Die for Valhalla! gamescom Preview

Continuing my time at the polish games booth at gamescom, I came across a game that caught my attention, especially as a fan of side-scrolling beat-em up titles. Developed by Monster Couch, Die for Valhalla! isn’t your typical beat-em up title thanks to its unique design.

It was time to fight and embrace death as you Die for Valhalla! as instead of playing a brutal Viking with an assortment of weapons, you instead take control of the spirits of Valhalla. Known as the Valkyrie, you traverse alongside the charging Vikings and possess those who have fallen and raise them from the dead. When possessing, you take full control and battle it out till you die. Death is not the end, though, as once your possessed Viking has fallen you can take control of another and continue the fight.

It’s different and even has a rogue-lite design to it as well. Staying alive as your possessed Viking can earn you bonuses and upgrades in the form of rune stones. These allow you to increase your stats through a mini-game where you unlock moves across a grid offering increased health, damage and more.

During my playtime, it reminded me very much of Castle Crashers. It was all out combat across the screen with oncoming enemies, fallen allies and explosive prone barrels. I also got to try a handful of the available Vikings - Archer, Berserk and Warrior - and the devs plan to add more. Each of course, play differently and it’s up to you to take control. Although I didn’t get the chance to see, the developers have also stated that later on in the game you’ll be able to possess the enemies, objects in the environment and even the bosses.

It’s still early in development I wasn’t able to get much information on release. The team have however, explained that Die for Valhalla! is focused on being very replayable and will support up to four players locally.

They have a Steam Greenlight page and hope, with enough votes, to be available on Steam next year. They’re also looking at potentially setting up a crowdfund to further support the development. My time with the game was fun and I look forward to seeing more. If you’re a fan of classic, couch party, side scrolling beat-em-ups then be sure to check out this one.