Shiro Games has announced that their upcoming strategy/exploration game Northgard, which is based on Norse mythology, will be heading to Steam Early Access on February 22nd 2017.
Northgard is a pretty significant departure for Shiro Games, who are most well known for the well-received Evoland, and Evoland II. The Evoland games were a unique take on the RPG genre, which were love stories of a sort for the classic games that influenced the Shiro Games team. Most notably, the games are known for their shifting graphic styles, which became more modern as one played through the game.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HRvPbAvzrM
Northgard tasks players with taking control of a Viking settlement in the newly discovered, titular continent of Northgard. Players will have to decide which jobs their Vikings should assume, be it Merchant, Farmer, Warrior, Loremaster, etc. and will need to explore, expand, and carefully manage their resources if they wish to succeed. Interestingly, players can achieve victory in various different ways, reminiscent of 4x games, such as via Conquest, Fame, Lore and Trading.
While the game will be playable in Early Access beginning February 22nd, the Shiro Games team has already outlined plans for future additions to the game before it hits full release. The outlined plans include a dedicated multiplayer mode, a campaign mode, a diplomacy system, expanded victory conditions, and two more playable clans. Obviously, as a Steam Early Access title, the game is in development for PC, and there is no word on whether or not the game will be ported to other platforms in the future.
There is no word on price currently, although Shiro Games state that the Early Access version should be priced cheaper than the final release. The current plan is to have the game in early access for 2 to 6 months, and the level of polish on Evoland II suggests that this title will probably be a quality product when it hits full release.
