Expeditions: Viking

Everything that was good in Conquistador is taken to its next level of evolution with the change from the Strategy/RPG formula into a more "traditional" RPG experience in Viking. Fans of Logic Artists' first game and of the RPG genre in general are sure to be delighted with this authentically Norse experience filled with intrigue, cultural conflict, exploration and conquest.

Expeditions: Viking is the rare RPG that eschews the fantastic and is better for it. Despite the small team behind it, there is a level of depth here that AAA studios should take notice of. The only downside is a tendency to spike the difficulty with no warning and a propensity for crashing that abruptly ended my adventure three separate times. Despite these issues, Expeditions: Viking is an RPG you won’t want to miss. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have villages to pillage.

Expeditions: Viking is a great mix of strategy and RPG elements, a must-have for all fans of Expedition: Conquistador, but some imperfections are still present.

This brutal saga about power and burden of choice is such a captivating adventure that you quickly forget about the game's minor flaws.

Viking isn't the most refined game, with limited camera control, repetitive graphics that lack detail, and a lack of high-production presentation. It nevertheless succeeds in immersing the player in its world through an intriguing main story focused on local politics and motivations and driven by realistic struggles and constraints. Viking effectively impresses upon the player its main themes about the illusion of choice and the binding chains of circumstance, and also offers a multitude of poignant side-stories and strong character development. To top it off, the game features a unique combination of combat mechanics and abilities that allow creativity and enable some very interesting and satisfying strategies, as well as a novel take in timed and deliberate progress and out-of-combat party maintenance. Players looking to take part in a realistic and historically-inspired world with an engaging politically-driven story should look past the game's lack of technical polish and definitely pick up Expeditions: Viking.

Solid and funny RPG with great turn based combat, and above all, great freedom in choices. And you can plunder monasteries too!
 [Issue#275]

A deep tactical - and strategic - RPG. [Issue#262, p.58]

Even though its technology is somewhat dated, this tactical-RPG has immense depth and a great “consequences” game design that offers a unique experience.

Expeditions: Viking builds on the best of the previous game. It offers entertaining strategic duels, a well-developed story, a pleasant replayability, and a realistic Viking adventure.

Expeditions: Viking is an epic and enjoyable journey. And while its gameplay mechanics are not as easy-to-learn as some more casual players would expect, once you take your time and learn through its detailed world and rules, you’ll definitely enjoy it for a very long time.

Expeditions: Viking features some admirably nuanced turn-based combat that is in service of a larger story and interesting characters. It is a game that probably demands -- and certainly rewards -- multiple playthroughs both to gain mastery over the systems and to explore different choices in the story. Relatively minor quibbles with the game's visuals, camera, controls and occasional bugs aside, playing Expeditions: Viking is an unexpectedly rewarding experience.

In the end, the positive aspects of Expeditions: Viking outweigh the problems. Creating such a complex, detailed, and varied title is an ambitious undertaking, and it’s exactly what’s needed for gamers who don’t want to rely on “enhanced editions” of classic games to find a good role-playing experience. Expeditions: Viking, however, is more than just an RPG; it’s also an epic journey through history — a field with surprisingly few entries. Why rely on adventures from DnD or fantasy realms, if history can be presented in such an intriguing way?

Expeditions: Viking, while not perfect, offers outstanding tactical combat, with excellent character and world development. You'll encounter a host of interesting characters, fulfilling quests and important decisions as you travel from Denmark to Britannia, in a quest to save your clan.

For all the beauty and the brains behind Expeditions: Viking, the one gripe of mine that chips away at its score is the bugginess.

While Expeditions: Viking won’t be winning any awards for ground-breaking storytelling or innovative gameplay, it’s compelling in just the right way that keeps commanding attention throughout. I found it to be a lot of fun, if a little unpolished in places.

Layered with enough depth and intricacy for genre veterans, but loaded with fantastic tutorials and information for newcomers, this game welcomes all types of players. A formula that has been bettered, through and through, Expeditions: Viking is an absolute joy.

Expeditions: Viking finds an excellent balance between historical realism and RPG mechanics.

Previous game from Logic Artists, Expeditions: Conquistador, didn’t leave lasting impression on me, so I didn’t expect much from Vikings either. As it turns out, I was wrong – developers really nailed the setting and gave some mechanics a much-needed makeover. [Issue#220, p.52]

Expedition: Viking is a fun slightly strategic RPG that utilizes an interesting theme to great effect. Unfortunately, it doesn’t take enough chances to really be memorable.

I enjoyed my time with Expeditions: Viking, even though noticeable technical problems can hold it back. Its engaging story kept me constantly intrigued, and made me want to survive for the sake of my village. Long load times and a few glitched out quests really held back the experience from ascending the level to other great strategy titles, but I would definitely recommend to strategy fans because of its deep and engaging gameplay.

Expeditions: Vikings is a fantastic role playing strategy game for those of us whom feel the need to raid and pillage. It creates an authentic social environment where traditions and customs and be enforced or forsaken, much like the gods and myths in the Norse universe. Its a bit clunky, and not very pretty, but neither were the Vikings. With a few more character portraits, and some spit and polish it could be a real gem for any gaming collection.

Combat gives you a decent array of options but unfortunately it rarely poses any challenge. The optimization is abysmal and while it does not make the game unplayable, the situation is still unacceptable. Despite that I can recommend this title to everyone who seeks a solid turn-based RPG. The developers put a lot of effort into creating a vivid world and tell a lot of minor stories, many of your decisions matter and in some aspects Expedition: Viking reminds me of classic Fallouts. [06/2017, p.70]

Expeditions: Viking has been as much of a trial as it has been an adventure. It desperately needed even another month in development to work out the kinks in its system, and even now (a monthish later), it has its share of problems. Despite that, it's damnably endearing. The story's morally gray, fantasy-free atmosphere is refreshing, with a great sense of humor. Add to this a visceral, varied, if somewhat unbalanced combat system, and the result is something I look forward to playing through again in the future... assuming it works.

This is an RPG that fans of the genre will definitely enjoy. It isn't very innovative, but it is fun.

Behind some rage-inducing problems Expeditions: Viking is incredibly good. It enhances everything established in Conquistador and brings the setting to real life. Whether players will want to struggle through a sea of crashes and mistimed saves to experience it all is another factor altogether.

Expeditions: Viking is a great and engaging role-playing game with a stunning soundtrack and an exciting story. Sadly, its interesting combat is offset by some weird quirks, and too many crashes and bugs make for an experience which could have been so much better had the game been more polished at launch.

Viking lives in its atmosphere, so it's appreciated that most of the game is a spirited romp. For now, that experience is mangled by dozens of technical hiccups and anachronisms. At its heart lies an earnest drive to recreate a slice of Viking culture, and those looking for just that niche will find nothing better. But for everyone else, it's impossible to recommend until it's given some major help. There's a lot to be gained from stepping into the 8th century, but be prepared to have your journey hindered by bugs.

As it stands, though, Expeditions: Viking is simply a solid and at-times frustrating entry into tactical role-playing games, and should only be seriously considered by diehard strategy fans and history buffs – at least until it has been thoroughly rebuilt.

A lot of mechanics are mashed: battle tactics, roleplaying, strategic base building, crafting, survival elements and more. Unfortunately they are not merged very well, leaving a feeling that is not a Jack-of-all-trades and even less a master of anything.

Expeditions: Vikings fails to sustain the achieves of itsantecesor. Beside its technical issues the game have some problems with the difficult and with the development of his narrative. Only suitable for true lovers of the genre or the historical time.

Expedition: Viking is a fun turn-based RPG that is unfortunately marred by various technical issues. While the combat and story are intriguing, the “same-y” environments and characters leave a lot to be desired.