Recently Game Rant was able to get a hands-on preview and interview with Tribes of Midgard in which multiple media individuals jumped into a server with Norsfell to experience the multiplayer aspects of the Saga mode. During the playthrough, there was a sense of community-based survival as well as a lighthearted feel to the survival mechanics that didn't feel as intense as other survival games. That being said, the lack of hunger, thirst, and other survival meters in Tribes of Midgard is compensated for by the ever-pressing monsters and Giants that are always getting closer to the Seed of Yggdrasil.
Julian Maroda, CEO of Norsfell, often speaks about his intention to create a new genre within Survival that allows players to thrive and have fun while they also focus on maintaining and improving their villages. While Playing Tribes of Midgard, the player is always deciding whether they want to explore further on the map, collect resources/souls, or defend against the monsters from Helheim and Giants of Ragnarok. Like other survival games, Tribes has a day and night cycle, with varying types of nights that provide increased challenges or give the player a unique opportunity to explore in the darkness.
A Varying Day/Night Cycle
Most survival games have incorporated a day system that progresses through the typical day as experienced on Earth, with night bringing unknown monsters and terrors. Tribes of Midgard gameplay seeks to evolve on that, giving the Blood Moon nights extra monsters followed by a more peaceful reprieve in which to explore for rare crafting materials. Even though it's an in-game challenge, the tougher nights never feel overly scary or stressful like in other survival games. The night of reprieve after a Blood Moon provides a unique feeling of rest where players can appreciate the world of Midgard in the dark.
"Time is of the essence in Tribes of Midgard. It’s really about traveling to places and you’re kind of running around against the clock..."
That being said, the player can and will still die at night if they aren't prepared to defend themselves and the Seed of Yggdrasil. As the days go on, the enemies get tougher and players will soon have to make strategic decisions about how far they can travel or how many resources they can collect before night falls and the monsters approach. This is where it becomes important to work as a community and split up the tasks.
Divide and Conquer
During the playthrough, there were a few nights that went by that provided opportunities to see how quickly the player can find themselves too far away from the village. This is why it's important to either have someone close enough to the base to run back or have a member of the village set to teleport back. Whatever the plan, it's wise to make sure that there is someone there to defend the Seed. While one person might be off exploring the ruins, one person might hang back and focus on defending the base, trading-off with the other player the next night. This is easily accomplished and organized through the game's many communication systems, such as voice, text, and constant HUD alerts.
"It’s deeper than that, there are many other systems where we made conscious decisions to facilitate that kind of informal osmosis communication."
Tribes of Midgard is certainly more accessible than other survival games due to its lack of hunger, thirst, and weight meters. That being said, it provides a unique pressure with the ever-passing time that brings monsters to the village's door. The time passes quickly, and without proper defenses and a strong team, the player is forced to make hard decisions about how they spend their time out in Midgard. There's no wrong way to do it, though, and players can try as many times as they want with procedural maps to create new Viking sandbox adventures.
Tribes of Midgard releases July 27 on PC, PS4, and PS5.