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The moment that I knew I wanted to be a Viking was the moment that I pushed another man off a cliff. I didn't mean to do this, but gravity and circumstance joined forces and suddenly he was gone. I suppose I didn't know my own strength. I suppose I also ignored the clues to my own strength that included: my big suit of armour, my big helmet, my big sword, my big shield.War of the Vikings follows on from the messy melee of War of the Roses, and it will feel immediately familiar to veterans of that conflict. Its third-person combat is directed by nudges of the mouse that determine the direction of swings or parries, with timing the difference between life and death, but executive producer Gordon Van Dyke insists that a great many improvements have been made behind the scenes: "There's some similarities, obviously, but it's not just a re-skin of War of the Roses."
Most apparent is the sense of momentum that combat now has. While many of the weapons in War of the Roses certainly felt powerful and heavy, even a strong blow or a ringing shield bash would do little to shift an opponent. Now, a thrust or a charge carries weight and clashing warriors can force each other back or cause far more serious injuries as they land their strikes. This can work both ways, too, and my most grievous injury came as a result of my running right into an enemy's thrust. I did an excellent job of skewering myself in a manner that felt entirely deserved.
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