Northgard official artwork and logo

Northgard is a viking themed real-time strategy game from the makers of Evoland. In gameplay it resembles a hybrid between the Civilization and Settlers series, though with a bit less complexity than either of those. In other words, Northgard is primarily focused around city-building, resource management, tight production cycles, and an open-ended playstyle that allows you to achieve victory by any means you wish.

When I first did my review back in February I expressed some concerns about the combat playstyle given that it only features three types of units, all of which are relatively slow and melee. As such, I am very glad to say that some of these issues have been corrected with today's patch as Northgard has not only added two new combat units, but multiplayer as well! The first of these units is the powerful but fragile Axe Thrower which should go a long way towards promoting hit and run tactics, while the second unit is the Shield Bearer - a strong defensive frontliner designed to protect your troops from enemy ranged units and towers. Naturally, each of the units requires their own building to field, so this should hopefully bring some much needed strategy and depth to Northgard's combat.

If you're interested in a brief glimpse at some of these new units and buildings, as well as the multiplayer combat, you'll find the recently posted teaser trailer right below. Its an incredibly short video, which is a bit of a shame since it doesn't showcase Northgard's gameplay very well, but at least you'll get to see some of the new units in action. Enjoy!