Bruce Von Stiers

Funatics Development developed a game called Cultures a while back. It was distributed by JoWood Entertainment and gained a decent following. The folks at Funatics decided that the game needed a sequel so they put one together. This sequel was once again distributed by JoWood Entertainment. The title of this sequel is Cultures 2: Gates of Asgard.

There are a couple of ways to play this game. The first is in the single scenario mode. The second is played in a series of campaign driven missions. A scenario will have a set objective to accomplish. Once that objective is completed, you are allowed to keep playing in what amounts to a free play atmosphere. The campaign has ten missions for you to complete in order to win the game.

The hero of this game is a young man named Bjarni. He is the son of the famous Viking, Leif Eriksson and an explorer himself. Bjarni has a strange vision in which there are heroes and monsters, villains and fair maidens. This vision inspires Bjarni to go out once again and explore the world.

The game is about more than making a group of Vikings build a village. These folks will have to interact with other inhabitants of the land and fight off any hostility that comes their way. There will buildings that your villagers will have to build and functions that will have to be performed in order for the village to flourish. Certain buildings can be upgraded during the course of the game.

You start out with a Viking or two and some general citizens. As you slowly build up your village, the people evolve into things like smiths, carpenters and warriors. A carpenter might start out simply as a wood gatherer. The more experience a character gets, the more they can advance. A carpenter might evolve into a store owner who sells furniture or even ships for other Vikings to sail away in.

The characters are intertwined. Upgrading one character and his surroundings might require interaction from another character. When upgrading a building, other buildings might need to have an upgrade as well.

The AI in the game is okay. The characters seem to want to quit working at the slightest provocation. Work on a building will immediately stop if a needed resource is not available. They will also want to run off and fight instead of working sometimes and of course, these guys like to stop to eat. If they aren’t eating, fighting or building, the Vikings can be found scrounging for the needed materials that caused the work stoppage.

You have to nurture the characters in the game. That is, the men have to be nurtured. The women and children seem to only be there to serve. They keep the village going while the men are away fighting battle and pillaging other villages.

Cultures 2: Gates of Asgard can provide you will hours of gameplay without you even realizing how long you’ve been playing. As you get more involved in the game, the more you will have to do. Keeping track of each member of your village and how they progress is kind of tough. You never know who might become the next great Viking warrior.

There are a lot of different ways to play the game. The manual gives you some tips and hints on how to advance in the game. It doesn’t tell you everything though; some things just have to be figured out on their own.

For a fun romp with Vikings and their clan, grab a copy of Cultures 2: Gates of Asgard.

You can find additional information about this game on the JoWood Entertainment web site at www.jowood.com.