It's grim up Northgard

I've been playing around with Northgard, which is now out of early access on steam.

Right off the bat I'll say the graphics and sound have me. I love the direction they have gone with this.

It's a tough game, at least for me. Your mileage may vary. There's multiple win conditions (Conquest, Fame, Lore, Trading...) and a 'life on the edge' feel. If you've ever played Banished you'll know what I mean when I say that winters can be harsh. I mean REAL harsh. You'll need plentiful firewood and food if you're to survive the long winter months. Failing to do so will leave your empire in tatters, you citizens starved and frozen to death and place you in an unrecoverable position.

Expansion rate is limited by colonising new areas adjacent to your currently held territory by clearing them of enemies and 'spending' food. This opens new building slots and access to resources (mines, farms, fishing...).

As long as happiness is maintained you will continue to spawn new citizens until the population limit is reached. You then use certain buildings to train your citizens into different roles (scout, farmer, berserker). The numbers of each role is limited by the buildings you have, which are in turn limited by territories you control.

Armies are usually quite small, combat is basic and expansion can be costly. Finding the right balance between expansionism and preparation is one of the central tenets of the game and mastering this will lay the groundwork for a strong and stable empire.

If you're up for a quick and easy game to kill some time I'd avoid Northgard. However, if you're into challenging and thoughtful gameplay and want to be the supreme leader of a fantasy tribe then grab this and enjoy.

You can grab Northgard on steam by clicking here