King of Vikings is a visual novel about a kingdom’s plight to defeat one (of eight) beasts of the Cataclysm, to save mankind for certain extinction.
At-a-glance
(Adult) Content?
(MxF) Sexual content.
Censorship?
No. Woot! Woot!
Hours of Game-play?
Two hours.
Modding Support?
No.
Patch Available?
Download from Steam.
Foreword
Attention!
This article is pending review. It is either incomplete, out-of-date, or I feel the need to disclaim my shame for a something I’m not proud of.
Gameplay
. . . in a nutshell
I need to make some revisions.
out the shell. . .
You click through text boxes and occasionally make decisions, which will influence events and how the game ends. You can save and load at anytime, and if you miss any text you can click the “Log” to see a log of previous text. I have to say, compared to King Fey Games last release, I did notice more prompts. The decisions didn’t feel very. . . weighted, but I did feel as though I played a bigger part in the story.
Story
Ragnar the Silver-tongued tells us the story of how he saved the Kingdom of Vestland, using his famous “silver tongue”. A “giant octopus monster” has been seen off the coasts of the Jarl Sven’s lands. The Jarls reckon the beast is Kotallo, a sort of “boogy man” taught to children to keep them from swimming into open water. Turns out, he’s actually real. He’s bigger than the biggest longboat, and loud as “a thousand lions”. With Kotallo on the loose, the Council is convinced that “The Cataclysm” has arrived.
The Cataclysm is a saga which describes “eight mighty beasts” and a how they will “challenge man one by one”, signaling the end of mankind. Kotallo is the first of the “mighty beasts”. Ragnar is tasked with recruiting Freja the Valkyrie, with the intention of fulfilling the Saga of the Cataclysm. Apparently, a Valkyrie of the South is ‘spoused to “ram his spear down Kotallo’s mouth.” She’s the last of the living Valkyries (and why that’s so is anyone’s guess).
Ragnar is to be accompanied by Helga, the Queen’s personal shieldmaiden. She brings him the Spear of Odin, a weapon described by the Saga. With the Spear of Odin in hand, all that’s left (to defeat Kotallo) is Freja and the “Serum of Odin” (which is later revealed).
The game ends on a cliffhanger, based on the “eight mighty beasts”. Here’s a clue. Kotallo is the first. Does that mean that there is going to be King of the Kings: Part Eight? Because that would blow.
Visuals
The title menu looks unpromising. Plain background and off-centered text boxes. There are no “options” which can set from the title menu. Apparently, King Fey Games took a step back from their last titlescreen, King of Volleyball. The backgrounds look okay, but there aren’t maybe to see. They are inconsistently styled. The character portraits also look good, but very cartoony. They are not varied, so you’d better learn to like ’em. There are few full-art pieces, all reserved for the endings.
The Goods
Verdict
I have mixed feelings about this title. It’s too short for the price and content. The story and visuals didn’t impress me. You never get to see Kotallo. It ends on a cliffhanger (implying more publications). The visuals are unvaried. There was too many names and places front-loaded (without context, leaving me as a reader confused).
The more I think about it. . . I lean on “Not Recommended.” But by all means, I would give this tale a try when it’s on sale. It fell short of my expectations, but it’s worth a shot.
