No. of Reviews: 28
Review 1
Purchased!
These slow-paced mechanics just aren't for me when it comes to an R.T.S. game.
For what's worth, I'd find them less tedious if it were a turn-based one. Sadly,
that's obviously not the case here.
Review 2
Purchased!
On the surface, I really wanted to like this game (and I did at first) because
I'm a huge fan of RTS's and the game has such a unique charm to it that you
can't find anywhere else. However, after about 20 hours and several playthroughs
I have decided that the game just isn't fun due to the repetitive game play
loop.
CONS:
1. The AI is incredibly unbalanced and dumb; normal AI is far too easy, while
hard AI will either steamroll you within the first 20min of a game with an
8-strong army or will not contest you at all and lead to an easy victory.
2. The resource loop is not well designed; in this game, like AOE, population is
everything and you must manage your resources on a macro scale. However, because
the population is so low and slow to grow, every pawn and every territory counts
more than it should. Due to the absurdly low building limit and resource output
per unit, losing a couple of villagers or a single zone from a surprise attack
can quickly lead to a loss with no chance to recover. Even a -0.1 happiness will
lead to no population growth (even instead of just slowed), and so it is nearly
impossible to recover at times. This is my biggest complaint with the game.
Bonus: how does a farm produce nearly an identical amount of food to a villager
scavenging resources?
3. Win conditions are not equal; in most maps, you will have three or four win
conditions ranging from completing a feat of wisdom, eradicating foes, creating
a trade empire, and some other randomized objective. Because snowballing is the
only way to win this game, by the time you have a sizable army to complete any
other objective you might as well just blow past the AI and demolish their town
halls, winning you a domination victory (see point 1) as the others just take
far too long and hinder any sort of military buildup due to the refocusing of
resources they require.
4. Clans are extremely similar; this game suffers heavily from
microtransactions, where a $30 game has only 5 out of (20?) possible clans
unlocked by default. Every single other clan requires you to spend $2.99 a
piece, which is just ridiculous. Because the resource/build loop is so linear
and predictable due to point 2, you really play every clan the same way bar for
one.
PROS:
1. Graphics/music; the game is stunning to play and to watch, it is a beautiful
piece of art, and pays homage to its Nordic inspiration.
2. Replayability; maps are randomized, including a win condition and factions
encountered.
3. Uniqueness; while similar to AOE, it does scratch that RTS itch and has a
very unique gameplay feel. I just wish it were balanced better.
4. Polish; no bugs experienced whatsoever.
Overall, I really wanted to like this game and I hope the devs revisit the
balancing at some point. With some fine-tuning (and the removal of the
ridiculous clan prices) this game would easily be one of my favorites.
Review 3
Purchased!
I have been playing this game since it came out. 180 hours logged. It is a great
game, with an amazing soundtrack. If you played Warcraft or Starcraft you will
love this game.
Review 4
Purchased!
Good game. Lots of singleplayer things to do so you're not forced to PvP.
Review 5
Purchased!
Military and economy tap in to the same pool: population. So it makes sense to
have 0 military untill you turn all your population to soldiers. At the end this
game is about: economy menagement, PvE monster clearing and one single clash at
the end.
Lack of constant military action on map makes this game much worse than other
strategy games imo.
Review 6
Purchased!
it is impossible playing this on a 4k monitor.
the settings have a "UI Scale" option, which is always grayed out and cant be
changed.
Review 7
Purchased!
Surprised by how fun this game is.
Review 8
Purchased!
Had it since release. Used to be fun. AI is basically brain dead now. You'll
attack their buildings and the army they have in the next tile over doesn't seem
to care. (On max difficulty mind you) Not to mention random T-posing glitched
out units and game crashes. I've got a quite a fancy rig with solid hardware -
the game is just not very fun anymore and kind of broken. Unless you grab it for
$2.99 I'd look somewhere else.
Review 9
Purchased!
why is this game still broken? and whats with ranked system in place? just stop
doing this to community it is not human anymore, new clans, bad patches, major
free new updates that no one cares about or pretty much are useless that just
makes the game feel burdened. Love the complaints from community about the
ranked system and ban system, keep it up!
Review 10
Purchased!
I see what they're going for with this game, I just couldn't really get into it.
Review 11
Purchased!
Best RTS game I've tried in probably 20 years - learning curve isn't too steep,
but it has enough complexity that it's not so easy it gets boring. Lots of
variation in game play styles with the various clans. Only complaint so far is
that despite my rig being a decently powerful gaming system, a large map started
lagging towards the end of a game. No issues on the smaller maps. I also like
the fact that the designers seem to have focused heavily on game play, instead
of fancy graphics - way too many games come out these days with insane graphics
that will only play well on top of the line gaming rigs, but are not fun to
play. I actually like the slightly cartoonish style of graphics used in this
game, and it sure was fun for the game to be fully downloaded and playing 10
minutes after I bought it - I bought another game that took almost 24 hours to
download because of the massive graphics, then ended up being terribly
disappointed when the game play was awful.
Review 12
Purchased!
Great game, players feel a bit toxic tho...
Review 13
Purchased!
One of my favorite RTS games. Northgard is also one of the best games to play on
the Steam Deck even if the devs do not officially support it. Most of my
playtime is from the conquest game mode which sets you on a campaign against AI
either solo or with a friend, with different bonuses and modifiers each time.
I'd say conquest is the best content the game has to offer.
Too bad during the last few months the devs have broken the AI completely. Even
against extreme AI there is no challenge at all, so now you can either play a
building sandbox against nonexistent AI that loses to neutrals before you attack
them or play online pvp.
So unless you are looking for ranked PVP I would stay away for now.
Review 14
Purchased!
Rig's Story Chapter 4 won't progress *tried it in both Banners yet it still
won't work* , please help :(
Review 15
Purchased!
Unique game with some cool ideas.
The AI is completely broken though. It's very passive and very vanilla ie
doesn't use clan bonuses effectively, never goes for victories except killing
everything, will sit on a mass of units and do nothing, have special units just
sit in their home base etc. Such a shame because it's such a unique game.
Review 16
Purchased!
This game is terrible. The controls are clunky. It feels like it's trying to be
a 4x style game with how slow it moves, but if you do make a mistake the speed
at which combat occurs results in absolute annihalation.
There's only one basic way to play 80% of the time. And so much luck with
getting proper food sources. This game is inffuriating.
Review 17
Purchased!
This is a fun game for sure, it has a lot of positives going for it, for me
however, the big negative which ruins it is that it is a 'forced rush game' -
meaning that you are rewarded for pushing forward early and fast and rushing to
the goal, rather than taking your time and relaxing...you know, playing a game
not playing a sporting competition >_<
I understand that lots of gamer's out there love the rush/stress of pushing to
beat targets, which is totally fine, but that is not me. My RTS style of
enjoyment is turtle myself in, get everything all researched and happy, build up
an overwhelming force, then monster the AI with little to no losses. I play
games to wind down after a day's work, not stress and wind up :)
If you are like me in this enjoyment factor, then this game may not be for you
as to get the 'bonus objectives' you have to rush. You can play the game and
complete story mode no issues, but even then you still are forced down a hidden
timer on game triggers.
Don't get me wrong, it's not a hard game in that sense, you can smash it and win
against the AI, but the victory feels boring to me if I don't get to build a
nice perfect home for my people and have everything researched - it's just a
personal thing ;)
Review 18
Purchased!
If you like RTS, then this is a fun game.
Review 19
Purchased!
paradox wanna be
Review 20
Purchased!
This game was incredible until the recent updates. Now it constantly crashes and
is unplayable. Ill change this review once they fix the issue.
Review 21
Purchased!
AI is fucked. Not the single player experience i was after
Review 22
Purchased!
it good
Review 23
Purchased!
Northgard is a breath of fresh, icy air in the world of strategy games. Steeped
in Norse mythology and Viking lore, this game transports you to the harsh yet
beautiful land of Northgard, where survival is a constant struggle against the
elements and rival clans.
At its core, Northgard is a game of strategy and resource management. As the
leader of a Viking clan, you must expand your territory, gather resources, and
build a thriving settlement while fending off threats from rival clans and the
untamed wilderness itself. The gameplay strikes a perfect balance between
accessibility and depth, making it easy for newcomers to jump in while offering
plenty of strategic depth for seasoned players to sink their teeth into.
One of the things that sets Northgard apart is its dynamic and ever-changing
world. Each game is procedurally generated, meaning no two playthroughs are ever
the same. From harsh winters to bountiful summers, each season presents its own
challenges and opportunities, forcing you to adapt and evolve your strategies
accordingly.
But perhaps what I love most about Northgard is its attention to detail and
rich, immersive atmosphere. The hand-drawn art style is absolutely gorgeous,
bringing the world of Northgard to life with vibrant colors and stunning
landscapes. The music, too, is a perfect complement to the game's setting,
evoking a sense of adventure and epic storytelling.
Of course, no game is without its flaws, and Northgard is no exception. The AI
can be a bit unpredictable at times, leading to occasional frustration when your
carefully laid plans are thwarted by seemingly random events. And while the
multiplayer mode offers plenty of opportunities for intense strategic battles
against human opponents, some players may find the lack of a robust
single-player campaign disappointing.
But these minor issues aside, Northgard is a must-play for any fan of strategy
games or Viking lore. With its engaging gameplay, beautiful art style, and rich
atmosphere, it's a journey into the heart of Norse mythology that you won't soon
forget.
Review 24
Purchased!
If this game is on sale buy it. Cute RTS game to pick up and put down. At the
moment the AI seems to be broken and does not put up a challenge. I thought i
was going beast/boss mode on extreme level difficulty, but it seems everyone has
come to a consensus that the last update broke the AI. A.T.M. not worth purchase
at full price.
Review 25
Purchased!
Northgard is fun, I think some of the DLC clans have very interesting play
mechanics. But overall the game is solid and is just difficult enough to have
you struggle for a good payoff victory.
Review 26
Purchased!
This was such a great game, but somewhere along the way the AI went from
moderately bad to godawful. I suspect that at some point in the attempt to
integrate new clans the AI got too complex and lost the ability to effectively
play the game. At this point, as someone who mainly plays Conquest, it's
basically a waste of time. I cannot speak to the multiplayer aspect, but for
anyone looking for a single player game, I'd suggest looking elsewhere.
Review 27
Purchased!
It was a good game, but currently the AI, so the whole single player aspect and
its modes, is so broken that it makes playing the game a pointless endeavor:
there's no challenge, no interesting gameplay.
Shiro also published a roadmap for 2024 without any mention whatsoever of an AI
fix or rework. I personally don't think they're tone deaf, I just think they
don't really care.
Review 28
Purchased!
Simply put, it feels like the game wants to be too many things at once and
excels at none of them. It's a mishmash of different strategy games that all
feel somewhat underdeveloped. I think it is an interesting take on a strategy
genre and hope they refine it in the future for a sequel but this current
iteration I can't really recommend.
My suggestion would be to lean into one or the other. Either real time strategy
with more simplicity to its structure and reduce redundant resource management
or lean into the city management and add to the complexity but change how the
focus on survivalism is done so it doesn't feel stressful to upkeep +'s and -'s.