1990 New Deal Productions
Platforms: Commodore Amiga and Atari ST
Viking was to be an ambitious adventure game that was to cast you as a Viking warrior (e.g., Erik, Leif, or Thorwald) with the ultimate goal of living a worthy life and earning a place in Valhalla. Rather than following a strict storyline or mission structure, the game would encourage freedom, exploration, and role-playing, allowing you to create your own saga.
The idea was that you would begin by undertaking one of four initiation quests, such as hunting or trying to gain permission to leave your village. After building your long ship and selecting your crew (whose qualities impact gameplay), you set sail on an expansive journey through 13 seas, 72 rivers, and over 200 cities, villages, and abbeys across Europe, Africa, and even the New World.
Key activities were reported to include:
- Trading, racing, and naval battles (including boarding enemy ships)
- Rescuing characters or completing quests (e.g. finding rare gifts or mythical items)
- Managing your crew’s morale and resources
- Besieging historical cities like Paris and Byzantium
- Avoiding Viking pirates and other dangers at sea
There were also to be animated scenes and real-time progression, where your final goal was not just survival or conquest but to create an epic Viking life story. Upon death, your deeds would be judged to determine if you earn entry into Valhalla.
The graphics were excellent for the time, with 32-color visuals on both Amiga and ST platforms, though sadly the title would just completely disappear, like with Darkland, another title by the company Though compared with that game that did see release on the ST, Viking seems to be completely at large for both platforms.
What happened to the game, and how far did it get? Can anything be saved of it? If you know anything more about the title, please do get in touch.
With a huge thank you to Hoagie / Abandonware France for the submission and scans.
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