Ancient historical themes in gaming have long focussed on the great civilizations of the Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans. In recent years, however, it’s all about Norse mythology and, in particular, the Norse people of Scandinavia known as the Vikings. This has been fuelled by the popularity of the theme in other entertainment mediums.
From indie gems to triple-A releases, the Norse theme continues to be a significant driver of gaming audiences. Now, even online gambling game platforms seek to further their appeal by incorporating a brand new game drenched in Norse lore.
Champions of Valhalla setting a new standard
Bingo has transformed its image in the online space, expanding into the realm of jackpot gaming. Now, the selection of the most exciting bingo games with jackpot features includes Champions of Valhalla. Fully embracing the Norse theme, the jackpot game stars Odin, Freydis, and the most fearsome Viking warrior class of them all, the Berserker.
Like these heroes, players are tasked with spinning for glory to venture through Asgard, unlocking passage to the majestic Valhalla through the free games mode. During the game, wild symbol stacks will come to life, portraying the legendary Champions of Valhalla in action, smiting their foes with ease.
The jackpot bingo game dives into the aspects of the Norse theme that gamers have come to expect, with powerful heroes and an epic adventure to the glorious hall of Valhalla being emphasized, further building the expanse of Norse games.
A Mykleburst-load of Norse games
Contemporary entertainment is flooded with Norse and Viking properties, acting as a more historically-founded evolution of the fantasy genre in pop-culture. TV shows The Last Kingdom, Vikings, and Barbaren, to a lesser extent, have all helped to popularise the theme. Still, it’s video gaming that’s been able to truly transport people into the mythos and era of the Vikings.
The most critically-acclaimed of the recent Norse titles, and the one which explores the mythology to the greatest degree, is God of War. The 2018 game crossed its famous Greek mythology protagonist into Midgard on a journey that crossed six of the nine legendary realms. Its rampant success on the PlayStation 4 led to Sony commissioning a sequel, which is set to arrive later this year.
God of War has undoubtedly set the standard, but those who have explored the theme in different ways have also found success. The Total War Saga release Thrones of Britannia follows the storied series’ strategy formula, allowing you to battle for Britain as the Viking settlers or any of the native factions. The Assassin’s Creed series also recently jumped into Norse with Valhalla, which proved to be the franchise’s best-selling launch.
Of course, massive triple-A studios are the best-equipped to pivot and adhere to developing trends, but there have also been some exciting indie titles come out in the Norse theme of late. Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice proved to be such a hit that Microsoft soon acquired the developers, Ninja Theory, to help create the upcoming sequel, and Northgard earned an 87 percent positive score from over 26,000 reviews on Steam.
Norse mythology is certainly the in-thing from console to bingo gaming right now. The run of such releases isn’t going to end with the turn of the year, either; brutal Viking survival game Valheim will be entering early access early in 2021.
