Einar

About

Einar is a single player casual action adventure game with a fantasy theme. It was developed by DreamPunks and was released on July 20, 2017. It received neutral reviews from players.

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.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

59%

Audience ScoreBased on 698 reviews

graphics103 positive mentions

stability39 negative mentions

The game features impressive graphics and a visually appealing environment.
The concept of combining Norse mythology with action gameplay is intriguing and has potential.
The combat mechanics, while needing refinement, offer a unique experience with the ability to switch between different weapons.

The game lacks proper keyboard and mouse support, making it difficult for PC players to enjoy.
The AI is buggy and often gets stuck, leading to unchallenging combat encounters.
The gameplay is very short, with many players finishing it in under 30 minutes, leaving little incentive for replay.

graphics
176 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
59%
34%
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 fantastic!”
- “Graphics are fabulous!”
- “The graphics are gorgeous, especially for such a small team.”
- “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
129 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 numerous bugs that detract from the overall experience. Despite its potential and interesting concepts, players feel that significant improvements are needed in gameplay mechanics and optimization to enhance playability.
- “Good graphics, nice gameplay, cool environment, sounds okay, love it.”
- “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 gameplay is solid; I played it with mouse and keyboard and, while there is a lot of improvement to be done on the game, it's just a beta and only one level of the entire game.”
- “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
126 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 narrative but feel it requires significant development to reach its full potential.
- “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 like them personally to finish the game because it had a great story and I believe it shouldn't be let go of so easily considering not many stories have this sort of genre the way it's created.”
- “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 visual appeal, 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.
- “I can't hate too much if it's a school project, but it says beta more like early alpha, I'd say... very poor FPS, hyper-linear, no exploration, constant freezes, and the fact that a PC game on Steam makes you use a controller???”
- “The game's combat system is super buggy and underdeveloped. Although this is a beta, the game should be much cleaner than this, and it just seemed like a standard 'run to an area and kill enemies' without a satisfying fighting system.”
- “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%
The game's optimization has been 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. Overall, the consensus is that the game requires substantial optimization improvements to enhance the 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
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
50%
17%
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many players praising the soundtrack for its fitting ambiance and quality, particularly during combat sequences. However, some users criticized the voice acting and the inconsistency of background music, suggesting improvements for a more immersive experience. Overall, while the music enhances the game's atmosphere, there are calls for better integration and variety in the audio elements.
- “Good combat, nice graphics, nice music, and I like the berserker-like voice of Einar.”
- “The soundtrack is really, really good; it fits well in the game.”
- “The music is nice, love the war drums.”
- “When you start, you're met by royalty-free music, poor voice acting, and Unity assets.”
- “I truly hate the menu music after restarting the game over and over hoping it would recognize my various PS4 and Xbox controllers.”
- “Sound seems to come and go with little to no background music, and it's hit or miss with enemy noises.”
atmosphere
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
71%
29%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive and beautiful depiction of a Viking village, effectively conveying a sense of place despite the lack of a traditional storyline. Players appreciate the detailed textures, background elements, and well-developed sound design, which contribute to an engaging experience, though some feel the overall execution resembles a student project. Overall, the atmosphere is seen as a strong point, with potential for further development in gameplay and narrative.
- “The world is beautiful and atmospheric; it makes me feel like I'm inside a Viking village.”
- “There isn't a storyline as such, though the atmosphere does somewhat convey a story.”
- “The atmosphere, soundtrack, and sound effects are well developed.”
humor
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is widely appreciated, 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 question the game's quality despite its comedic moments. Overall, while the humor is a highlight, it is often overshadowed by significant gameplay flaws.
- “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!)”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players express that the grinding aspect of the game is excessively time-consuming, often requiring an unrealistic amount of effort to progress.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “The grinding feels endless and tedious.”
- “I spent hours grinding, and it felt like I made no progress.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
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 you to replay it to explore different outcomes and character arcs.”
- “With various paths and decisions to make, each playthrough feels unique, making you want to dive back in and experience everything the game has to offer.”
character development
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviewers praise the character development for its stunning design and appealing aesthetics, highlighting the impressive art and world-building that enhance the overall experience.
- “The environmental and character design looks astonishing.”
- “The art, world, and character design are all very appealing.”
- “The character design is great.”
emotional
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
100%
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.”
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization aspect of the game is not explicitly addressed in the provided text, but the emphasis on high-quality visuals and design suggests that players may feel the game justifies its price through its impressive production values. Overall, the aesthetic appeal may enhance the perceived value of the game, potentially mitigating concerns about monetization.