Interview: Benjamin Panah, Project Manager of Valnir Rok, a Viking RPG Game

Valnir Rok is an online sandbox survival roleplaying game produced in Cologne in Germany, inspired by Norse mythology. Players will awaken to find themselves on Valnir Island and must do whatever it takes to survive in a land of wild animals, mythical beasts, and violent men. As a hardened Viking warrior, butcher your enemies in bloody combat, build and improve village structures, and form a clan to expand your power and reputation.

What was the original inspiration for launching the Encurio game studio?

The game was founded in 2015. It had always been a dream of the Valentin, Erik and Sebastian to develop a game. The brothers Sebastian Rahmel and Valentin Rahmel (Sarazar) started with a first concept of the game. Erik Range (Gronkh) joined immediately. Inspired by the Viking tv series, Game of Thrones and Survival titles like DayZ and Rust they created a first concept of a game with survival and roleplay elements.

RPG games have been one of the most popular genres for many decades now. What differentiates your games from the competition?

Actually, the mythical Viking setting. Still today most survival games are based in the modern days and far less in the medieval time period. And there our studio did decide to go for a Viking setting.

You recently launched the game Valnir Rok. What type of player would be attracted to this game?

We are focusing on two types of players. Those who enjoy a challenging survival game where you have to manage your resources, stay healthy and build your own home. But we also cater to those who just want to enjoy a mythical Viking world and experience the story of Valnir Rok as well as the lore behind it.

We don’t often come across games that are inspired by Norse mythology, what was the inspiration behind this storyline?

It's our passion for Viking history and mythology. Many of us are interested in the Scandinavian history from the times when the Vikings were present and some of our developers even visit events and conventions where they can re-enact the dark ages.

As the main character you wake wake up on a beach, half-naked and exhausted, what happens to the character next?

Alone and with nothing on you but old and dirty clothes you have to search for other survivors and find out who lured you into this trap and caused your ship to wreck.

The game offers the feature of worshipping Gods and being able to win the favor of certain Gods. Could you tell us more about this?

Valnir Rok is based on Norse mythology but we decided to create our own pantheon. There are three gods which rule over the island and each one of them has their own domain. Everything you do in the game can and will change your relationship towards one of the gods and in return they will grant you favors which make you stronger, increase your vitality or increase some of your skills.

What are some of the professions and skills that a character can learn?

The players will need a lot of skills to survive in Valnir Rok and those naturally lead to professions. We offer several fields that players can specialize in. Those include for example blacksmithing so you can craft advanced weapons and armor. Or you could become a builder and create everything from single houses to full size cities for you and your companions.

Can you tell us about the ability to build houses and fortify them?

Our housing system is based on a modular building system. The players can pick from a large array of building elements such as walls, furniture and decorations to create their own Viking home. As with most survival games you start out with a small wooden shelter and as you progress you will unlock the ability to create more sturdy homes, made out of stone. As a measure of security, we have also added palisades and gates to the builder's arsenal so that you can protect your homestead against enemies and other players.

Fighting in the Arena sounds like one of the most exciting parts of this world. What creatures will we be fighting?

The arena is a proving ground for all players where they can challenge the creatures and beasts of Valnir Rok in a fight to the death. Those who are looking to truly test their skills can also challenge other player in PVP combat.

How large is this multi-player world?

The map is about 16km².

Is there anything else that you would like to share about Valnir Rok?

We invite everyone to join us in Valnir Rok and experience the world we have created. We are still in Early Access on Steam but our team, together with the community, is working hard behind the scenes to release the full game within the next three months.

To learn more visit Valnir Rok.