About the Game

Unlike many similar games, this game does not rely on blitz attacks or building huge military forces in order to succeed. You can prioritise fighting and weaponry if you want to, but the basic premise of the game is more gritty and primitive than that.

There is a strong emphasis on survival, with resource growth and management being by far the most important factor in the game, trumping everything else. The land is harsh and unforgiving and will do everything in its power to overthrow the puny humans trying to eke out a living from its bounty.

You can play as the Clan of the Bear who thrive in winter, lording it over the other tribes who struggle in winter when food resources become more scarce and expensive to produce, and the weather gets cold and icy. This happens every nine months or so (game months come around quicker than real life months) and can be the undoing of your small community.

Seasonal Delights

Along with food shortages, winter ensures that other resources dwindle: firewood becomes harder to find, and any standing army incurs a terrible drain on resources. It is at this time that clans can become so stretched for resources that starvation can set in.

As far this was not enough to deal with, special events occur at any time. These can include deadly blizzards, rat plagues and other similarly devastating occasions that can tip the balance of even a marginally healthy society towards trouble and decimation.

The one advantage of the seasonal changes and even the special events is that they are programmed in, and you can see them coming on the calendar. In theory, this gives you time to plan ahead and lay in supplies or build rat-proof buildings in an effort to avoid the worst effects: but in practise it can sometimes simply make you panic as you freeze and watch your doom approaching!

Ways to Play

Multiplayer is the clear winner in this game, offering multiple opportunities for you to plan your civilisation and build your society from scratch. This is a broadly sandbox format that works very well for players who love to do their own thing. The random actions of the other players add a level of interest and engagement to the game that is hard to tear yourself away from.

There is a single-player campaign too, in which the player can follow the story arc of one man’s quest to avenge the death of his father, working to keep his community thriving as he unravels the answers to his mission.

Occupation, occupation, occupation

Your population is made up of people with different jobs: each has certain needs and brings certain benefits to the community. Here is a rundown of these:

• Food workers: without these workers, the rest of the population will starve to death

• Lumberjacks: these useful soul cut wood and supply firewood so your population can cook and – most importantly – heat their houses, particularly important during winter time

• Miners: the mines are used to produce stone which is the primary building material of the community. Without this, people cannot build houses and they risk freezing to death in short order. It is also needed in order to expand the community

• Army: armies are always useful for defeating rivals and taking all their goods. However, armies are an enormous drain on the resources chewing through money and manpower, even during summer. Armies are best used by creating them for clearance purposes and then almost immediately repurposing them as miners, lumberjacks or fishermen

Northgard for PC is available for purchase on Instant Gaming for a fraction of its retail price. You will receive an official key and be able to play the game in seconds. Play smart. Pay less.
There are currently 2352 players playing this game on Steam