A series of recent releases have highlighted the popularity of Viking themes in the gaming industry with plenty more to come to excite fans of the genre!
Viking themes have been popular since the first-ever Nordic video game The Saga of Erik the Viking was released in 1984. Now the most eagerly awaited release of 2022 is Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2, the highly anticipated sequel to the 2017 video game Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, which was created by the British game development studio Ninja Theory. The game has already created plenty of hype in the gaming community with the stunning graphics showcased in gameplay trailers taking the Viking theme to a whole new level.
And Nordic themes have inspired innovations in other areas of the entertainment industry. The iGaming industry has witnessed a boom in slot games featuring Norse mythology. The Vikings of Fortune slot is one of the games eligible for the Jackpot King prizes available at https://games.paddypower.com/c/jackpot-king. The game features Viking gods such as Odin and Thor and we can see how the popularity of these characters in Norse mythology clearly plays a role in the success of these titles. Fans of the Ancient Vikings are attracted to try new and innovative entertainment products based on their love of Nordic themes.
Viking innovations
Nordic mythology has inspired further innovations in the gaming industry. Doki Doki Ragnarok, released in February 2022, is a Viking visual novel with a difference. Players raid villages by dating them. Yes, you read that right. The game involves getting to know each village by dating, flirting, and understanding each other before you can conquer them. If you think the description of this innovative game sounds weird and wonderful, you would be right!
The Viking video game Frozenheim taps into the success of empire-building games such as Age of Empires and has won praise from https://www.pcgamer.com/this-viking-city-builder-throws-in-rts-combat-and-raids/ for its gameplay. The strategy game combines management gameplay with tactical RTS combat. The game is described by the developer Paranoid Interactive as a serene Norse city builder but you will be attacked by enemy Vikings as you build your own settlement and lead your tribe through the years. Frozenheim makes full use of Viking history to give players an authentic experience of life amongst a Nordic clan.
Limited release on Xbox and PC
But it is Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 that is creating the biggest buzz in the gaming industry. Co-founder of Ninja Theory Tameem Antoniades recently heightened anticipation of the release when he highlighted the improvements made on the original game: “The goal with Hellblade 2 isn’t to perfect it, but to create an experience that feels more believable and more refined. Its ambition in terms of scale is bigger. I think Hellblade 2 will make Hellblade look like an indie game.”
Although enthusiasm has been dampened somewhat by news from https://gamerant.com/senuas-saga-hellblade-2-playstation-release-deserved/ that the game will be released exclusively on Xbox Series X/S and PC, leaving PlayStation and Nintendo Switch players disappointed.
Clearly, there is no sign of interest in Nordic themes abating anytime soon. The storylines provided by ancient Viking battles and legends are perfectly suited to combat and strategy video games and we should expect plenty more innovations in this area in the coming years.
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