Northgard is a Viking strategy/exploration game from the makers of Evoland

Evoland developer Shiro Games has revealed its new project, a strategy/exploration game based on Norse mythology called Northgard. Players must establish settlements, assign tasks to Viking warriors, manage resources, expand and discover new lands, survive enemies and the elements, and achieve multiple victory conditions against either the AI or other people.

“Northgard is a strategy game deeply ingrained with Norse mythology in which brave explorers have discovered a new world filled with mystery and danger, where players are tasked to help them survive and thrive in a hostile land,” the announcement says. “They will face mystical creatures like dire wolves and undead warriors roaming the land, giants that they can befriend or defeat, and winters so harsh even the boldest Vikings will shiver!” 

It's all a bit vague, even with the help of the trailer, but at this point it strikes me as at least superficially similar to the medieval colony management sim Banished, with a touch of The Banner Saga thrown in for flavor—which is actually something I'd really like to play. There's no release date yet, although it's expected to come out this year, nor is there a price, but the system requirements are listed on Steam and they're really quite minimal. 

  • OS: Windows Vista or better
  • Processor: Intel 2.0ghz Core 2 Duo or equivalent
  • Memory: 1 GB RAM
  • Graphics: Nvidia 260 GTS / Radeon HD 4850 or better
  • DirectX: Version 9.0
  • Storage: 150 MB available space

One worth keeping an eye on, I think. More information is up at northgard.net.  

Andy Chalk

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.