On July 27, Tribes of Midgard was released for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC (Steam). After the trailers promised an action-packed survival RPG, players had a significantly different impression after the release. This is reflected in the reviews.
What kind of game is it? In Tribes of Midgard, you play as a fallen Viking who is called back into battle as an Einherjar after death. You are tasked with protecting the seeds of the world tree Yggdrasil and preventing Ragnarök, the twilight of the gods.
To do this, you play alone or in a team of up to 10 players in randomly generated worlds, gather resources, craft equipment, and defend your base. Regularly, monsters from the underworld or even powerful giants with special abilities attack your settlement.
Each round starts over, and you must rebuild your character, choosing one of the 8 classes of the game and facing new dangers. Due to the different rounds where you start anew, Tribes of Midgard is a kind of “Roguelite”.
How is it being received? The first reactions to Tribes of Midgard are mixed. The game was released on Tuesday, July 27, for PlayStation consoles and PC. On Steam, the ratings are currently “balanced” with 61% positive feedback from 1,137 reviews.
In the press, Tribes of Midgard has been received quite well so far; Screen Rant calls it a “fantastic Viking adventure” (via Screenrant.com). However, there are still relatively few reviews and no Metascore yet.
Tribes of Midgard as “a better tower defense game”?
What is being criticized: One of the biggest criticisms is that Tribes of Midgard looked significantly different before release than it does now. In the trailers, players could be seen fighting and building together – more like a survival RPG, a mix between Valheim and Diablo.
However, players now say the game resembles a co-op Roguelite more, with survival and RPG elements being nearly nonexistent. While there are cold and heat mechanics, there is no hunger mechanic and classes reset each time. Steam user moowl-wurf summarizes his experience like this:
Unfortunately, I have to say that the trailers show more than how it actually plays. Fundamentally, it can be considered a ‘better tower defense game’, where you have to protect the tree in the center. After some time, waves of enemies come that you need to fend off while you gather resources.
moowl-wurf via Steam
On Steam and in the community, such as on reddit, players are also complaining about the difficulty level (via reddit.com). Playing solo is hardly feasible. The time is not enough to complete tasks, gather resources, and also defend the base.
Playing together is easier. As a suggestion for improvement, some players demand that days be longer and nights shorter, as attacks on the base only occur at night. During the day, players can explore more or less freely.
Is everything bad? Despite the view that Tribes of Midgard does not fully meet expectations, many players are still satisfied with it. The gameplay and the fun are often praised – Tribes of Midgard is apparently a decent pastime in between.
Even the difficulty level is partly praised. Although especially solo players want some adjustments here, the challenging difficulty seems to appeal to quite a number of people. Especially fans of Roguelite and Roguelike games appreciate the challenge.
What is your impression of Tribes of Midgard? Have you played it already, and do you find it too difficult, or should it stay like this? Do you miss survival and RPG elements, or do you like the game principle? Leave us a comment!
Another game has actually tried to combine survival and RPG and was recently released on Steam – but did not fare well there:
New MMO on Steam wants to combine survival and RPG – Here’s how it’s doing
