The Fate of Baldris a tower defense adventure game that offers players a mix of Norse mythology influences and sci-fi elements, where players take on the role of space Vikings seeking to change the fate of the Nordic mythological god, Baldr. TraversingThe Fate of Baldr’s Norse-inspired worlds either solo or through online co-op with friends, players gather and collect resources in the hope of reviving Baldr and preventing the onset of Ragnarök, while defending and upgrading their Viking ship and more.
The Fate of Baldr’s blend of Norse mythology and sci-fi is an intriguing take on the tower defense genre within the indie game scene, especially with the enduringpopularity of Norse mythology-inspired games likeGod of Warand Viking-themed titles likeValheim. In a recent interview, Game Rant spoke with the Ananki Game Studio development team about why the game specifically mixes Nordic and sci-fi elements, speaking with CEO/Programmer André Kråkenes, 2D Artist Asia Iakimova, and 3D Artist/Programmer Anders Evjen Bakke.
Norse Mythology Influences In The Fate of Baldr’s Worlds And Story
InThe Fate of Baldr, players play as the Vikings of Midgard as theyexplore multiple alien planetsinspired by Norse mythology. To summarizeThe Fate of Baldr’s story, Evjen Bakke explained it’s up to players to visit all nine planets to search for items to “hopefully revive Baldr.” Speaking aboutThe Fate of Baldr’s development history, Evjen Bakke also explained how the original game concept was “much more space-based and less Norse,” mentioning the team felt the addition of Norse mythology made it “more interesting” and something that helped make the tower defense game more unique. As Evjen Bakke explained,
We thought it was relatively unique. There are not that many games combining those two elements, so I have to mix and match things to do something interesting, new, and fresh.
Evjen Bakke also confirmedThe Fate of Baldrhas nine planets plus a tutorial-like one, describing each planet as “heavily inspired by worlds from Norse mythology,” ranging from forests to volcano and ice worlds. In addition to its story and worlds,Norse mythology influencesare also evident in the design of the game’s characterization and enemies, such as the troll-like enemies seen in the game’s cinematic trailer. As Iakimova added, “…the worlds have different atmospheres, enemies of course, and are quite unique from each other.”
Sci-Fi Elements In The Fate of Baldr
As showcased in the cinematic,The Fate of Baldr’ssci-fi game elementsare perhaps most visible in Viking character design and weaponry from their robotic armor ingrained with glowing, seemingly rune-like symbols. The Vikings have traditional weapons like hammers and axes alongside advanced weaponry like shotguns, rifles, and rocket launchers, depending upon what class players choose. Discussing its Viking and sci-fi combination, Kråkenes talked about how this can “spice it up a little bit and make it fun.” adding,
“…it’s a fun concept, we think, with Vikings, like old melee weapons, and then you mix it with sci-fi shooting and some magic effects there.”
Instead of beingset on a spaceship, it’s also up to players to defend and upgrade their Viking ship, with upgrades including the ship’s health, alongside other possibilities like character class upgrades. Overall, protecting a Viking spaceship and exploring various alien planets as Vikings sounds like a unique concept that could appeal to different kinds of players looking for something potentially different from the genre.
