History hasn’t always painted the Norse culture in an accurate light. Sure, the Vikings did their fair share of pillaging and razing, but they were also a brilliant seafaring people. Did you know they reached Newfoundland in Canada nearly 500 years before Christopher Columbus accidentally collided with the Caribbean? Now you do.
But it’s the horn-wearing, history-distorted image of the Vikings that persists to this day, and it’s that image that developer Clever Beans took advantage of when creating its quirky, humorous and unique PlayStation-exclusive game When Vikings Attack!.
Brutality in front of town hall.
In short, When Vikings Attack is a multiplayer-centric romp wherein hordes of comical Vikings must be defeated by up to four players, each controlling their own horde of seemingly helpless civilians. But just as Vikings were well-known for ransacking Europe in small groups executing surgical, in-and-out strikes, so too do the civilians defend themselves by mimicking the Vikings’ tactics.
Thus, gameplay consists entirely of running around, controlling a single group whose numbers constantly fluctuate depending on damage received and reinforcements recruited. Guarding yourself against the Vikings and dealing damage to them is as simple as using everything around you. Pick up and throw a table, a car, a piano, or anything else surrounding your position. The bigger your horde is, the larger the items you can throw. But be aware that the Vikings will throw these same items at you. The core of When Vikings Attack’s gameplay comes down to dodging, weaving, attacking and defending.
There’s a degree of nuance to be had, of course. Items can be rotated, bounced and deflected in all manner of ways. Launched goods can be caught and returned at the sender if timed right. Recruiting specific characters to your horde can give you more speed, grit or strength.
Don’t be daunted, because When Vikings Attack’s derives a lot from its easy-to-understand nature. It’s not nearly as complicated as it sounds. This is a game that can be picked up and played by non-gamers, nonetheless those who immerse themselves in the hobby. There’s certainly something special about the game when it comes to accessibility; it’s a game that can be played on a pretty even playing field even with the unfamiliar and uninitiated. It’s one of the best aspects of When Vikings Attack.
It’s also a game that can be played across platforms. When Vikings Attack works ubiquitously between PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita, and better yet, when you buy one version, you get the other version for free. So while the PlayStation 3 version can accommodate up to four players locally, you can also play with three players on PS3 and one on Vita, or with two players on one PS3, a player on another PS3 and a player on the Vita, or essentially any other permutation therein. The game also supports cross-save between platforms.
When Vikings Attack’s downfall, however, is its emphasis on sheer repetition. It’s a game with an old-school, arcadey, one trick pony slant, so it’s mechanically shallow and actually becomes boring after a while. It’s not to say that When Vikings Attack is a bad game – it isn’t – but it is to say that it has short legs, whether you’re playing by yourself or with friends locally or online (though playing with others will certainly stretch the experience).
I'm pretty sure you're not supposed to battle around an historic site.
And that, at the end of the day, is When Vikings Attack’s Achilles’ heel. It’s accessible, entertaining in short bursts and can be had on the cheap, but chucking items at other hordes provides fun for only a few hours. Then, it can actually start to grate. Sure, there are plenty of games out there where you do one thing only, but When Vikings Attack is in no way Pac-Man or Arkanoid with their riveting, always exciting and never boring one-track gameplay, and When Vikings Attack suffers because of that.
Of course, should you choose to invest a lot of time in When Vikings Attack, you’ll find plenty to keep you busy. There are nearly 70 individual “characters” to unlock that could join your horde at any given time. There’s a short list of PlayStation Trophies to chase. There are online leaderboards to compete on. There’s a single-player campaign that can also be played with others locally and online, and that campaign has its own challenges to conquer. And there is a trio of multiplayer-only modes, too, should you want to give them a try.
But each and every one of those modes plays the same, requiring very little in terms of evolving tactics or depth. When Vikings Attack is fun in bursts, but its deficits make it hard to outright recommend.
The real strength of When Vikings Attack is its humor. It doesn’t take itself seriously, and provides a nice change of pace from the deluge of first-person shooters and bloody action games we’re all becoming more accustomed to. But its gameplay won’t hook you for more than a passing few hours, and with that in mind, you have to ask yourself whether that’s worthy of a purchase or not.
But it’s the horn-wearing, history-distorted image of the Vikings that persists to this day, and it’s that image that developer Clever Beans took advantage of when creating its quirky, humorous and unique PlayStation-exclusive game When Vikings Attack!.
Brutality in front of town hall.
In short, When Vikings Attack is a multiplayer-centric romp wherein hordes of comical Vikings must be defeated by up to four players, each controlling their own horde of seemingly helpless civilians. But just as Vikings were well-known for ransacking Europe in small groups executing surgical, in-and-out strikes, so too do the civilians defend themselves by mimicking the Vikings’ tactics.
Thus, gameplay consists entirely of running around, controlling a single group whose numbers constantly fluctuate depending on damage received and reinforcements recruited. Guarding yourself against the Vikings and dealing damage to them is as simple as using everything around you. Pick up and throw a table, a car, a piano, or anything else surrounding your position. The bigger your horde is, the larger the items you can throw. But be aware that the Vikings will throw these same items at you. The core of When Vikings Attack’s gameplay comes down to dodging, weaving, attacking and defending.
There’s a degree of nuance to be had, of course. Items can be rotated, bounced and deflected in all manner of ways. Launched goods can be caught and returned at the sender if timed right. Recruiting specific characters to your horde can give you more speed, grit or strength.
Don’t be daunted, because When Vikings Attack’s derives a lot from its easy-to-understand nature. It’s not nearly as complicated as it sounds. This is a game that can be picked up and played by non-gamers, nonetheless those who immerse themselves in the hobby. There’s certainly something special about the game when it comes to accessibility; it’s a game that can be played on a pretty even playing field even with the unfamiliar and uninitiated. It’s one of the best aspects of When Vikings Attack.
It’s also a game that can be played across platforms. When Vikings Attack works ubiquitously between PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita, and better yet, when you buy one version, you get the other version for free. So while the PlayStation 3 version can accommodate up to four players locally, you can also play with three players on PS3 and one on Vita, or with two players on one PS3, a player on another PS3 and a player on the Vita, or essentially any other permutation therein. The game also supports cross-save between platforms.
When Vikings Attack’s downfall, however, is its emphasis on sheer repetition. It’s a game with an old-school, arcadey, one trick pony slant, so it’s mechanically shallow and actually becomes boring after a while. It’s not to say that When Vikings Attack is a bad game – it isn’t – but it is to say that it has short legs, whether you’re playing by yourself or with friends locally or online (though playing with others will certainly stretch the experience).
I'm pretty sure you're not supposed to battle around an historic site.
And that, at the end of the day, is When Vikings Attack’s Achilles’ heel. It’s accessible, entertaining in short bursts and can be had on the cheap, but chucking items at other hordes provides fun for only a few hours. Then, it can actually start to grate. Sure, there are plenty of games out there where you do one thing only, but When Vikings Attack is in no way Pac-Man or Arkanoid with their riveting, always exciting and never boring one-track gameplay, and When Vikings Attack suffers because of that.
Of course, should you choose to invest a lot of time in When Vikings Attack, you’ll find plenty to keep you busy. There are nearly 70 individual “characters” to unlock that could join your horde at any given time. There’s a short list of PlayStation Trophies to chase. There are online leaderboards to compete on. There’s a single-player campaign that can also be played with others locally and online, and that campaign has its own challenges to conquer. And there is a trio of multiplayer-only modes, too, should you want to give them a try.
But each and every one of those modes plays the same, requiring very little in terms of evolving tactics or depth. When Vikings Attack is fun in bursts, but its deficits make it hard to outright recommend.
THE VERDICT
When Vikings Attack is an interesting and unique idea that’s well-executed in premise, but that doesn’t give you many reasons to keep coming back. The most fun I had with the game was playing it locally here in the IGN offices with three other players a couple of weeks back. Playing the game online with the anonymous masses is fun too, but not all that satisfying over the long term. While playing the game alone during the campaign proves a good way to practice your moves, it becomes clear that the game is made to be played with others, not alone. (So, a word to the wise if you’re an offline-only gamer.)The real strength of When Vikings Attack is its humor. It doesn’t take itself seriously, and provides a nice change of pace from the deluge of first-person shooters and bloody action games we’re all becoming more accustomed to. But its gameplay won’t hook you for more than a passing few hours, and with that in mind, you have to ask yourself whether that’s worthy of a purchase or not.
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