver. Zoom in close enough and you can see the details on the houses and the Vikings themselves working hard to improve their hamlet. Sometimes visual bugs pop up when zooming out.

The sound design is less effective. I played the game at the fastest speed most of the time, which makes the effects associated with chopping wood sound like an unpleasant machine gun. There’s no voice acting associated with the events. The title’s music is good but needs more tracks to increase the immersion.

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The Good

The Bad

Conclusion