Dead In Vinland

Dead In Vinland is a sequel of sorts to the management/survival/RPG Dead in Bermuda. I never played the original, but now I am desperate to go back. That’s because, short of a few easily patched-in features, Dead in Vinland is close to being an indie PC masterpiece. More than that, it’s a gaming experience not quite like anything else.

Dead in Vinland is a nice mix of RPG, simulation, and exploration elements.  With nearly a dozen party members to recruit, multiple tasks to assign people to, and many different ways to interact with the island's inhabitants, there are multiple ways to go about playing the game and every decision you make will matter in the end.

When the issues of a game are rolled and stomped by its greatness, then it’s something to invest on if you have some spare.

Each location you explore on the island has something to interact with. Sometimes it’s a simple hunting ground, others it can be a gate to Hel itself. See above. Some are mysteries waiting to be solved, others are simply a place to get more goods to survive by. But the best thing is that each new game means that the locations of these items and the outcomes are completely different. The skills of your people mean success or failure in getting the most from them too. It’s just… brilliant...

Vikings are somewhat in the fashion at the minute. Whether it’s the psychological anguish of Hellblade, the tactical mastery of The Banner Saga or the brutal combat of God of War, the Norsemen have never been more popular in video games. And with that esteem there comes the games like Dead in Vinland.

A strangely addictive average game

Dead in Vinland is a challenging game with fun writing and hours of gameplay to keep you busy. However, repetitive gameplay and a slow-moving plot holds back what could have been a truly fantastic game.

The upside is that replays do vary a fair amount. Some events are fixed by the storylines, but there’s enough randomness that it doesn’t get too samey. As an example, sometimes you don’t stumble on another soul for days. Sometimes you find a shady Jesuit priest. Sometimes you find a one-legged man and his wife and their baby. Everyone’s welcome in camp initially because you need bodies to throw at the tasks of survival. But as with everything, when food runs short or relationships go sour, there’s a decision to be made, and someone gets voted out.