Sons of Valhalla

The one thing I was most excited about with Sons of Valhalla was the city-building aspect but sadly this ends up being a really shallow experience. As a fan of StarCraft, WarCraft and any number of games like that, I had hoped this would be similar but on a 2D plane. There is no real depth or strategy that takes place when building the city or training units. If you have a lot of big units, chances are you will prevail. I didn’t hate my time with Sons of Valhalla, I had just expected more from it.

It's not a flawless project and it has its vices, but the setup, the simplicity, and the minor elements that all work hand-in-hand to make this feel more premium.

Sons of Valhalla is fun but can become repetitive. Thorald is a good fighter, and the game makes him powerful enough, especially with a well-chosen set of runes on his belt, to tangle solo with big enemy groups. But teamwork and good use of the shield wall are crucial when taking on opponents hiding behind fortifications. But combat never evolves beyond that and the settlement development system is equally limited. The getting-back-the-kidnapped-princess narrative is decent but doesn’t do anything new. Sons of Valhalla is pleasant in short bursts but greater depth for all its mechanics are needed to make it engaging for long periods.