Frozenheim

65%
Game Brain Score Based on 2,909 reviews
  • graphics
  • gameplay
  • story
Frozenheim Game Cover
Paranoid Interactive presents a Norse tribal real-time strategy that's as beautiful as it is tactical, but does it offer enough to please the gods?
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Frozenheim is a serene Norse city builder with elaborate management gameplay and RTS tactical combat. Lead your Viking clan through hardships of the frozen north, season by season, year after year. Build and survive. Set sail, explore and conquer. Win Odin’s favor and secure your place in Valhalla!

  • PC
  • Windows
  • Cloud
  • NVIDIA GeForce NOW
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

65%
Audience ScoreBased on 2,909 reviews
graphics354 positive mentions
stability81 negative mentions
  • Beautiful graphics and immersive Norse atmosphere.
  • Fun gameplay with a mix of city building and RTS elements.
  • Great potential for future updates and improvements.
  • Limited content with only a few missions and maps available.
  • Combat mechanics are clunky and AI pathfinding is poor.
  • Game feels unfinished and lacks depth in resource management and unit variety.
  • graphics580 mentions

    The graphics of the game have received widespread praise for their beauty and attention to detail, effectively capturing a strong Nordic atmosphere. Many players noted that the visuals are a standout feature, with some describing them as stunning and immersive, although a few mentioned issues with optimization and minor graphical glitches. Overall, the game's aesthetic is considered a significant strength, enhancing the overall gameplay experience despite some criticisms regarding gameplay depth and mechanics.

    • “Despite being an indie game, the graphics look great; you can feel the strong Nordic atmosphere, and the gameplay is very nice :) Can't forget about the great music and sounds :)”
    • “The graphics are amazing; however, the music and sound is what I'd expect of something maybe just beta testing.”
    • “The graphics are excellent for a modern RTS game—not the cartoon graphics you see in other RTS games, which is great.”
    • “Graphics are mostly really bad, especially the snowy country, which surely sucks in a viking game.”
    • “This is a very barebones experience, I can't recommend this in good faith, less than two hours in and I feel like I've done and seen all the game is about and aside from some pretty graphics you'll ogle for a few seconds, gameplay-wise there is next to nothing.”
    • “I really want to like this game but the graphics and the people are so tiny it is hard to find everyone and enjoy the gameplay; don't get me wrong, it can be fun, it is just so hard to see everything.”
  • gameplay494 mentions

    The gameplay of Frozenheim has received mixed reviews, with many praising its beautiful graphics and unique Viking-themed mechanics, while others criticize its simplistic and sometimes buggy mechanics. Players appreciate the potential for engaging city-building and RTS elements, but find the execution lacking depth and often repetitive, particularly in the campaign mode. Overall, while the game shows promise, it requires significant improvements in mechanics and content to fully realize its potential.

    • “Fantastic and unique gameplay.”
    • “Underrated RTS with brilliant graphics and great gameplay.”
    • “The way they incorporated water, with the ease to build and use ships, also brilliantly adds realism to the Viking life without overburdening nor forcing us into using this aspect of the gameplay.”
    • “The game tries to be complex but the mechanics don't add up, so it actually is very shallow.”
    • “Cumbersome gameplay bogged down by these movement bugs, and troops who either stand around getting murdered in a fight, or trying to attack units that make them walk past other enemy units, getting killed on the way.”
    • “This is a very barebones experience; I can't recommend this in good faith, less than two hours in and I feel like I've done and seen all the game is about and aside from some pretty graphics you'll ogle for a few seconds, gameplay-wise there is next to nothing.”
  • story411 mentions

    The story in the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it simplistic and unengaging, often feeling tacked on to the gameplay. While some appreciate the Viking-themed setting and the attempt to integrate RPG elements into village building, others criticize the weak narrative structure and lack of depth in the campaign missions, which are often described as repetitive and lacking progression. Overall, the campaign is seen as a missed opportunity, with players expressing a desire for more substantial storytelling and content in future updates.

    • “I am 32 hours into doing the story campaign and it has me hooked!”
    • “Story was well told as well.”
    • “Highly recommend to RTS fans, interesting and engaging campaigns with a distinctly Viking atmosphere, which can be strongly felt at every step from the character models and buildings design to the storyline.”
    • “The bad: unfortunately it looks like the devs gave up on updates when this game did not get traction, the campaign is very weak on story and structure, the balance of resourcing is hard - wood is more precious than gold in this game.”
    • “I mainly play games for the story and so for me this was the main let down.”
    • “The story is lackluster.”
  • music148 mentions

    The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many praising its soothing and immersive qualities that enhance the overall atmosphere, particularly in relation to its Nordic theme. However, several players noted that the soundtrack can be repetitive and lacks variety, which detracts from the experience over time. Overall, while the music is generally appreciated for its calming effect and aesthetic appeal, there are calls for more diverse tracks to better complement the gameplay.

    • “Beautiful game with an amazing soundtrack, love the gameplay and the city building.”
    • “The music, scenery, and gameplay do excellent in immersing you in the atmosphere and shedding a few hours away building your Norse settlement in the Scandinavian wilderness.”
    • “The game looks gorgeous, the music is soothing and very enjoyable, and it's generally speaking already fun.”
    • “My major problem is that I'm pretty sure there is only one song in this game and it repeats over and over while you're playing.”
    • “The game also has a lot to work on in the realm of audio; the music (when it plays) is fairly boring and the sounds of combat and alerts are next to non-existent.”
    • “Background music (very peaceful, calm, probably for yoga or meditation purposes) is very sleepy and repetitive; it made me fall asleep.”
  • stability87 mentions

    The game's stability is a significant concern, with numerous reports of glitches affecting troop movement, AI behavior, and camera functionality. Players have experienced frequent bugs, including pathfinding issues, unresponsive controls, and occasional freezes, leading many to feel the game is not yet polished enough for a full release. While some users noted that the game runs well in terms of performance, the overall consensus is that it requires substantial improvements to its stability and user interface.

    • “It runs great for me and I didn't have any issues with FPS or crashing.”
    • “Looks great, runs great, and by far fits its genre, from a Viking village builder to an RTS game.”
    • “So far I like it; it's a beautiful game and runs great.”
    • “The workers management is supposed to be partially automated if you want to, but it fails quite often to do so (e.g., your woodcutter literally surrounded by trees can't find trees to cut). Soldiers don't always attack units in sight (even though they're in the proper stance), and the camera is often quite buggy.”
    • “It was really buggy and crashed constantly; it could be a really good game in the future.”
    • “However, the current version of the game is quite bug-ridden, and the controls aren't very responsive.”
  • optimization66 mentions

    Overall, the game suffers from significant optimization issues, particularly for AMD GPU users, leading to poor performance and bugs, especially in multiplayer scenarios. While some players report smooth performance on high-end systems, many others experience lag and unoptimized mechanics, indicating a need for further tuning and content expansion. The game's potential is hindered by these optimization problems, which developers are urged to address.

    • “Graphics 9/10 - really polished and beautiful landscape, also runs smoothly on my aging PC.”
    • “Good looking game which runs smoothly at max settings without breaking a sweat.”
    • “Performance is amazing, it looks and sounds immersive.”
    • “The game is somewhat poorly optimized; the maps are a bit too small, endgame comes quick, bugs need to be squished, and there needs to be some more content added before I can fully recommend it.”
    • “The FPS just kept getting lower and lower, while GPU usage was low too, so there is clearly a lack of optimization for AMD GPUs sadly.”
    • “Game poorly optimized, lots of bugs.”
  • atmosphere58 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its stunning graphics and immersive Norse themes, effectively transporting players to a vibrant Viking world filled with unique buildings and engaging gameplay. The music and sound design enhance the experience, although some players feel that certain elements, like the narrator's script, could be improved to better match the overall ambiance. Overall, the atmosphere is considered a standout feature, making it highly recommended for fans of the genre.

    • “The music, scenery, and gameplay do excellent in immersing you in the atmosphere and shedding a few hours away building your Norse settlement in the Scandinavian wilderness.”
    • “Highly recommend to RTS fans, interesting and engaging campaigns with a distinctly Viking atmosphere, which can be strongly felt at every step from the character models and buildings design to the storyline.”
    • “This is a very enjoyable game with beautiful atmospheres and settings.”
    • “It's a shame, I mean this looks really nice, and everything's cool, but I can't feel the impact of the atmosphere as well as I felt in Frostpunk.”
    • “The narrator's script feels mechanical and soulless, doesn't match the atmosphere at all.”
    • “At this point, I would be happier if I saw text like in Frostpunk and drawings that introduce me to the atmosphere with a sound that matches the impact.”
  • replayability44 mentions

    The replayability of the game is currently mixed, with some players enjoying the variety of game modes and customization options, while others criticize the lack of content and depth, particularly in its early access state. Many reviewers express hope for future updates to enhance replay value, but as it stands, several note that replayability is low to zero, with some suggesting that additional maps and features could significantly improve it.

    • “Therefore, it is somewhat strange that a game based on a very old RTS concept feels ‘refreshing’. I personally truly enjoy playing it and will certainly come back to it regularly, as the various game modes (from campaigns to free build, to a highly customizable skirmish mode, and the newly added Jarl's Tournament) really offer lots of replayability.”
    • “Much of Frozenheim's game mechanics also resemble Northgard, though the option of choosing which clan you want in a scenario makes it more replayable.”
    • “When the developers add more maps or allow mod maps, Frozenheim will have infinite replayability.”
    • “Replayability: low to zero.”
    • “Not a lot of content, replay value is nil.”
    • “In its current state, I don't see much replay value.”
  • grinding30 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and time-consuming, particularly due to slow movement mechanics and constant resource management, especially for wood. Many reviews highlight issues with unit pathfinding and bugs that exacerbate the grind, making gameplay feel clunky and frustrating. While some enjoy the overall progression, the repetitive tasks and lack of quality-of-life features detract from the experience.

    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “There is a ton of tedious resource grinding to keep villagers and military units happy.”
    • “Overall it feels grindy, clunky, not enough tooltips, no quality of life, there are bugs (the pathfinding ones are especially annoying).”
    • “Trying to fiddle with the move direction mechanic to find your desired formation in the exact desired spot is tedious at best, and useless at worst.”
  • humor14 mentions

    The game is noted for its humor, with players finding the NPCs' looping cries and the quirky AI pathing amusing. The sound effects, reminiscent of ancient Chinese warriors, add to the comedic atmosphere, while instances of unexpected glitches, like units being offloaded in a lake, contribute to the overall fun. Overall, the humor enhances the experience, making it a worthwhile purchase if found at a low price.

    • “The game is quite funny and the ambiance plus music is amazing.”
    • “Sounds they produce when you click on them are very funny and resemble ancient Chinese warriors (ho! he! hu!) rather than vikings.”
    • “The unit AI is hilariously bad.”
  • monetization12 mentions

    The monetization strategy of the game has raised concerns among users, with many perceiving it as a potential cash grab due to the prevalence of microtransactions and a lack of substantial content. There is a growing community sentiment that early access games often prioritize profit over quality, leading to skepticism about the game's long-term viability and commitment to development.

    • “I would suspect this game is just a cash grab for the company.”
    • “There is now a community assumption that all early access games are to look the best but perform terribly in the long run to only be a cash grab.”
    • “I know, we can't say if they are going to expand on the game for real or if it's a cash grab.”
  • emotional6 mentions

    Players find the game to be a relaxing and wholesome experience when approached casually, but criticize the lack of engaging storytelling and voice acting, which detracts from its emotional impact. The narrative is described as bland and boring, suggesting that improvements in storytelling could enhance the overall emotional connection.

    • “No voices, you need to read the bland, boring storyline, and did I say story?”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

65% average critic score

Buy Frozenheim

Play time

7hMedian play time
13hAverage play time
5-9hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 42 analyzed playthroughs

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