Blessed By The Gods
It seems Old Norse adventures are all the rage these days – from the smash-hit 2018 hack-and-slash title God of War to the latest installment in the Assassin’s Creed franchise, Valhalla, there’s certainly no shortage of Viking-themed games at the moment. One that’s sure to stand out from the crowd, however, is Blood Bond: Into The Shroud, the latest game from UK-based indie studio W.R.K.S Games.
Blood Bond: Into The Shroud follows the story of the Viking witch Astrid, who must journey out into the world of Jordenheim for the first time to unearth the truth behind the attack that destroyed her home. This game will have a heavy focus on giving rewards for as many actions as possible – players can earn experience not only through combat, but by discovering new locations, crafting new items and equipment, and by earning the blessings of the Gods. These blessings are designed to encourage replayability – as the Gods are fickle, they will rarely grant the same favors twice. You can check out Blood Bond: Into The Shroud gameplay here:
One thing that’s clear is the heavy focus on building a fleshed-out and well developed world – one of the extras available on the game’s steam page is the first volume of a comic book series based on the game. W.R.K.S Games’ Founder and CEO Kosala “Kos” Ubayasekara explained the focus on worldbuilding: “It’s important for W.R.K.S to lead with story. The team writes the lore long before game design begins. They want people to join the universe from any point and yearn to dive deeper. Blood Bond: Into the Shroud is the perfect debut that introduces the world of Jordenheim to players and urges them to explore to the fullest. Our goal as developers is to provide players with a great old-school RPG experience with modern graphics and done in a modern engine”
Blood Bond: Into The Shroud is available now on Steam and the W.R.K.S Strore.