Tag: Historical setting

NORSE: Oath of Blood – Viking Retribution [Review]

The Viking saga NORSE: Oath of Blood is here, and it’s primarily a bitter tale of revenge—fitting for the historical theme of the game. When I tried the demo, I came to like it, but it was clear to me that it needed a lot of polish and optimization. Did they succeed? Not quite, in any real sense to be totally honest. I was expecting a Viking X-com, but instead got a very linear experience with a heavy focus on narrative and cutscenes.

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Shadow of the Road – Demo Impressions

The demon fears the samurai, like most other living things that are allergic to katana strikes aimed at the gut. Shadow of the Road is another unexpectedly fun RPG demo with turn-based gameplay, set in an intriguing medieval Japanese setting—local mythology and demons included. The only thing that had me confused was how the turn order worked, as it constantly shifted around during play. But I think I got the hang of it (somewhat) nearing the end of the demo.

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NORSE: Oath of Blood – Demo Impressions

NORSE: Oath of Blood I have followed for a while, so this demo didn’t take me by surprise like Of Ash and Steel. However, the demo by itself is a surprise in how entertaining it felt, especially going by the atmosphere, writing, and the satisfying turn-based combat. A prerequisite is that you must like Vikings, as the setting is supposed to be as authentic as possible to them, according to the developers. No monsters, dragons, or zombies this time around, yet murderous slavers, and lunatic forest hermits can be unsettling enough!

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Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: Russia – Borscht for the Masses

It’s time for the final game in the Assassin’s Creed Chronicles series. We are now in Russia, and we will get to stick our bayonet into both proto-commies and Brotherhood members. A welcome change, indeed. Unfortunately, Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: Russia is probably the worst of the lot, despite it having the coolest setting, and probably the best narrative. It starts out relatively well, but then it embraces all the painful mechanics of the other titles in the series, and turns it up to eleven.

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Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: India – Punjab Adventures

The Assassin’s Creed Chronicles continues with Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: India. While it’s a better game on a technical, story and gameplay level, I’m not sure if I appreciated the added difficulty in the form of assassination immune units, multiple timed events, and forced stealth segments. Specifically the last one, which I think ruined a unique aspect of Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: China. The mechanic that lets you continue despite your failures, but punishes you with a lower score. Now, that is still a thing, yet, way too many levels suffer from insta-restart if you make the tiniest mistake.

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