Vikings: Wolves of Midgard

Shortcomings aside, hack and slash fiends who are looking for their next fix should definitely check out Vikings: Wolves of Midgard, a genre effort which more than earns its passage into Valhalla.

66%Game Brain Score

story, gameplay

stability, grinding

63% User Score Based on 798 reviews

Critic Score 69%Based on 13 reviews

Platforms

Buy Nowfrom $1.89

Buy NowGet on Steam€29.99

Buy NowGet on Apple Store

About

"Vikings: Wolves of Midgard" is an action RPG set in the frozen landscape of Midgard. Players control a legendary Viking warrior, battling mythical enemies and bosses to protect the world from Ragnarok. With various weapons, armor, and special abilities to choose from, players can customize their character to fit their preferred playstyle. Cooperative multiplayer is available for up to 2 players, allowing for even more strategic combat options.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

63%

Audience ScoreBased on 811 reviews

story79 positive mentions

stability37 negative mentions

The game features beautiful graphics and a well-crafted Norse mythology setting.
Combat is engaging and requires players to dodge and strategize, making boss fights feel rewarding.
The upgrade system for the village and crafting mechanics add depth to the gameplay.

The game suffers from numerous bugs and glitches that can disrupt gameplay.
The loot system is underwhelming, with limited variety and often disappointing drops.
The character progression feels shallow, with a linear skill tree that lacks meaningful choices.

story
296 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
67%
7%
The game's story is generally perceived as mediocre, with many players finding it linear and lacking depth, despite its Norse mythology backdrop. While some appreciate the engaging lore and character interactions, others criticize the repetitive mission structure and underwhelming character development. Overall, the narrative serves as a basic framework for gameplay rather than a compelling driving force.
- “The lore is based on Norse mythology and rich in depth, the story follows a Viking warrior as they fight to save their clan, and is average, but I don't usually play these types of games for the story.”
- “The game is stable, well polished and not buggy at all (at least in my case), it has an interesting story with a variety of enemies and not even one dull moment.”
- “I love the story and how you progress through the game, and combat is okay; it has a dodge ability while most ARPGs don't.”
- “The story is linear and boring; after playing, I can't even remember a single plot or meaningful choice.”
- “The story mission itself is so generic and short that for the $30 I spent, I could have hired Swedish strippers and gotten a more enhanced Viking experience.”
- “You will get a snippet of story before and after each mission; we are talking maybe 10 lines of story each mission with little to no story being present during the actual missions.”
gameplay
230 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
32%
56%
12%
The gameplay of "Vikings: Wolves of Midgard" is a mixed bag, with some players enjoying the smooth combat mechanics and unique exposure system, while others criticize the repetitive nature and poorly implemented mechanics that hinder the overall experience. Many reviews highlight the dodging mechanic as a refreshing addition, but frustrations arise from clunky controls, tedious environmental challenges, and a lack of depth in gameplay options. Overall, while the game offers enjoyable moments, it suffers from significant flaws that detract from its potential as a standout action RPG.
- “The gameplay takes a second to get fun, as you start off killing crows and wolves and freezing to death in a snowstorm. However, as your character evolves with each mission, you quickly find yourself sailing your longship, going off to battle armies in full Viking fashion, and it's glorious!”
- “Gameplay is really smooth and fun and addictive.”
- “The puzzles are not overwhelming but definitely a nice touch to the overall gameplay.”
- “Unfortunately, those mechanics ruined my fun.”
- “The game mechanics are horrendous.”
- “Sadly, not every idea or mechanic within the game appears to be really thought through or implemented as well as it could have been.”
graphics
185 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
62%
35%
3%
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their beauty and detail, with many reviewers noting the impressive environments and character designs that effectively capture the Viking theme. While some players experienced graphical glitches and inconsistencies, the overall consensus is that the visuals are solid and contribute positively to the gaming experience. However, a few critiques mention that the graphics, while good, do not reach the level of innovation seen in top-tier titles.
- “The game is so beautiful, the graphics are so deep and really take you to the Viking world.”
- “The graphics are amazing, and the music is excellent.”
- “The graphics are beautiful, the gameplay fun.”
- “Oh and forgot about graphic glitches, enemies moon-walking, birds flying through objects, buildings, and so on.”
- “The graphics seem washed out, bland, and blurry even on the highest settings.”
- “Bland graphics throughout, and grind, grind, grind with no real reward other than finishing the game.”
music
69 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
65%
30%
4%
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim for its atmospheric and immersive qualities, effectively complementing the Norse mythology theme. Reviewers highlight the soundtrack as a standout feature, describing it as a mix of Viking-themed folk music and rock that enhances the overall gaming experience. Many players appreciate the quality of the original score, noting its ability to drive combat and create an engaging ambiance throughout the gameplay.
- “The soundtrack is amazing, and the boss fights were fun enough.”
- “The campaign and lore are rooted in Norse mythology, and the art direction and music do a great job getting you immersed into the theme.”
- “The result is a soundtrack with dark chants, atmospheric pieces that tell a story by themselves and really enhance the zones you are playing in.”
- “Music: uh....I always play with music off, but I had this on, as usual to me nothing impressive.”
- “6.8/10 - I'd say that the music is its greatest point, not the greatest Viking music I've heard but very good nonetheless.”
- “Sounds/music are okay.”
stability
42 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
12%
88%
The game's stability has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting significant bugs and glitches that hinder gameplay, such as freezing, game-breaking issues, and graphical errors. While some users experienced a stable and polished game, the consensus leans towards it being clunky and poorly designed, with frequent technical problems that detract from the overall experience. Overall, players are cautioned about the game's instability, despite its enjoyable elements.
- “The game is stable, well polished, and not buggy at all (at least in my case). It has an interesting story with a variety of enemies and not even one dull moment.”
- “It runs great on ultra settings, with very little performance issues.”
- “Runs great, graphics are good, music as well; a real blast playing on the couch in co-op with 2 gamepads.”
- “This game seems buggy where I was stuck at the burn the fleet; I could not enter to load into the boss fight when I clicked the continue button.”
- “I ran into a couple of game-breaking glitches in the game, one where I got stuck along a shoreline and couldn’t move without exiting out of the game.”
- “Game is buggy, enemies difficult in a not very fun way.”
grinding
35 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
9%
97%
Overall, players find the grinding in the game to be tedious and often unenjoyable, with many expressing frustration over the lack of clear indicators for resource locations and the repetitive nature of tasks required for upgrades. While some appreciate the grind as a staple of the ARPG genre, others feel it detracts from the overall experience, leading to a sense of monotony and diminished rewards. The combination of slow-paced combat and excessive resource gathering contributes to a feeling of frustration rather than satisfaction.
- “The game isn't grindy; you only need to repeat a few previous campaigns to get past the final bosses.”
- “Grinding feels rewarding, as each session brings me closer to unlocking new abilities and gear.”
- “I appreciate how the grinding mechanics are balanced, allowing for progress without feeling tedious.”
- “It feels like grinding.”
- “The resources are grindy in a not-fun way.”
- “Playing the small and dull instances that replace the proper world and dungeons here is bad enough, but combined with hours of slow and dull grinding and broken game mechanics it feels like torture.”
replayability
21 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
52%
33%
Overall, the game's replayability is a mixed bag, with some players appreciating the variety in classes and weapon combinations that offer decent replay value, while others criticize the lack of randomness and hand-placed loot, which significantly limits replayability. Many reviews highlight that, despite some fun gameplay elements, the game fails to provide enough variety or challenge to encourage repeated playthroughs. Ultimately, while there are elements that could enhance replayability, the consensus leans towards it being quite limited.
- “Decent replayability due to several different 'classes' (god gift trees) based on the weapons being used.”
- “Last note: because of the different weapon and armor combinations to specialize in, there is some decent replayability in the game as well.”
- “Your 'class' is a combination of your choice of weapons (sword, axe, hammer, bow, staff, 1h, 2h, dw), armor (light, medium, heavy) and patron gods (Thor, Odin, Skathi, Tyr, Loki, and so on) - you have many options here which creates guaranteed replayability.”
- “The worst part of all is that the game has hand-placed loot which totally kills replayability.”
- “Except for the great setting, it's just another Diablo 3/Torchlight/POE style game that sadly misses replay value and never got me in the mood to grind for resources/items.”
- “Now, the gameplay is fun, but I can see that there is not going to be a lot of replayability here.”
optimization
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
32%
47%
21%
Overall, the game's optimization has received mixed to negative feedback, with many players reporting significant performance issues such as stuttering, lag, and clunky controls, particularly on PC. While some users experienced solid performance on ultra settings, others noted that the game requires high-end hardware to run smoothly and lacks advanced settings for performance tweaking. Many reviewers suggest waiting for updates to address these optimization problems before fully engaging with the game.
- “I get good performance at 60fps and the animations look good.”
- “It runs great on ultra settings, very little performance issues.”
- “Solid performance, great soundtrack, enjoyable combat.”
- “Is an okay game, but optimization is really, really rough.”
- “This game is also badly optimized; my 960, i7, 32GB RAM can't run this game on medium without it becoming laggy the moment you land on a new map and see new enemies.”
- “Seems unoptimized on release and hit detection is really lackluster.”
humor
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized by its quirky character interactions and amusing gameplay mechanics, such as the absurdity of rolling faster than running. Players appreciate the funny lines delivered by characters, though some find the overall story and character depth lacking. The comedic elements, including taunts and light-hearted scenarios, contribute to a playful atmosphere, making the experience enjoyable despite some criticisms of flat character development and simplistic storytelling.
- “Not a perfect ARPG, but it has a cool story with a funny character and satisfying gameplay.”
- “The player character will throw a lot of taunts and verbal jabs, and when they talk to NPCs, it's often quite funny.”
- “You're saving a few tribe members here and there (right at the start you have to save a 2m big Viking warrior from 2 goblin-like creatures with wooden swords; it's actually pretty hilarious).”
atmosphere
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
69%
8%
23%
The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its immersive Nordic setting, complemented by a fitting soundtrack that enhances the experience. Players appreciate the beautiful graphics, well-crafted environments, and the coherent integration of mythology, although some note that the gameplay could be more engaging. Overall, the atmosphere is considered a standout feature, particularly for fans of action RPGs and Viking themes.
- “The Nordic atmosphere and the setting are really nice, especially the Imperium Romana worshipping the Vanir was a nice design choice to make the world coherent while having only one mythology.”
- “Beautiful (yet a little clunky) animations, spectacular lighting & gore effects, and very nice hand-drawn backgrounds create a beautiful atmosphere.”
- “The result is a soundtrack with dark chants, atmospheric pieces that tell a story by themselves and really enhance the zones you are playing in.”
- “The music and sound seem to fit the atmosphere of the game well.”
- “It adds a lot to the atmosphere.”
- “As I mentioned in the atmosphere review, you basically customize your character by your choice of weapon(s) and god(s).”
monetization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization strategy of the game has been criticized as a major cash grab, with some players feeling that it creates an unnecessary sense of urgency. However, others find the exposure mechanic manageable and not overly intrusive.
- “This is a major cash grab.”
- “I feel this game is a cash grab.”
character development
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Character development in the game is considered lacking when compared to titles like Grim Dawn or Torchlight, with users noting that the story is not particularly engaging. However, the gameplay remains enjoyable, making it suitable for players seeking a more casual experience without a heavy focus on character customization.
- “The story isn't mind-blowing, and the character development is poor compared to Grim Dawn or Torchlight, but surprisingly, the gameplay is pretty fun!”
- “In summary, it's a fun game for those who don't want to invest much time in character development and customization, and prefer an easy and enjoyable experience.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
150%
The emotional aspect of the game is criticized for its boring story, which detracts from the overall experience. However, the immersive visuals, particularly in snowy areas, evoke a strong sensory response, making players feel the chill as if they could get frostbite from the screen.
- “The story was incredibly boring and failed to evoke any emotional response.”
- “I found the narrative to be dull, lacking the depth needed to connect with the characters.”
- “The emotional impact was nonexistent; I felt detached from the entire experience.”