Expeditions: Viking

[b][i]Expeditions: Viking[/i][/b] is a party-based RPG with turn-based combat and management elements in a low-fantasy setting. The story focused on a young chieftain of a small viking clan who has to set out on an expedition to fortune in a foreign land. There are several ways to approach the main goal, the clan's survival, from alliances to trading to raiding, fitting different character builds and roleplay styles. While it is not possible to avoid combat completely, the non-lethal knockouts are recognised in many quests. For most skill checks only the protagonist's skills are taken into consideration. In general, the choices are reflected well in subsequent events. There are no classes for the character development, but focusing on a few skills is preferable to spreading out. The starting attributes cannot be changed after character creation and they affect the dialogues a lot, though there is also RNG. The equipment and skills provide different abilities, and the latter are awarded only for completing quests - there is no grind, though random encounters are present and could lead to new quests, loot or injuries. Some of the side quests are hard to find due to the need to "listen" (to stay nearby) to unvoiced dialogues between NPCs, which are too similar to background banter. As for visual indicators, all interactive objects can be highlighted, one quest objective at a time can be marked. The difficulty curve is rather sharp with very challenging start and more even and late-game. Same can be said of the management aspect - the party members need to rest, eat, and heal, with the latter consuming quite a lot time and resources. The very generous time limits can be disabled, though it requires modifying the configuration files via Notepad. The console is accessible without any additional actions and can be used to mitigate the management aspect of the game. The graphics, soundtrack, and partial voice acting are adequate. The controls are comfortable and rebindable. The progress can be saved at any time out of combat. There are 2-3 large locations that take several minutes to load and few minor bugs, but nothing critical. While there are obvious historical inspirations, the setting has some fantasy elements, such as the ability to make a chain mail from 80 hides or meeting potential Norse Gods. As for the less interesting aspects of it, the sexism comes mostly from the southern Christian faction, who are entirely possible to slaughter (or to ignore or to ally with, if one so desires). There are few gender-specific dialogue lines and romances (2 of the companions are straight and 2 are bisexual). In terms of appearance, the character creator is limited to Caucasian and Asian characters, even with custom portraits. Another thing to mention is the slavery - the thralls speed up construction and can be captured or bought during the story, but the existing ones cannot be released directly (when they are applied during the settlement upgrades, they disappear, not specifying whether they are released or dead). On the other hand, the NPC thralls can be supported and occasionally freed. Overall, it is an interesting, challenging, and engaging RPG with excellent options for roleplay.