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Sons of Valhalla

Sons of Valhalla is an exceptional 2D side-scroller action game that challenges the player’s strategic approach and skills management.
70%Game Brain Score
gameplay, story
grinding, replayability
68% User Score Based on 530 reviews
Critic Score 72%Based on 9 reviews

Platforms

PCPCEpic GamesEpic GamesWindowsWindows
Buy Nowfrom €19.99
Buy NowGet on Steam€19.99

About

"Sons of Valhalla" is a single-player Fantasy Role Playing game with striking graphics that combines side-scrolling base building and strategy elements. As Viking Jarl son Thorald Olavson, embark on a journey to England to save your true love, battling enemy forces and managing resources in an age of Vikings. The game features heavy grinding, providing a challenging and immersive experience.

Genres & Tags
Play Modes
Sons of Valhalla screenshot
Sons of Valhalla screenshot
Sons of Valhalla screenshot
Sons of Valhalla screenshot
Sons of Valhalla screenshot
Sons of Valhalla screenshot
Sons of Valhalla screenshot
Sons of Valhalla screenshot
Sons of Valhalla screenshot
Sons of Valhalla screenshot

68%
Audience ScoreBased on 539 reviews
gameplay51 positive mentions
grinding38 negative mentions
  • Visually stunning pixel art and immersive design that captures the atmosphere of a Viking adventure.
  • Engaging combat mechanics that allow players to directly control the protagonist and lead troops into battle.
  • The rune system adds depth to gameplay, allowing for customization of character stats and play styles.
  • Repetitive gameplay loop with little variety in missions and enemy encounters, leading to a lack of long-term engagement.
  • The story is short and simplistic, failing to provide a compelling narrative experience.
  • Combat can feel unbalanced, with the protagonist often overshadowing the effectiveness of recruited units.
  • gameplay
    209 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay of "Sons of Valhalla" has received mixed reviews, with many players noting its repetitive nature and lack of depth, particularly in combat and resource management. While the game features engaging mechanics and a blend of strategic base-building and direct combat, it often falls into a monotonous loop that can detract from the overall experience. Despite its appealing aesthetics and potential for fun, players express a desire for more variety and complexity to sustain long-term engagement.

    • “This game scratches some sort of new school and nostalgic itch with an interesting balance of King Arthur's Gold meets the Kingdom series, with some interesting combat and troop management gameplay.”
    • “The core gameplay mechanics offer a blend of strategic base-building and direct combat, urging players to manage resources, recruit diverse units, and lead assaults.”
    • “Sons of Valhalla cleverly combines several gameplay genres to create something utterly unique.”
    • “However, beneath the gorgeous presentation lies a gameplay loop that can feel repetitive.”
    • “The gameplay loop turns into you running back and forth to your base to hire soldiers, waiting at your front gate or running back to tell them to attack the enemy base after they spawn, watch them die, run back to hire more soldiers until you take the outpost over and then you fight a boss at the end (I liked the boss fights because it broke the tedious loop).”
    • “The main gameplay is very repetitive, without variety; even when passing the first level, I was tired of the monotonous process, but on each subsequent map, you will do the same thing, no options.”
  • story
    187 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's story has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it overly simplistic and brief, often completing it in just a few hours. While some appreciate the Viking-themed narrative and its aesthetic elements, others criticize the lack of depth and character investment, leading to a feeling of repetitiveness and disengagement. Overall, the story is seen as a missed opportunity, failing to deliver a compelling experience that matches the game's potential.

    • “I really enjoyed this game; it is a lot of fun and the story kept me wanting to keep going.”
    • “You travel between 5 different stages and go through a simple but effective 'save the princess' story with beautifully drawn pixel art cutscenes and pretty good voice acting.”
    • “Overall, I would give this game a rating of 8.9/10 solid game and the story is great.”
    • “The story is laughably short.”
    • “It's repetitive, bland and the story is embarrassingly bad.”
    • “Unfortunately the blandness and execution of the story does not help...”
  • graphics
    89 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of the game have received widespread praise for their stunning pixel art and vibrant landscapes, effectively capturing the essence of Norse mythology and Viking aesthetics. Many players appreciate the charming visuals and animations, which enhance the overall experience, although some critiques highlight issues with pixelation on larger screens. Overall, the graphics are considered a significant strength, contributing to the game's appeal, despite some concerns about gameplay depth and content.

    • “The landscapes and character details are a treat to behold, and the soundtrack complements the visuals well, pulling players into the Norse world.”
    • “Perhaps the greatest strength of Sons of Valhalla is the absolutely stunning graphics, great music, and some pretty fun gameplay.”
    • “Gorgeous graphics and beautiful animations.”
    • “The game may be great, but the terrible pixelated graphics that look really ugly on a big monitor and the pixelated font that is simply impossible to read made me just close this game and return it.”
    • “If you make pixel graphics - look at how it's done in Factorio; if you can't do it even 50% right - don't start making it. These horrible 16 x 16 pixel multicolored squares look like a piece of crap from Minecraft on big screens.”
    • “The art style is not even meh, it's pathetically weak.”
  • grinding
    38 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The grinding aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it tedious and repetitive due to unbalanced gameplay and lengthy boss fights. While some appreciate the fun combat and pixel art, the overall experience is marred by a monotonous loop of resource management and enemy encounters, leading to frustration and a sense of wasted time. Those who enjoy grinding may find value in the game, especially if purchased on sale, but it may not appeal to everyone due to its lack of tactical depth and engaging progression.

    • “The gameplay difficulty is unbalanced; enemies just have much more life, which makes the game tedious.”
    • “It's not a terrible game loop and definitely works on paper, but it gets pretty grindy and repetitive.”
    • “This game is in a tedious slog at the moment; too much waiting around for resources.”
  • music
    30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game is generally well-received, with many players praising its ability to complement the stunning visuals and enhance the immersive Norse atmosphere. While the soundtrack is described as solid and pleasant, some users express concerns about its potential repetitiveness over extended play sessions. Overall, the music is considered a strong aspect of the game, contributing positively to the overall experience.

    • “The landscapes and character details are a treat to behold, and the soundtrack complements the visuals well, pulling players into the Norse world.”
    • “Art is gorgeous, music is pleasant, and gameplay is fun.”
    • “Perhaps the greatest strength of Sons of Valhalla is the absolutely stunning graphics, great music, and some pretty fun gameplay.”
    • “The music is okay, although I have a feeling I would get tired of it after 10+ hours.”
    • “The music and visuals are also designed just well enough to serve their purpose and not distract you from murdering your way through England - nothing you haven't seen before, but just right.”
    • “Background music is decent.”
  • replayability
    24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Overall, the game has received significant criticism for its lack of replayability, with many users expressing a desire for more content, such as additional characters, weapons, and challenges. While some mention the potential for replaying on higher difficulties or through an endless mode, the general consensus is that the replay value is low and may not sustain player interest over time.

    • “The endless mode may present some replayability.”
    • “It's not a long game, but it does have replayability.”
    • “Depending on your difficulty, bosses are initially quite tough, especially if you don't pay attention to their move sets. Once you've gotten powerful enough, they become relatively easy. I plan to replay the game on the hardest difficulty for added challenge and replay value.”
    • “My main criticism is there is very little replayability.”
    • “It doesn't have much in terms of replayability.”
    • “Zero replayability.”
  • stability
    16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's stability has been criticized for being plagued with glitches and performance issues, leading to frustrating gameplay experiences for some users. While a few players reported minimal problems, many noted significant bugs that hindered their enjoyment. The developers have acknowledged these issues and committed to providing updates to improve stability in the future.

    • “Glitches, I did run into 2 situations I was confused on that made me have to stop the game.”
    • “Yeah, this game was pretty dog and buggy.”
    • “Unique game idea but still a bit buggy.”
  • optimization
    12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The optimization of the game has been a significant point of frustration for players, with reports of performance issues and glitches that detract from the overall experience. Despite being a smaller game, it suffers from heavier performance demands than expected, leading to concerns about its readiness for release. However, the developers have committed to addressing these issues through future updates.

    • “The dev has pledged to provide updates to improve performance and address glitches, so these issues will likely see some attention in the days to come.”
    • “The game is small, but somehow the performance is heavier than the kingdom.”
    • “The optimization is arguably the most frustrating aspect of the game.”
    • “The game is small, but somehow the performance is heavier than expected.”
    • “It's far from the glitchiest experience I've played this year, but between that and the weird performance drops, it doesn't feel ready for prime time.”
  • humor
    10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players find the humor in the game to be a mix of situational comedy and clever mechanics, with instances like a stuck boss fight eliciting both laughter and frustration. The use of items like fire pots adds to the fun, showcasing a lighthearted approach that many users appreciate. Overall, the humor is described as simple yet effective, leaving players wanting more.

    • “I had a funny case where I shot the whip hound boss to death and it got stuck because the boss wouldn't move to the middle of the map, so I just ended up redoing the boss fight again.”
    • “The fire pots are both fun and funny and really useful, get those quick.”
    • “Simple yet quite funny.”
  • atmosphere
    6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Sons of Valhalla is praised for its visually stunning graphics and immersive design, effectively capturing the essence of a Viking adventure. Reviewers highlight the game's mesmerizing atmosphere, which enhances the overall experience, despite some generic gameplay elements. The attention to detail in animations further contributes to the game's appealing ambiance.

    • “Sons of Valhalla is a visually stunning game that captures the atmosphere of a Viking adventure with impressive art and immersive design.”
    • “It had a mesmerizing atmosphere which was just really nice to be immersed in.”
    • “The animations are cute and well done, as is the atmosphere of the area.”
  • character development
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Character development features engaging initial designs, but becomes repetitive after the first few characters. While there are runes that enhance abilities and provide strategic boosts, the overall depth of character progression is considered lacking by players.

    • “There’s some character development in the form of runes - and these can enable ways to play by strengthening your abilities, as well as providing boosts to your units and towns.”
  • emotional
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Users note that while the game may involve grindy mechanics, it successfully evokes strong emotional responses, enhancing the overall experience.

72%Critics’ scoreBased on 9 critic reviews

Buy Sons of Valhalla

8h Median play time
7h Average play time
4-9h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 4 analyzed playthroughs

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