Also Available On: PS3
Publisher: Sega
Age Rating: 18+

Gamers who dislike the sight of blood and gore should avoid this release at all costs as Viking: Battle for Asgard has a staggering amount.

Taking players into the world of Norse gods, this title has both small-scale battles and mammoth wars that feature a multitude of warriors, blood and weaponry.

Playing the game, you take on the role of Skarin, a powerful yet flawed Viking warrior. Your aim is to kill everyone that stands in your way as you explore open-world environments, while freeing enslaved warriors.

Bloody carnage is what first springs to mind when playing this game, as the screen is often filled with both good and evil warriors tearing into each other. This, however, creates its own set of technical problems, such as occasionally shocking framerate slowdown and, worst of all, it’s often difficult to see who you are controlling when there are so many warriors on-screen.

Mini-missions surround your objective of death and freeing captured warriors, such as rescuing a farm to provide food for your army. These mini-missions however, while welcome, don't have enough player involvement.

Stealth in the game is frequent, as your character automatically hides when enemies are nearby. But, unlike games such as Metal Gear Solid where you can stealthily take out enemies using a well aimed gun, here it’s all about getting up close and using your Nordic weapons.

The basis of this game is combat and it’s the combat that, unfortunately, is a little on the thin side. After playing for a while you’ll find it becomes a little too repetitive as a three-hit combo using just two buttons is all you to get need to get through most of the game. You can use more variety, but there’s little incentive to do so.

The open-world environments and the blood and gore look impressive, as does the multitude of warriors battling on screen simultaneously, but repetitive combat means the novelty factor of this gore-fuelled experience is short-lived. The chance to add magic to your weapons and train dragons to help you out can make things a little more dazzling, but these cosmetic additions are still not enough to make this hack and slash affair truly engrossing.

Viking: Battle for Asgard does offer some fun for a while, but its limited combat means it won’t be too long before you see it collecting dust.