Trial by Viking

You are the viking, a hero who probably wouldn't look out of place in [i]Final Fantasy 4[/i]'s Dwarven Kingdom. I mean, just look at that magnificent beard. Anyway, you've been summoned by Odin to rid Asgard of Loki's minions. The story is a standard Norse tale, but the final boss being determined by choices made at pivotal moments in the plot is a nice touch. Oh what am I saying? Not even one paragraph into the review and I'm already talking about the end. So let's step back for just a minute. Your progress in [i]Trial by Viking[/i] is determined not just by being able to reach the end of the 100+ levels. You also have to find sun-crystals. These shiny gems are used to purchase abilities, tools, and weapon-upgrades. This is one of the interesting aspects of this game. Eventually you'll need certain items in order to progress, but there's nothing stopping you from getting them early, in order to make certain levels easier. However, you also have to be considerate of the fact that there are only so many crystals in each level. You can't expect to repeat levels in order to farm them. Before I start discussing the controls, I want to briefly touch on Super Metroid. As fantastic as this game is, its controls could be considered "floaty" by some people. The jump physics, while extremely flexible, might even frustrate a handful of gamers. I think that this is a unique quality, and the identity it helps create is part of the reason why Super Metroid is so revered. [i]Trial of Viking[/i] has controls that are quite different as well, which also gives it an identity of its own. Now if you're thinking that I might be giving this game a little too much credit, by comparing it to a genre-stalwart, then you're probably right. The Viking in this game moves in a very loose manner. Moving around will take time to get used to, and for some players, the pure-platforming levels are going to be especially difficult. However, this can work to your advantage. If you get some momentum going, you can quickly move past a lot of danger. Also, unlike some other games, taking damage typically won't knock you into the nearest pit. You'll get pushed around, but you have ample time to recover. You might even purposely get hurt just to give yourself a little boost. Oh and even though there are a wealth of spikes in most levels, they don't cause instant-death. All that said, if you're playing with an Xbox 360 controller, I highly recommend that you change the dead-zone settings. For the most part, the level-design in this game is great. Each area is well-paced, and offers a good mixture of puzzles, traps, and monsters to contend with. The tools are all very effective, and it's not too much trouble to switch between mid-level. You can expect to use bombs to destroy walls, daggers to hit far-away switches, and so on. The one trap I don't like is the dark hole. These appear very late in the game, and you're liable to struggle for awhile until you figure it out. It's odd to learn a new mechanic far into the game, especially since it only makes a few appearances. Aside from those annoying holes, I don't have any complaints about the level-design. Unfortunately, the melee combat isn't particularly good. There are numerous ranged options, including throwing your axe, that help mitigate the problem. Until you get used to how the game operates, you'll clumsily bump into the monsters. Basically, there's not a lot of finesse to fighting. For most of the bosses, you'll learn patterns and figure out strategies. Still, that doesn't mean you won't run into a few bruisers that fall to relentless attack-button mashing. Anothing thing to keep in mind is that your survival rate is liable to go up, if you ignore certain monsters. A key aspect to keep in mind is that there aren't any ambushes. Monsters won't appear out of thin air nor will they respawn, unless they're summoned by others. It might be worth clearing the area of danger, so you can explore at your leisure. Altogether, [i]Trial by Viking[/i] is not only a pretty good game; it also offers a fresh spin on the "Metroidvania" genre. Instead of one large world, there are many small levels, and you have to purchase your upgrades. The controls aren't perfect, but they have their own appeal. Most gamers shouldn't have too much trouble adjusting. In short: I'm impressed. [i]If you liked this review or want to see more recommended games, be sure to follow our curator group: [url=http://steamcommunity.com/groups/Original_Curators_Group#curation]Follow Original Curator Group[/url][/i]

https://youtu.be/YHPMLtP7tyQ [i]Game:[/i] Trial by Viking [i]Genre:[/i] 2D Puzzle Platformer [i]Developer:[/i] Last Life Games [i]Publisher:[/i] Last Life Games [i][u]Copy supplied by developer[/u][/i] [b]Trial by Viking[/b] is a 2D action puzzle platformer developed and published by Last Life Games. [h1]STORY[/h1] Set in a world with Norse mythology, you play as a viking who has to help Odin fight the evil god Loki. During the story, you will be able to make some choices that will alter the ending of the game. The story itself is nothing to write home about, it's pretty standard stuff. But I did like that, for once, we got to play around with Norse gods, even though many monsters are not inspired from Norse mythology and they feel kinda generic. [h1]GRAPHICS[/h1] Made with the Unity engine, the game doesn't look half-bad. The backgrounds and level design are easily the best aspects of the game: there is good variety between each level, and they all feel different. However, the character models look a bit off, like not all of them belong in this game: some are a bit too cartoonish, others are a tad too "realistic". But for the most part it's polished. [h1]GAMEPLAY[/h1] Let's just say that this game is not for everyone. It is an hardcore platformer: some levels are more focused on fighting, others more on jumping around, and others on finding keys and beating puzzles. The controls are a bit floaty, meaning that you will slide a little bit when moving the viking, but I got used to it. Your main objective is not only to get to the end of each level, but also to find every sunstone (in-game currency) hidden in the level to buy upgrades for your axe, as well as seconday weapons (bombs, knives) and tools that will help you finish some levels. The fighting is very weak, and you will mostly rely on ranged combat since it's very hard to avoid getting hit by enemies. Also, I found the game to lack any type of excitment: playing every level felt more like a chore, and after a while I was getting more and more bored. And while many are comparing this to metroidvania games, I (as a huge fan of Symphony of the Night, Guacamelee and Metroid Fusion) don't think this belongs in that genre at all. [h1]CHALLENGE[/h1] The game has a very good difficulty curve, even though it gets very frustrating in the later stages of the game especially in platforming levels due to its controls. [h1]SOUND[/h1] The soundtrack is pretty good and the voice acting (which is kept to a minimum) is pretty good. But the sound effects are very weak, and I am not a fan of the "PUFF" sound when an enemy dies. [h1]REPLAYABILITY[/h1] Over 100 levels, lots of upgrades, and different choices to make will make you replay this game at least once. Overall, this is an average platformer that gets more frustrating and less enjoyable as time goes on due to its poor controls and high difficulty. Worth buying to fans of platformers and of Norse mythology; the others should wait for a sale. [h1]Story: 7 Graphics: 7 Gameplay: 7.5 Challenge: 8 Sound: 7.5 Replayability: 8 [b]ENJOYMENT: 6.5 FRUSTRATION: 8[/b][/h1] Follow me on Twitter: @nickygra97 [url=https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_VuBkttXIrpbrxwfYL_B-w]Subscribe to my channel[/url] [url=http://www.facebook.com/EnjoyTheGaming]Like on Facebook[/url] [url=http://steamcommunity.com/groups/EnjoyTheGaming]Join my Steam group[/url]

This is one of my favorite indie platformers. It starts off relatively easy and then becomes gruesomely difficult over the course of 130 hand-crafted levels. You run around collecting Sunstones which can be used to purchase better stuff - magic axes, a grappling hook, double jump, etc - which you'll need to take down tougher challenges. Levels can be repeated to collect Sunstones or bonuses you may have missed, or just to get a better time (the game is speedrun-friendly). There's a lot of level variety: bosses/minibosses every 5 levels, mobility challenges, puzzles, lots of new mechanics being introduced throughout the game, hidden areas, etc. Impressively, the whole thing was put together by pretty much one guy. I Kickstarted this a while back and I've logged over 60 hours as I write this; I can easily see myself logging 60 more as I try to beat it again on the highest difficulty setting and chase those last few achievements.

Let me tell you my tale... I was given a key to review this game, but I only take keys for games I am at least 80% sure I will enjoy. As someone who is not a huge fan of platformers(at least not since the "console golden age") I am pleased to still be able to recommend this game. It has a unique premise and interesting level designs. There's a LOT of content (over 130 individual levels in 9 worlds) and I've barely scratched the surface. The levels I played are certainly challenging but not unfair like other platformers I have played.The controls are not exactly intuitive; there is a chance to change them before you start the game at the "Input" screen but it would be great if there was an in-game option with a screen showing a controller or keyboard and being able to change each key individually. I often ended up using the keyboard to jump and the controller to control the direction but with practice it is achievable. There's no mistake that it is worth the practice, either.Your viking will likely slide around a bit as well. The graphics harken back to an era when games like Castlevania Dracula X and Super Metroid were all the rage, for good reason. I cannot speak for the developers intent but I like to imagine he was writing a bit of a love letter to those classics. Before you start a level you're able to choose from a variety of main and sub-weapons as well as passive bonus items. You will be able to upgrade these with Sun-stones collected during each level. There are health potions, "mini-viking" potions, invulnerability potions and more, typical fare for a platformer of this type. The story is obviously influenced by Norse mythology although very loosely. I say this as someone who owns academic copies of the Heimskringla, The Icelandic Sagas, and the Younger and Elder Eddas, among other books about the subject.The monsters are stalwarts of fantasy games(kobolds, orcs, and wyverns for instance) and there are dragons, kraken, and other legendary boss monsters. Overall I give this 3.5 axes out of 5.I will definitely be playing this game to the end. Oh also...vikings did not wear horned helmets.

NOTE: This game was given to me by the developer for review purposes. This did not influence my review in any way. [h1]========================================================== ---------------------------------------OVERVIEW------------------------------------- ==========================================================[/h1] Trial by Viking is a two-dimensional platform game with puzzle elements set in the worlds of Viking mythology. You play a bearded Viking, referred to mostly as "Me", who looks a lot like a Lord-of-the-Rings-style Dwarf. At the beginning of the game you are shown a brief cut scene in which you hack down a dragon and are visited by Odin, who requires your help in tracking down and defeating Loki. Never shying from such a heroic task, you accept and Odin teleports you off to the first world. So begins what looks like a rather long platform game of 13 realms, each with a number of 'constructs' (levels), through which you must progress and reclaim as many pieces of the stolen and shattered Sunstone as you can. You wield your large battle axes (of which you have an unlimited supply) with great strength as you leap a little awkwardly around from platform to platform, slaying enemies, flicking switches, drinking potions, teleporting, and performing various other platforming feats, all while collecting Sunstone shards. [h1]========================================================== ----------------------------------------QUALITY------------------------------------- ==========================================================[/h1] Graphics - The in-game graphics are good, with an appealing and consistent style that is easy on the eye and doesn't detract from your tasks. I do find some breakable objects tend to blend in to the background a little, but that's only a minor inconvenience, quickly overcome once I worked out what they were. The common Unity pre-game graphics option and control settings launcher is displayed when you first run the game, with the usual resolution and full screen / windowed options, as well as the typical detail settings from Fastest through to Beautiful and Fantastic. I'm not sure what the settings actually change, however, as the game ran perfectly smoothly on my gaming laptop in full HD and the highest detail. Sound - Music is 'large' and theatrical, building up to crescendos at appropriate times and fading away into the background at others. It's well done, if a little loud in its default configuration, tending to drown out the sound effects. Sound effects are good, doing their job without showing off. There is some voice work for the main character, which is actually pretty well done, but it's only used in very few situations. This actually makes it seem a bit out of place; I think it would have been better to be removed completely, or expanded and used everywhere -- or at least in all of the cut scenes. Gameplay - The heart of a platform game, in my opinion, is in the gameplay, and Trial by Viking doesn't let the player down. The many levels all have the same goal: to collect as many Sunstone pieces as possible and make it to the exit. But the platforming skills, combat reflexes, and mild puzzle-solving required in each level add up quickly to make even some of the levels in the first world quite tricky to finish perfectly. The addition of occasional 'boss levels' is appreciated, if somewhat expected, and the bosses themselves add a welcome distraction to the pure platforming levels. You control your Viking using WASD with the left hand to control left and right movement, crouching, and zooming the camera out for a better look at the level around you; and the arrow keys with the right hand to control weapon attacks (melee, ranged, and sub-weapon), as well as jumping. It takes a bit to get used to, and even after an hour of play I found myself occasionally missing a jump and falling to my doom due to pressing the wrong key. The Steam page says the game has partial controller support, which may be preferable. Alternatively, remapping the keys to something a bit more intuitive is probably worthwhile. The game also has various upgrades available to you for Sunstone shards, and you can also find some new abilities while playing. There are five difficulty levels, but no explanation given as to the differences between them, which seems to be a bit of an oversight. There are a couple of little ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥, like two-handed keyboard control being required while playing, but having to use the mouse to advance the story dialogs, and I think that the main character is a little too 'slippery', reminding me a little of Superfrog at speed, which doesn't seem quite appropriate for a bearded Dwarf-like Viking. And the story itself, while mostly well, but fairly simply written, does have some grammatical errors and rather too many ellipses... . [h1]========================================================== -------------------------------------PROS & CONS------------------------------------ ==========================================================[/h1] Pros: + Interesting setting and story, which is mostly well presented + Appealing graphics and atmospheric music + Achievements and trading cards Cons: - The main character has a little too much inertia, and not enough friction, making some platforming more frustrating than it should be - Minor inconvenience with the default keyboard controls and mouse being required for story progression - Some errors in the writing - Voice acting is minimal, standing out at odd times [h1]========================================================== --------------------------------------CONCLUSION----------------------------------- ==========================================================[/h1] Don't take the fact that I've listed more cons than pros above as an indication that this game is bad. The cons are really very minor, with the exception of the frustration due to the character's inertia and slipperiness, coupled with the unintuitive control scheme, which have caused me to replay some levels far more times than I care to remember. No, Trial by Viking is a solid platform game that shouldn't disappoint anyone who enjoys the genre. It's well presented and mostly fun, with plenty of content and no bugs to speak of. I'm very happy to recommend it. Just be prepared to take some deep breaths. [h1]7/10[/h1] [code]For more recommendations by LL's Game Giveaways and Reviews on quality indie games or ones with high potential follow our group curations [url=http://store.steampowered.com/curator/10405952/]here[/url]![/code]

The fact that this game is level based already disqualifies it from being a "metroidvania" game as the developers like to claim. the controls are smooth, the momentum makes sense, but if an enemy hits you, you can get sent back into a crevice with no way of getting out. As a whole, I do feel this game is fun, but they suckered me in by saying it was a metroidvania style game which is such a blatant lie that I will no longer trust the devs of this game.

Just what the trailer promises. Hardcoreplatformer with some Metroidvania aspects. That said, this game definitely isn't for everyone, but those who love challenge and the genre, you're right at home. You start off as viking who has been sent to a different part of time and space in cosmos to stop Loki's plans. Walk in the park, right? After few initial levels where you basically learn to jump, use your skills, weapons and movement, the game start to get gradually harder and harder, and there's a staggering 130 levels to go with. The difficulty isn't just based on the more and more frustrating levels, but rather on how you're character acts or moves and the fact that you want to collect every single ingame currency to buy upgrades to continue your journey. One of the best aspects in the game has to be the leveldesigning, they are well thought of and offers a lot of variety as you progress. However, for the cons. Trial by Viking could've used somekind of co-op, multiplayeroptions and personally eventhough there's a plentiful of different weapons and skillsets, i would've hoped for a bit more polished combatsystem. It's quite hard to try and not get hit, but i suppose thats part of the charm and maybe slightly less generic sound effects. Don't get me wrong, this is a good game already as it is, and i'm sure any fan of challenging platformers/metroidvanias will absolutely love it, just would've wished for a bit more polishing on some sections.

Trial by Viking me trouxe memórias. Da época do Super Nintendo, Mario e outros clássicos do gênero de plataforma a aventura. E a razão para isso não é apenas ter essa inspiração - vários jogos atuais tem, e o gênero ainda é massivamente explorado. O motivo real é porque além de ter essa inspiração, é que este jogo usa essa inspiração muito, mas muito bem. Mais importante do que se inspirar, é fazer da forma certa. E Trial by Viking faz. Todos os elementos dos jogos plataforma estão lá. O design de level desafiador, com inúmeros obstáculos para superar, desde raios de fogo girando, quanto inimigos projetando magias em sua direção, chefões, armadilhas das mais diversas (espinhos que se revezam no tempo de aparição), etc. Todos elementos estão lá e são utilizados da melhor forma possível. O design de level é o ponto alto de Trial by Viking. Cada fase, além de extramamente desafiadora, é inteligentemente desenhada e bastante divertida. Há diversos puzzles para resolver, inclusive! Mas não são como os puzzles atuais, são os puzzles clássicos. Utilizar portais de teletransporte, achar chaves para abrir portas ou descobrir como destruir os blocos que darão acesso ao final de cada fase. É tanto elemento clássico que fica difícil enumerar. A engine é bem utilizada, o jogo é bem programado e roda muito bem. Ele possui gráficos lindos, em 3D e algumas texturas em 2D apenas para dar mais um charme. A trilha é linda, bastante apropriada, e os efeitos sonoros bons também. Mas o que e chamou atenção em Trial by Viking foi notar que existem alguns elementos de RPG! Você tem progressão (ao terminar um "universo", você tem upgrades como nos RPGs, você pode aumentar seu dano, amor, hp, por exemplo, dentre outros stats). Você tem itens que você pode comprar e fazer upgrade neles ao coletar "sunstones" (Isto por sinal é importante, o jogo avisa se você for terminar o level sem coletar todas, pois colete! Os upgrades que elas proporcionam são muito importantes lá na frente!) Você possui, inclusive, escolhas de diálogos em cutscenes, que por sinal são muito boas, a história do jogo é bastante interessante e muito boa de acompanhar. Ela realmente te deixará interessado. Resumindo, Trial by Viking é um fantástico jogo de plataforma, com a qualidade dos clássicos, mas com todo o frescor dos jogos modernos. Bons gráficos, design de level sensacional, ótima história e com elementos interessantes de RPG que se misturam com o gênero, é um jogo imperdível. [h1][b]Prós:[/b][/h1] - Sensacional design de level - Possui todos os elementos dos clássicos do gênero plataforma, mas com inovações dos novos modernos - Boa engine que roda o jogo de forma fluida - Ótima história, que te mantém interessado - Bons elementos de RPG que trazem certa inovação ao gênero, tornando o jogo bem interessante [h1][b]Contras:[/b][/h1] - Não possui opção original dentro do jogo para editar os controles - Gameplay, na parte de movimentação, não é perfeito, pode há problemas de movimentação às vezes e colisões com o cenário [h1][b]Nota final:[/b][/h1] 9.5/10

I know you can't judge Indie development too hard but compared to some of the other games of the genre i've reviewed or tested; This one felt a bit slap-dash in creation. Maybe some fixes will sort this Full First Look Review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajmHBukxDqo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALSXGdzakBQ http://www.gikz.pl/artykuly/recenzje/trial-by-viking-recenzja-test-na-cierpliwosc/ Muzyka! Jest. Dynamiczna nawet. Wygląda to tak, że przeciwnicy niczym teraźniejsi rycerze ortaliony, mają jakiś trigger, walkman, albo komóreczkę i słuchają sobie battle music. Więc jak gość podchodzi to muzyka się zmienia, w żyły pompują nam chałę, a bicepsy rosną jak te u Popeye’owi. Coś nam rośnie. Frustracja, bo nieważne, że przeciwnik jest dwa poziomy niżej. Muzyka się zmienia. Ze spokojną w battle music. Jak odchodzi to z battle music na spokojną. Ale on wraca! I znowu z czapy leci battle music. I znowu się wycisza. Battle music! Cisza! Battle music! Cisza. Ja się pytam. Co to jest. Nie wiem. Ktoś celował w stare GODS, wyszło zło. Nie jest to Last Viking, a ja pewnie byłem last player ever. Straszna bieda, budżetówka niczym giereczki do gazetki z giereczkami, kategoria crappy but not funny. Nie polecam. Trial by Viking, pierdol się, jak i Viktor kiedyś.