Die for Valhalla! is an action RPG/hack & slash game that released on the Switch back in May of 2018 by developer, Monster Couch where you play as a Valkyrie. In Old Norse, a Valkyrie is a “chooser of the slain”. That’s a big hint at what this game is all about!
You take control of fallen warriors as they lay in their graves. You have your choice of what type of fighter you’d like to use. There’s 7 different Viking classes to choose from. If you like fighting from afar, you can play most of the game as an archer. If you’re more of a hand-to-hand combat person, find the grave of a Berserker and get your slash on. It’s not always that easy though. Once a warrior is killed, you go back to your true Valkyrie self. You need to find the nearest grave to take over because once you are killed as a Valkyrie, it’s game over. So, sometimes you end up with whatever fighter you can find, so it’s good to be familiar with all classes.
There’s quite a bit of content packed into this game. There’s the normal “Beat Em’ Up mode where the worlds are larger with a little more exploration. Then there’s “Rogue-Lite” mode with smaller levels and a steep difficulty curve. It’s honestly really tough! You have 10 different Viking Clans to unlock with their own unique abilities, 7 different classes, and 80 skills to choose from when leveling up. There’s also 4 player local co-op with Deathmatch and Survival Challenges.
In Die for Valhalla, you are taken on a journey through Norse Mythology mixed with a pinch of Lovecraftian. The hand-drawn visuals and character designs are brutally beautiful and the controls on the Joy-Cons are pretty mooth. The story is fairly short. (I beat the game in about 6.5 hours.) But, there is a ton of replay value. I only unlocked a fraction of the skills and Viking Clans the first run through. With the levels all being randomly generated, replaying is almost a must! Die for Valhalla is a solid title on the Switch. Sure, it’s a bit short and unfortunately, the levels all kind of have the same look and feel to them, but there’s nothing better than button mashing until your thumbs hurt. And that’s honestly what I had the most fun with.
