
It’s an interesting but deadly environment to explore, and each map is pretty sizable. In terms of looks, Tribes of Midgard shows off an attractive cel shaded world. This also speeds up the beginning phase as death or defeat can come suddenly, so starting from scratch can become repetitive after a while, especially if there’s just one or two of you working on recovering your progress. After playing with friends, it quickly became clear that the bigger your party, the more fun there is to be had (as well as things feeling a little easier). You can tackle the game solo, or with up to nine other players. The combat is fairly simple but works well in the overall gameplay setup and in all honesty, the more time I spent with Tribes of Midgard the more I enjoyed it. I personally preferred Saga Mode as it feels a little punchier. You can save and quit when you like however, which takes the pressure off compared to Saga Mode. It’s a way to play which feels like it’s aimed at longer sessions and leans more towards the sandbox strategy genre. It’s here where you build your settlement completely from scratch and work with looser objectives. Alternatively you can give Survival Mode a whirl, which has been overhauled for Season Three.

The main way to play Tribes if Midgard is in the Saga Mode, which presents you with different seasonal missions that play out over randomly generated maps. It’s here you can look through your gear, recipes, weapons and much more. Platinum coins can be purchased with real cash to get your hands on more items if you should wish.Īchievements that you unlock will also earn you further rewards that you can access via the main menu. These are rare tradable items which you can go shopping with too, and are usually awarded for completing quests. You can also exit your playthrough via the bifrost at certain points if you wish to bank what you have earned rather than risk going any further. All other progress resets ready for your next run. At the end of your run, a game over screen (refreshed for Season Three) will run through your stats and summarise your seasonal XP, rewards and unlocks. This is where the roguelite element comes in. Managing your settlement on a day to day basis is a pretty simple but extremely important task because if your tree is destroyed, it’s game over. These are earned in numerous ways, such as defeating enemies or scavenging resources. Souls are the main currency in Tribes of Midgard and these can be sacrificed to your tree to keep it alive and well, alongside buying items, upgrading facilities such as weapons stations and building defences for your village. This is important because your village vendors can fight back too, as well as running essential services in the fight against the enemy. This breathing space will allow you to bolster defences by building turrets or level up both tradespeople and the structural integrity of your settlement.


You will occasionally get a night off from being attacked by the nocturnal nasties, so making the most of this is key. Merchants are out and about too, offering cash in return for your loot. Others can be activated to allow fast travel between regions which is often the safest way to get around. These encounters are always a risk, but usually yield worthwhile rewards.ĭifferent shrines will offer buffs, such as health, mana and energy. You’ll come across camps and outposts that contain loot, but these are usually heavily defended. Heading out and finding the correct raw materials is the best way to start, because you’ll need to craft basic tools before you can harvest the most important resources and tool yourself up. The gameplay is a fairly balanced mix of action, in the form of hack and slash combat, exploration, which leads to gathering resources to craft tools and cook food, and basic sim elements in managing your settlement.Ĭrafting weapons, shields and armor is essential for taking on enemies, especially those with chunkier health bars. Things kick off with a fairly brief tutorial which is designed to show you the basics, as well as give you a shot at taking down one of the bigger baddies.

Your ultimate aim is to track the elite world bosses to their lairs, before vanquishing them in an often challenging showdown. You must lead your tribe in the fight against swathes of enemies who are solely focused on destroying the Seed of Yggdrasil (the tree of life). This is a game that submerges you deep in Norse mythology, your primary role being to prevent Ragnarok (the end of the world) which you take on as the Einherjar.
