the director Robert Eggers The northerner gave audiences a bloody, Viking-themed revenge epic with an appealing touch of mysticism and fantasy to chew on. Vikings and Norse mythology are an unsurprisingly popular backdrop for such action-style stories and those coming out of the theater hungry for more movies like The northerner should not look away.
Video games are another way with many Viking and / or Norse-inspired worlds to get immersed. And while not all of them are strictly Viking stories, their settings and influences based on those stories should make these games more than quite immersive.
Assassin’s Creed: Valhalo (2020)
Definitely the most important game to The northerner here, that of Ubisoft Assassin’s Creed: Valhalo is the newest entry from the publisher / developer into the franchise. While longtime fans are of course exhausted by what was once an insidious-themed clandestine game, becoming a more common open-world game, Valhalo was still well-received for what it was.
Its strong reviews came from being a fun Viking breakout featuring an open-world RPG wrapper, with Ubisoft trimming its mechanics since expanding the series into an open-world RPG format. Players can even build their own settlements and raid rival tribes. What more could you want from a Viking game?
Assassin’s Creed: Valhalo available on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X | S, and computer.
Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor / War (2014/2017)
These are the first of the games that are not necessarily Viking-focused, but the world, which has been carefully crafted by respected fantasy author JRR Tolkien, borrows from several elements of mythological folklore. WB Games and Monolith Productions’ Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor and Shadow of War should scratch that fancy revengeful itch.
The games are set in their own canon separate from the books and movies, and feature an original character and a Gondorian Ranger named Thalia who ties in with the spirit of a fallen Elf Lord named Celebrimbor. This prequel tells the two teams to demand revenge on those who murdered their families, which evolves into the sequel to growing an army against Sauron. It’s a fitting topic coming up The northernerand Monolith stands out, especially, with titmouse Batman: Arkham-inspired combat system and signature “Nemesis System” to defeat and change the power hierarchy of enemy orc tribes.
Both Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor and War available on PS4, Xbox One and PC.
God of War (2018)
The tentmaster of Sony and Santa Monica Studios God of war a franchise started on the PlayStation 2 as an epic focused on Greek mythology, but the soft restart of 2018 flexed its creative muscles. The original PS2 and PlayStation Portable games have been praised as high-octane and bombastic action games, but the latest entry takes Kratos’ story to a much more cinematic and intimate level.
Kratos must now raise his son as a single father while being haunted by the ghosts of his vengeful, blood-soaked past and being confronted by important mythological figures. These elements combine for an extremely personal story with a satisfactorily visceral combat system.
God of war available on PS4 and PC.
Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice (2017)
Developers Ninja Theory has created one of the most inventive brain and psychologically exciting games in Hellblade: The Sacrifice of Senua. The story puts players in the shoes of the titular Senua, a Celtic warrior traveling through the Norse land of Helheim desperate to save the soul of her murdered husband from the goddess Hela.
It is a captivating cinematic game, using elements of the survival horror genre to explore otherworldly beings in intense combat, as well as exploring the depths of Senua’s traumatic psyche through an impressive balance of tact and plot. The game is payable for a sequel in the form of Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II for Xbox Series X | S and PC, and the amazing cinematic nature of these games seems like something The northernerRobert Eggers himself would have directed.
Hellblade: The Sacrifice of Senua available on PS4, XBO, XSX | S, Nintendo Switch and PC.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (2011)
Similar to the aforementioned Lord of the Rings games, Bethesda’s vast high fantasy world of The Elder Scrolls also borrows elements from Norse mythology. Especially so with the often-published fifth entry, Skyrimfor its land draws heavy visual and thematic inspirations from its folklore.
The land of Skyrim is set against the backdrop of political turmoil between two major Nordic clans, all while the Dragonborn protagonist must deal with the threat of Alduin, the dragon-eating World Eater, from leading a dragon-ridden apocalypse. This open world action RPG was a major game for the medium, and its addictive level of replayability stands even after almost 11 years.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Available on PS4, PS5, XBO, XSX | S, Switch and PC.
by Robert Eggers The northerner now plays in theaters.
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