The player takes on the role of Einar, who is on a quest to kill the inhabitants of a Norse fishing village who are infected by a mysterious material. Use different weapons such as the bow, hammer and axe to clear the village of the monsters.
The game features impressive graphics and a visually appealing environment.
The concept of switching between different weapons adds variety to the combat.
The game has potential for further development and could become a more engaging experience.
The game lacks proper keyboard and mouse support, making it difficult to play without a controller.
Combat feels clunky and unresponsive, with issues like hit detection and AI behavior.
The game is very short, with a playtime of around 20-30 minutes, leaving players wanting more content.
graphics
179 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
58%
35%
7%
The graphics of the game have received widespread praise for their quality and aesthetic appeal, often compared to high-budget titles. Many users noted that while the visuals are impressive, the gameplay suffers from clunky mechanics and performance issues, suggesting a prioritization of graphics over gameplay experience. Overall, the graphics are considered a strong point, but they are marred by optimization problems and limited customization options.
“The graphics are amazing, the clothing is authentic, and gameplay is enjoyable!”
“Graphics are fabulous! The visuals are stunning and the environment is beautifully crafted.”
“The graphics are very good, surprisingly good for a free game, and the visuals look polished.”
“They chose graphics over gameplay which would have been fine if the game just wasn't as clunky as it is now.”
“All of the development time was spent on graphics, worst gameplay I've seen in a while, such a monumental waste of time.”
“The game doesn't work smoothly, doesn't have real graphics settings and isn't well optimized.”
gameplay
131 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
63%
14%
The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players noting that while the graphics are impressive, the mechanics are often clunky and unrefined. Common criticisms include awkward combat controls, poor AI behavior, and a lack of depth in gameplay, leading to a short overall experience. Despite its potential and interesting concepts, players feel that significant improvements are needed in gameplay mechanics and optimization for a more enjoyable experience.
“This game was made by a group of students, and is fantastic when considering it's free, has decent visuals and gameplay, and was made in just two semesters.”
“For what this game is, it honestly blew me out of the water; it's a very good concept and has very exceptional gameplay mechanics.”
“The core gameplay loop of 'kill everything in the area then move to the next one' is tried and true.”
“The gameplay seems wonky, like where you aren't even close to the enemy and you hit them with a swing, or they are behind you and they magically explode.”
“The AI is laughable, the controls are terribly unresponsive, the lock-on mechanic just plain doesn't work, and the frame rate drops so much that the game had trouble even keeping up with the small amount of monsters on the screen.”
“All of the development time was spent on graphics, worst gameplay I've seen in a while, such a monumental waste of time.”
story
127 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
26%
64%
10%
The game's story has received mixed feedback, with many players noting its brevity and lack of depth, often completing it in under 30 minutes. While some appreciate the intriguing premise and potential for expansion, others criticize the storytelling as vague or poorly executed, suggesting that it needs more detail and emotional engagement to enhance the overall experience. Overall, players see promise in the concept but feel it requires significant development to become a compelling narrative.
“The story, while captivating in the introduction, needs more references throughout the main action to help tie the player into the character’s purpose.”
“The story has a lot of potential but is lacking in a lot of detail.”
“I would love to see their story and vision fully fleshed out in a genuine, professional quality AAA game.”
“Game is presented as a story mode game with a load feature as if it was gonna be long; it was beaten in 30 minutes.”
“The storytelling was trash.”
“The plot at the moment just seems like a meteorite hit the village and causes a flaming virus, and you're tasked to fight them; that pretty much sums it up so far.”
stability
39 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is notably compromised by numerous bugs and glitches, particularly in combat and enemy AI behavior, which can lead to frustrating experiences such as unresponsive enemies and awkward controls. While players appreciate the game's potential and visuals, many feel it resembles an early alpha rather than a polished beta, with issues like freezing, poor frame rates, and inconsistent gameplay mechanics. Overall, while the game is enjoyable for its free price, significant improvements are needed to enhance stability and gameplay fluidity.
“You 100% can't argue with the price, it's a fun roughly 30-minute game that is held back by some unfortunate glitches.”
“The game's combat system is super buggy and underdeveloped; although this is a beta, the game should be much cleaner than this.”
“The game has a lot of potential, but at the moment it's extremely buggy, especially the AI.”
optimization
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
15%
35%
50%
Overall, the game's optimization is widely criticized, with users reporting significant performance issues, including low frame rates, janky animations, and clunky combat mechanics. Many players noted that the game feels poorly suited for PC, often resembling a console exclusive, and lacks essential graphical settings. While some appreciated the visuals, the consensus is that substantial optimization is needed to improve gameplay experience.
“Really nice graphics for the setting and well optimized.”
“Einar is a very interesting free-to-play title; the visuals are very refined and similar to something you would find in a high-budget AAA title and seems fairly well optimized.”
“With maybe some RPG-like additions and story depth along with optimization and a few improvements, this could actually be a decent little title.”
“Only problem is that this game suffers from performance problems, janky animations, and clunky combat.”
“There are some massive FPS drops due to the lack of optimization of the engine, which will prove to be rough on some machines.”
“I was looking forward to this game even with it being short, but I just can't really enjoy it because of the poor optimization.”
music
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
35%
50%
15%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with many praising the beautiful soundtrack and its fitting atmosphere, while others criticize the abrupt transitions during combat and the use of royalty-free tracks. Some players enjoy the combat music and sound effects, but there are calls for improvements in voice acting and more dynamic audio cues. Overall, the soundtrack is generally well-received, contributing positively to the game's ambiance despite some technical issues.
“Beautiful soundtrack and audio.”
“The soundtrack is really, really good; it fits well in the game.”
“The music is nice, love the war drums.”
“And the way the music suddenly switches when you enter or leave combat gives me a headache.”
“When you start, you're met by royalty-free music, poor voice acting, and Unity assets.”
“I truly hate the menu music.”
atmosphere
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
71%
15%
14%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive and beautiful design, effectively transporting players to a Viking village setting. While the lack of a clear storyline is noted, the rich textures and environmental details contribute to a satisfying experience. Overall, the well-developed atmosphere, along with the soundtrack and sound effects, enhances the game's potential, despite some perceptions of it being an unfinished project.
“The world is beautiful and atmospheric; it makes me feel like I'm inside a Viking village.”
“I felt the atmosphere and textures were satisfying, as well as the various background corpses, stalls, weapons, shrines, etc. I see many exciting ways this game can be expanded in terms of gameplay and story, and I would definitely recommend trying this game out.”
“+ Atmosphere, soundtrack, and sound effects are well developed.”
“There isn't a storyline as such, though the atmosphere does somewhat convey a story.”
humor
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is frequently highlighted as a standout feature, with players finding the absurdity of NPC behavior—such as bugging out and exploding—particularly entertaining. However, technical issues and poor controls detract from the overall experience, leading some to feel that while the game is funny, it is ultimately marred by its flaws. Despite these criticisms, many reviewers still appreciate the comedic elements enough to rate the game positively.
“Too funny.”
“The gameplay itself is hilarious, especially considering most of the NPCs simply bug out and explode or moonwalk into oblivion when you shoot them.”
“7/10 (I'm giving it a 7, because of the bugs, but the bugs are hilarious!)”
character development
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
25%
Character development is praised for its beautiful and appealing design, with reviewers highlighting the stunning environmental and character aesthetics. The overall concept and artistic execution contribute positively to the game's immersive experience.
“The character design is beautiful, and the concept is lovely.”
“Environmental and character design looks astonishing.”
“The art, world, and character design are all very appealing.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
150%
The emotional aspect of the game is criticized for a boring and forced storyline, which detracts from the overall experience. Additionally, players express frustration with the quick deaths caused by environmental hazards, such as fire, which can disrupt immersion.
“The story felt forced and ultimately boring.”
“The emotional depth was lacking, making it hard to connect with the characters.”
“I found the narrative to be unengaging and emotionally flat.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Players express that the grinding aspect of the game is excessively time-consuming, often requiring a significant investment of effort akin to having a second life to fully engage with it.
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“The grinding feels endless and tedious.”
“I spent hours grinding, and it still feels like I'm nowhere.”
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Reviewers suggest that enhancing the protagonist's motivations and incorporating meaningful choices, such as deciding the fate of loved ones, could significantly boost the game's replayability by affecting the story dynamics and endings.
“I suggest that Dream Punks should create a reason for why the protagonist does what he does and make him seem more empathetic, whether it's his beliefs of justice or the hardships of seeing loved ones as the flamed ones. My personal favorite idea is to have each boss be a person you loved, and you decide whether they live or die, which would affect the dynamic of the story, the world around you, and the overall endings. This would provide great replay value.”
“The game offers multiple endings based on your choices, encouraging players to replay and explore different paths and outcomes.”
“With various character builds and strategies to experiment with, each playthrough feels fresh and engaging, making you want to dive back in for more.”
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization aspect of the game is not explicitly addressed in the reviews, but the high-quality visuals and detailed design elements suggest that the investment in production values may justify any associated costs. Players appreciate the craftsmanship, indicating that the game's aesthetic appeal could enhance its perceived value.