Want to be exiled on a faraway island in an unknown land as a Viking family? Want to play a game that is a mash-up of fun story-telling, great survival management, and cool RPG action? Well, I have the game for you. Dead in Vinland is an indie game that has a little bit of everything, and it’s pretty fun to play. As you may have read previously, I’m slowly warming to indie games in my tenure at ROG. Dead in Vinland just topped my list of indies and here’s why:
Dead in Vinland is an indie survival management, RPG, adventure mashup for PC that comes out today. It’s a sequel to the game Dead in Bermuda, which came out in 2015. The game was developed by CCCP and published by Playdius and Plug in Digital.
The game follows Eirik and his family as they try to survive a harsh new land. The player must manage five important aspects of the family’s health, including fatigue, hunger, sickness, injury, and depression. In order to survive, one must explore the island, build up the camp, and deal with others on the island—both helpful and hostile. Resource gathering is a must; finding food, water, and enduring weather are all important to survival.
The game is turn-based, so a player can take time to make good decisions (which I loved because I have to pause constantly with a toddler in the house), and there are three modes of difficulty, depending on how hard-core a player wants to be. There is both a survival management mode and a fighting mode (both which utilize RPG elements). The fighting mode is a three versus three turn-based battle with character who have their own special skills.
After some time, a player can have up to fourteen playable characters who have their own strengths, flaws, and styles. Story dialogue can influence how each character interacts with one another, including possible romances.
Building up a functioning camp is extremely important. One must upgrade the shelter and build up stations that can craft different items that give bonuses. The more advanced the stations, the cooler stuff one can do!
Exploration is another important part. There are tons of areas to discover—all of which have interactive objects. It doesn’t take too long, though, to discover Björn Headcleaver, the scrupulous ruler of the area. Upon meeting him, the characters are immediately pushed to pay him weekly tributes—or else. One must decide what to do with him. Keep paying the tribute? Or rebel?
What was surprising to me was the well-developed storyline that continued throughout the game. I was expecting something more game play-focused, and instead, I found a long, rich and fun storyline with fun and quirky characters. I loved that the developers described one of their inspirations for the story from the Twin Peaks TV series.
Graphics for indie games can be hit or miss. In the case of Dead in Vinland, the beautifully done 2D graphics are a definite plus. The characters are well done, and the scenery is exquisite.
Overall, I feel that Dead in Vinland is a fun and addictive addition to any Steam library. It’s light on space and resources—plus the price is right for hours of a lot of fun game play. I recommend this indie for any PC gamer looking for something a little different.