I think it’s fair to say that at least once a year most gamers find that one fantastic title to get hyped about, that one hidden gem that’s perfect to their tastes. Something that or creates an overwhelming level of nostalgia, well, For me that moment this year involved Scandinavians, Ancient Britannia and a mysterious crypt.

At Rezzed I was fortunate enough to get my hands on Expedtions: Viking a historical RPG with Oregon trail-esque travel management. Playing a short extract I was presented with a small band of armed men guarding a gravesite, I had to get myself and my party inside in order to find out exactly what was so precious in there. You know. Viking stuff.

It’s no unique feature nowadays to have a non-linear approach to your questing but despite that, it remains a feature hard to pull off effectively. Keeping a player enthralled with the gameplay and plotline regardless of the approach they take on a quest appears to be something of an art in game development. An art ‘Expeditions‘ really nailed in the section I experienced. Not since Fallout 3 have I wanted to go back and experiment with each approach just to see how drastically differently a world would react around my choices.

For instance when I came across the gravesite I chose to channel my inner viking and cut down all who got in my way, forcing my way through to the crypt. Inside I was to find several threatening and unearthly beings and a stash of loot which I quickly slaughtered and stole before running off into the woods. But, later, Alex Mint of Logic Artists would share that taking a more peaceful solution would result in making your my to the nearest town to meet the local populace and learn the truth behind the monstrous figures. There’s enough weight behind the decisions that I know will at least drive me to put in multiple playthroughs.

Furthermore, Logic Artists have done an incredible job with their sound design. The heavy Scandinavian accent featured in the cinematic is spot on, the score is in my opinion, flawless so far, and with a high quality headset on, the moment my berserker hit the ground running I felt like I’d been dropkicked from reality.

Expeditions: Viking nails its premise from the get-go. If you’re a fan of the ever popular ‘Vikings’ series on the History Channel it’ll hit all the right vibes. If you’re not a fan of grid/turn based combat but you’re still on the hunt for a decent viking game, it just might tick enough other boxes to intrigue you.

Expected to come out later this year, I don’t doubt you’ll hear plenty more ‘Expeditions’ it over the next few months. In the meantime you can find out more about Expeditions: Viking at the Logic Artists site here.