Frozenheim

There's something to be said for a game centered around war and conflict being as equally calm and serene as it is tense and exciting. Frozenheim is a fun entry into the RTS (real-time strategy) world for those who may not be too familiar with the genre. Here, players have the freedom to customize the experience they want, which could simply be building settlements, keeping their people happy, and never seeing a rival settlement or group step foot on their grounds. Or, players could choose violence and chaos, both frantically ensuring that resources are being properly gathered and maintained while also slaughtering endless hordes of vicious Vikings ready to burn their settlement to ashes. Both of those play styles – and the variants in-between you can tweak – offer a lot when it comes to respecting whatever the player wants to do.

Frozenheim executes its strategy elements in engaging ways that keeps the gameplay interesting. Some units can discover landmarks and events while traveling beyond your settlement, which can offer additional resources or specific buildings that are only accessible by leaving your comfort zone. Building up your communities and living through the seasons without incident is relaxing, and figuring out how to come out on top of a rival settlement that has larger numbers than yours is an accomplishment all on its own. If the game suffers from anything, it's that there's, ironically, too much player freedom. Where some RTS titles maintain their core gameplay loop of allowing players to build while constantly staging new, dynamic scenarios to keep players on their toes over a long period of time, Frozenheim peaks early by depending on players to create "fun" for themselves as the campaigns will fly by in a flash, leaving players directionless when it's all said and done. That aside, Frozenheim has more than enough style and substance to inspire players to be kind, giving leaders – or bloodthirsty conquerors – amongst their Viking kin.