King, the maker of the Candy Crush series, has put out a new hybrid puzzle game and strategy RPG that draws on Norse mythology, called Legend of Solgard. The game starts out with Ratatosk the squirrel being overwhelmed by Nidhogg, a mighty dragon from the icy underworld of Niflheim. Ratatosk summons you for help, and gives you a magical weapon that can summon creatures and heroes to fight by your side. The core gameplay sees you lining up summoned creatures like Candy Crush pieces to combine them into mighty fighting machines, using up one move out of your turn each time. Once your turn is up, your side and the enemy’s side will skirmish, and if you still have health left, you’ll get another shot to take down any remaining enemies. When all the enemies are gone, you win. Your rather limited health, which enemies chip away at once your troops have attacked, cannot be allowed to drop to zero or you’ll lose.
The game’s storyline is pretty simple, at its core; Ragnarok, the battle between Jotunheim and Asgard that will destroy Midgard and end with one side completely obliterated, is starting. It’s up to you to keep that from happening, and the first step toward doing that is to fight Nidhogg’s minions to damage and close his ice portals. At the end of the game’s first board, you’ll reach Nidhogg himself. The gameplay is a mix of strategy RPG and King-style puzzler, as described above, and you’ll get new minions by winning battles, and you can also get more soldiers and other in-game perks by using in-game currency and spending real money. There’s an energy system in place as well, keeping you from playing for too long in one session without having to fork over some cash to refill your energy.
Puzzle RPGs are not an entirely new genre, but this is the first time that mobile gaming legend King has taken a stab at them. King fans and strategy RPG fans alike will find plenty to love here, and the game’s charming graphics and classic Norse storyline seal the deal. There have been many video games over the years that task players with stopping or fighting in Ragnarok, but this is the first one that draws on players’ Candy Crush skills. If you’re ready to raise an army against the underworld with a few flicks of your thumb, hit the Play Store button below.
