Land Of The Vikings Review: If You Build It, They Will Come

So… what’s new with Land of the Vikings, eh? You may have read my Early Access coverage last year. Well, almost one full year to the day, it’s been released into the wild, outside of the ‘comforts’ of Early Access, with some new features to boot.

Including the word comforts in a city builder such as this is a bit of a risk in itself. The last time I played this, I was distressed at the dwindling population in my settlement. Who would do the skinning, the fruit gathering, or put the cat out at night once Magnus popped his clogs? More importantly, why am I still bothered by the road placement in the game?

That’s no slander on Land of the Vikings or its developers, Laps Games – I just wish there was a bit more restriction on the placement of objects. Yes, you read that correctly. Maybe Steve Jobs got it right by restricting customisation with Apple products – if it happened here, I’d have focused on food rather than symmetrical roads. 

Land Of The Vikings Review: Laps’ Land

In Land of the Vikings, it’s about starting with nothing and working your way up. Though the small print says you can carry over your saved game, mine no longer existed from the Early Access, so had to go back to basics. This was annoying but led me to one of the new game modes.

What’s new? There’s no new technology as we’re still in the same era, but Land of the Vikings now features a new option called Immersive Mode. Featuring some 25 or so objectives, you control the Jarl and take your settlement from sticks to… well, more sticks, but on a grander scale. It’s worth playing this, not just for the campaign element, but to learn the ropes and nuances in the game.

There are multiple events in the game, but what caught my eye was the addition of a new map featuring a volcano. I know more about Norse mythology and the Nordic lands than the average person, but I’m light years away from being an expert. Volcanoes have never been ‘a thing’ with Vikings before, so it’s an interesting setpiece for the game.

It’s Easier To Destroy Than Create

But that’s the only real advancement in the game since I last played. A year is a long time, but that’s mostly been fixing bugs and adding improvements or even paving the way for the new features as promoted on the Steam page. Life after Early Access…

I was mildly surprised at Land of the Vikings reviews on Steam. Quite a few people have complained about bugs. I didn’t encounter many, but I can relate to the monotony people touch upon, such as the events. There’s a good variety, but it’s a choose your own adventure types that give a bonus, then moments later, bite you on the arse.

The destruction of buildings at mortality rates could trigger frustration, but that wasn’t an issue for me. It was the opposite: creating new structures and assigning workers. There were many occasions when I fast-forwarded time simply because it took too long to build or harvest resources. Trees still grow at an alarming rate, though you can nip this in the bud through some structures.

Work Placement

Workers would get so far that they’d have to get more resources. Standard practice in an RTS, but what with the events, endless complaints that their boilers aren’t working and having to fix the heating, and then, the bloody earth moves and topples some more residential areas. Again, the latter isn’t the end, but Land of the Vikings has morphed somewhat into pouring jugs from one vessel to the next, then back again.

Visually, it’s nice, and despite the poor judgement on my part in building placement, there’s a lot of freedom in getting the correct layout of your settlement, which can be very aesthetically pleasing. And the number of decorations is abundant and a nice feature.

But, having returned to Land of the Vikings again to check in on how things have gone, it’s not developed enough for me to drop everything I’m doing to focus on my peeps. Yes, it can be somewhat addictive, but the juggling and waiting around for action can be off-putting. Still on the fence? I’d like to think my review errs on the positive, albeit honest side of the fence, but weigh up other feedback, notably the comments on Steam.