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What Happens When You Cross a Dating Sim with Vikings? - Doki Doki Ragnarok Review

12K View2022-07-15

We all have a specific type of person we’re attracted to. Some like their partners to be sophisticated and posh. Others are looking for the bold and daring type to satiate their wildest fantasies and desires. Then there's Doki Doki Ragnarok, the game where we take these characteristics and assign them to villages in Viking-Age Europe.

I'd never really thought about dating a village, but to be fair, why not? I've lived in cities across the world, and the decision on where to move, live, and spend my time is in its own way a form of ritualistic courtship. Now we finally have a game that cuts through the BS and demonstrates how love can be expressed in many ways... And in this case, it just happens to be through mutually consenting PG-13 Viking pillaging action!

Developed by Benjamin Justice and newly released to iOS, Doki Doki Ragnarok is a Viking dating simulator where you date authentic villages in the middle ages. I say “dating simulator,” but the game in and of itself is a visual novel and a parody of most of the dating simulators you'll find out there. There's no otome-style ideal mate you're trying to court. Instead, the goal is simple: plowing your way through as many sentient villages as possible with the ultimate goal of getting your raid on with Valhalla.

If you think pillaging and consent are paradoxical, you're not wrong, but this is a big part of the fun in Doki Doki Ragnarok. Consent is the name of the game as you travel through different lands trying to win the hearts of eligible villages. Of course, villages have different personalities and preferences, so to pull off a successful raid, you'll have to get to know your potential conquest before prematurely storming the gates. Just like real life! It’s a peculiar concept that was wacky enough to get me in the mood to reave and plunder!

I started with my choice of three Viking warriors. Each had its own characteristics and outrageous dating profile. Doki Doki Ragnarok even allows you to choose a male or female Viking grunt, a welcome addition. A big reason this game is appealing to me, and I imagine anyone willing to pick up a Viking dating simulator, is the Viking lore. It was badass that one Viking warrior had the blood of frost giants, and many villages were named after real locations that had experienced Viking activity, such as Wareham and Londinium. Little sprinkles of ancient fact and lore really brought out my inner history geek. The added engagement was a nice touch for a fun but otherwise nonsensical game.

No matter who you choose, the gameplay and narrative stay the same. I played as Eivor, who suspiciously shares the name of another famous video game Viking from Assassin’s Creed Valhalla—a coincidence I'm not sure was unintentional. I was tasked with pillaging and plundering in Odin's name. From that point forward, the gameplay took me from village to village in different countries across Europe.

Each village possesses a heart meter that shows how enamored the village is with the player character. Ideally, I wanted to win three hearts from a village, which required various skillful choices and attention to clues given in the dialogue. For example, on one date, I was prompted with four choices that allowed me to raid, to drink mead, to praise Odin, or hilariously to attack England. Some villages are shy, so a bit of liquid courage helps boost the heart meter. In contrast, other villages liked to see my prowess through a voyeuristic showing of me ravishing England. And although raiding is always an option, to get the most hearts from a village, I generally had to wait until the precise moment when the mood was right to raid their shores. In some weird way...I guess you could also say Doki Doki Ragnarok is teaching life lessons?

The real treasure in Doki Doki Ragnarock is the humorous dialogue seen through the various interactions between characters. My rival, literally named Bjorn Rivalson, played the arrogant asshole and antithesis of my Viking hero. It was pretty funny watching his attempts to raid-block me at various moments. I even suggested we raid a village together, with the village's consent, of course, to a hilarious disgusted response from Bjorn. Little moments like that made me laugh. It was easy enough to cycle back through the dialogues and choose alternative options when I wanted things to play out a different way as well.

Despite the wonderfully ludicrous dialogue and historical snippets, I couldn't help but feel like Doki Doki Ragnarok was missing something. After a while, I found myself skimming the text and mindlessly choosing the most ridiculous responses just to amuse myself. The repetitive gameplay made me wish there were more to do besides going around and talking to villages, which grew tiring after a while. Kind of like dating. Okay, maybe it really is teaching life lessons.

I liked Doki Doki Ragnarok, and the silliness of the concept was enough to get me hyped to download it. That levity eventually wore off, though, and although still fun, it's not quite as addicting as I thought it might be. It's the type of game I played in brief moments, put down, and eventually came back to, but nothing kept me at my screen for long raid sessions. Put another way, it’s a fun date, but nothing remarkable—and I don’t think I’ll be asking them out again.

SCORE: 3 STARS OUT OF 5

PLAY IF YOU LIKE:

• Viking games. Let's see... God of War, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim—yep, Viking games are a thing. If you want to unleash your inner drengr, this wacky title might be worth your time.

• Dating simulators. If you've got love on the brain, why not try your luck with some tempting villages? Doki Doki Ragnarok has got you covered.

💬 Am I crazy? Was Doki Doki Ragnarock the best thing ever?And if you haven't played this game yet, let us know your favorite Viking-based video game, movie, book, or TV show! Leave a comment below and let me know what you think!

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