Northgard

 Switch
Metascore
77

Generally favorable reviews - based on 7 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 7
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 7
  3. Negative: 0 out of 7
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  1. Pure Nintendo
    Oct 17, 2019
    100
    Northgard is a fantastic, well put together title. I found it to be challenging enough to keep me at it, but not over the top and unbalanced. Vikings conquering, smashing, and crushing enemies is a lot of fun! Get this game if you’re an RTS fan, it’s a must-have.
  2. FNintendo
    Dec 17, 2019
    80
    Northgard on the Nintendo Switch may be an indie game but that doesn't mean it's not an ambitious work. On the contrary, this immense real-time strategy game offers an almost endless value with its colossal exploration and empire-building mechanics and with an exquisite presentation and a perfectly crafted handheld experience, Northgard is essential for everyone who likes a good, enveloping RTS and anyone beyond that circle as well.
  3. 3DJuegos
    Oct 10, 2019
    80
    Northgard is a great RTS that finds its place between newcomers and veteran players. To lead your vikings to the victory is a real pleasure, and when you start building and conquering, you won't want to stop playing.
  5. 4Players.de
    Sep 27, 2019
    80
    Northgard looks good and plays well on Switch. The building strategy sports a clever control scheme and ships with all updates. Nonetheless it still keeps some minor flaws.
  6. The Digital Fix
    Oct 30, 2019
    70
    Northgard certainly is not a bad game by any means, though I felt myself wanting it to be more of a game. Whether simplified for console release or not, I found myself craving more depth throughout my time in this Norse world.
  7. NintendoWorldReport
    Sep 25, 2019
    70
    Overall, Northgard is a wonderful strategy game despite its shortcomings. The rough edges can make it tough for newcomers to the genre to get invested, but if you're a fan of strategy games or able to tough it out through the warts until everything clicks, then you're in for a treat. The Switch is a natural fit for the 4X genre, and Northgard is a prime example of the potential that this style of strategy game can have outside the PC ecosystem.
  8. Nintenderos
    Dec 24, 2019
    60
    Northgard is perfect for those looking for a quick real-time strategy experience and also for those who want to try this type of games for the first time, although its bad design of the HUD is a negative point. Beyond that, Northgard would need a little more depth, variety and game options for the most veteran players.

User Reviews

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User Score
7.4

Mixed or average reviews- based on 21 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 21
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 21
  3. Negative: 1 out of 21
  1. SSCheetah
    Oct 25, 2019
    6
    Fun to play and relaxed pace. Kind of a mix of Age of Empires and Clash of Clans! Controls are handled excellently for a console RTS too—gameFun to play and relaxed pace. Kind of a mix of Age of Empires and Clash of Clans! Controls are handled excellently for a console RTS too—game is so easy to play with a controller. I love what they've done with this side of it.

    Unfortunately performance on the Switch is disappointing. Low frame rate when moving camera, stutters, and there are no shadows, not even blob shadows! This is pretty sad in my opinion as the game has very simplistic graphics and I believe the Switch could easily handle it if it were optimised well.

    Developers Shiro Games were were reasonably quick to patch some of the crash issues but they are yet to do anything to improve optimisation, and a few crashes still exist. (I've experienced crashes on both loading and saving games since the patch.) They seem eager to gather feedback from players and improve the game.

    On the flipside, I was really disappointed in how Shiro have been constantly advertising the new Northgard Conquest content update... but never mentioned anywhere that this update actually would not be available on console versions. It makes me sad that they were not open in their advertising about Conquest would be available, and show so little consideration for players who have been made to feel left out. (Yesterday they tweeted, "So who's enjoying Conquest so far?" Well, obviously not console gamers...) And unlike the performance issues, they don't seem very responsive to questions / comments about this issue on social media. It seems possible that the console versions will never have the same content as on PC.

    Overall it's a fun game, but it's cheaper and has more content now in the PC version, and as I've mentioned the graphics are terrible on Switch. You may wish to go for the PC version instead, although I'm opting to keep mine as I prefer to game on Switch and I'm hoping that in future the game will be improved with the same content as on PC.    … Full Review »
  2. mikemaniac
    Aug 26, 2022
    10
    really enjoyed it. gameplay worked surprisingly well on handheld. played for a few weeks until I beat it, and probably would have kept playingreally enjoyed it. gameplay worked surprisingly well on handheld. played for a few weeks until I beat it, and probably would have kept playing if I could have gotten my buddy in to it for multiplayer. definitely recommend checking it out if it looks interesting to you!… Full Review »
  3. 1000fps
    May 20, 2022
    7
    Great game! Unique RTS game. Very addictive. But why aren’t they releasing all download content that’s available on PC and IOS for the switchGreat game! Unique RTS game. Very addictive. But why aren’t they releasing all download content that’s available on PC and IOS for the switch version?… Full Review »
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