Viking Frontiers: Prologue Review (PC)

Medieval and Viking sandboxes are a dime a dozen in this day and age, so for the team behind the latest entree, Viking Frontiers, it’s almost like joining a like-minded faction comprised of astronomical figures and ill-fated odds. To say that the folks over at BLUM Entertainment have their work cut out for them with their latest survival-crafting sandbox would be an understatement, given the sheer number of powerhouse alternatives that are currently available on the market and what have you. But there’s a lot of potential behind this particular project, and frankly, it wasn’t all that long before I was able to figure that out after initially launching the Prologue to dabble in its waters for the first time.

On paper, you could argue that Viking Frontiers is a shameless clone of Medieval Dynasty. And to be fair, you wouldn’t be entirely wrong, as it does sport almost all of the same sandbox features, and not to mention a visual element that’s highly reminiscent of its source. But there’s more to it than that, and it wouldn’t be fair to BLUM if I purposely glossed over the finer, more unique aspects of its world. So, for the sake of covering all bases, allow me to dial it back to the early hours of that first dawn—to the opening chapters of its moldable Viking-centric tale.

Embracing the Shoreline

Viking Frontiers doesn’t have that much of a plot for you to untangle; in fact, it more or less depicts the fateful arrival of a troubled tribe—a powerless unit devoid of prowess and resources of their own—on an old shoreline frontier. The game, which sees you as the leader of this struggling tribe, grants you the opportunity to shape the world around you—an act that consists of erecting sawmills, lodgings, and other buildings, as well as creating job openings for settlers and completing other duties, like hunting, crafting, and laying the groundwork for a sustainable law, for example. And while a lot of these features are still being developed (the Prologue only allows you to pick at a small portion of them), the game does allow for you to establish the foundation of your settlement and onboard a series of starter quests to whet your appetite.

To state the obvious, there is a lot for you to do in Viking Frontiers — so much, in fact, that you could quite easily lose track of the day-and-night cycle by simply roaming the shoreline and doing whatever feels necessary. From gathering natural resources to conversing with the NPCs via a text-based system, building communal workshops to farm additional supplies to delving into an in-depth crafting process — Viking Frontiers clearly provides a good chunk of content for you to carve out right from the get-go. Granted, not everything is perfect here; the lack of dialogue and downscaled text boxes are two things that could do with some extra work. But for what it is, at least in its current state, there’s a lot to celebrate and keep you busy while the developers iron out the details.

An Axe to the Grind

There are some pleasantly surprising graphical details to prod at here, including the glossy waters and warm embers of the occasional glaring campfire. Is it the most beautiful Viking-centric sandbox game on the chopping block? Perhaps not, though there is a lot of depth in its world design, and not to mention some quality sound effects to support a great deal of the basic animations, too. And again, this is the Prologue that we’re talking about, so while there are still some areas that could do with a little more TLC in later updates, the groundwork still remains as structurally sound as you would expect. And honestly, I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t have high hopes for its future, given the amount that it has already poured into the opening chapter.

In the handful of hours that I poured into Viking Frontiers: Prologue, I didn’t have to overcome any major issues, minus, perhaps, the occasional technical error with the UI or mishap in the crafting process. Aside from those two minor hiccups, though, the journey was exactly what I expected it to be: a calming introduction to a limitless world—a saga that, in my mind, would eventually lead me down a spiraling road of potential adventures. Of course, I couldn’t bask in the world in its entirety, but it gave me enough of an incentive to return — and that’s all that mattered. I was able to construct a sawmill, bond with a few tribe folk, participate in a quick spot of hunting, and even craft a few useful tools to help lessen the burden on the community.

You Reap What You Sow

Suffice it to say, there is a solid sense of satisfaction to be found in what is otherwise a slog of a teething expedition. Naturally, the process of developing an economy that stands on its own two feet is a grueling endeavor, and one that often requires a ludicrous amount of time and effort. However, with Viking Frontiers, each task that you successfully accomplish is often made to feel beneficial in some peculiar way, whether it’s harvesting ingredients for your campfire or enacting the necessary steps to fulfill one of several building projects on your to-do list. The fact that you can also alternate between various roles—a priest, builder, hunter, and law official, for instance—also means that you’re never with the one job. And that’s a major plus in my book, as it means that you don’t have to follow the same path, but rather, carve your own.

Verdict

Viking Frontiers has the solemn heart of a sandbox with limitless potential and, more importantly, the basic infrastructure to elevate even its most generic components in future updates. Of course, the Prologue in its current state is but a small window into a much greater and more ambitious world, so while we may be able to comment on several of its introductory features, there’s still a tremendous amount left for us to explore and critique. And I honestly believe that the Prologue could serve as a fantastic stepping stone for a grander future for the project — that is, provided that it makes a genuine attempt to iron out several of its notable issues.

For what it’s worth, Viking Frontiers does have some pretty good bones, and while a lot of said bones are still under the guise of underwhelming drawbacks—undercooked UI elements and numerous technical problems, for example—there’s still a good chance that, with a lick of additional polish and a few adjustments to its design, its full launch could exceed its own expectations. But, until the creators act on those problems and make the necessary modifications to the framework, we have little choice but to park it and wait for further updates.

If you’re hell-bent on romping through all of the work that Viking Frontiers has to offer, then you might as well hang fire until the game reaches its tipping point, as sadly, there are still plenty of things that could do with a bit of extra time in the oven. I wouldn’t sleep on it, though, as the game certainly has the potential to become an excellent city-building experience. On that note, you’d be right to hit snooze for the time being and wait for the next notification.