Expeditions: Viking - Review @ Old Man Mordaith

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Joshua Smith aka Old Man Mordaith has reviewed Expeditions: Viking:

Expeditions: Viking - A Tale of Time and Blood Venture to the Unknown
At the end of May in 2013, the company Logic Artists released Expeditions: Conquistador. The title was a well-received tactical RPG with a fantastic take on simulating a journey to the new world. It was with great anticipation that a sequel arrived on our shores here in 2017. Not a direct sequel mind you... This adventure would focus on another group of explorers: The Vikings.

This title sees you taking control over a clan and its holdings not long after the death of your father. Considered a complicated ruler, your father had the respect of his peers in many regards, but angered others with his poor leadership skills. Fate forces you down the same path your father took, with all the detractors and supporters that came with it. It becomes a race against time to assure you can gain and keep the strategic resources necessary to show strength in the face of your clans enemies and maintain your holdings. You will get to explore, battle, suffer grievous wounds, and investigate mysteries - all in a well crafted historically close setting. The fantastic authentic sounding musical score brings everything home.

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There are lots of skills here as well; my count puts them at over sixty divided over five categories. Some of them are non-ranked perks or abilities, while others have ranked levels that increase their effectiveness or add new powers to your character when you increase them. While I struggled with where to spend my starting points, once in the game I never felt like any of them were bad choices. I just needed to lean in hard with my character's strengths. That said, you will be grateful for every new character you add to your hird, as every skill they offer brings something valuable to the table. Leadership, Witchcraft, and Healing are incredibly useful skills that I found to be game changers in many situations. But I know I'll be trying the game again with different characters and powers to see how it works out.

The concept of experience and levelling is a bit different, but it moves well with the narrative-driven concept of the game. You do not get experience for killing bad guys and winning fights - not exactly, anyway. Instead, you get awarded skill points when you handle a situation. Did you murder the homeless children (by mistake! I swear) or maybe took the time to find an alternative non-violent approach? Either way you're getting skill points at the end of it, which are used to increase your character's abilities. A simple sweet system that allows for growth with out being level or even combat dependant.

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Besides a few minor gripes, this game is well-executed, and I ran in to no major bugs or glitches that stand out. I look forward to seeing more from Logic Artists as they continue to expand on their Expeditions series. Just, maybe no timer next time.

Rating 8/10​