The numero-uno holiday destination for any viking.
Yes, that sums up the game. Rune is all about Ragnar and his sword. Well, he also can use a mace or an axe. Actually there are five different types of axes, swords and maces. This makes Ragnar very happy indeed. All this is viewed as a 3rd person so you can see Ragnar in full, barbarian action - jumping, climbing, swimming, beheading opponents and throwing. No missiles allowed here. It's all about vikings and their weapons. Heck, you can also throw your victim's limbs and heads or use them as weapons.
A known fact is that Vikings and magic don't mix. However Odin being a clever chap disguised magical powers inside of rune stones. You pick up a rune stone and voila your weapons will become an instant death machine. All the different types of weapons conjure different magical powers; stuff that makes viking chicks turn on their heads and on top of that there is even a rune stone that gives you bloodlust – that is: god mode for a limited time. If this doesn't impress chicks mention this bloodlust rune has the endorsement of Odin.
What also makes Ragnar extremely happy is the graphics. Considering the game runs on a modified Unreal Tournament engine, Ranger is giving a 'two spleens up'. Skipping through towns, forests, mountain passes, caves and dungeons, Ragnar highly recommended this trip to anyone with a lust for adventure.
The sound effects are pretty awesome as well. Ragnar was impressed with the bone-crushing sounds of his war hammer thrown the dwarf's head and then tumbles down right in front of him. Other sounds like slashing, grunting and puffing makes Ragnar exited. The acting is nothing to scribe on the runestone about however Ragnar is more interested in killing and eating. The musical score even though it does appear from time-to-time is nice to hear and suits the mood however Ragnar wishes that the scores lasted a little longer as he invested heavily on that travelling bard.
There are the typical difficulty settings of easy, medium and high however don't let that fool you. Odin only demands the best vikings to ride with his valkyries hence that even the medium settings will give you a challenge. The length of Ragnar's paradise is quite long (as endurance is a must when walking that rainbow mountain bridge in the afterlife) yet considering the diverse locations, you wish this never ends.
If you want to show your manhood among other men (and women), the multiplayer option is a must. Create you own server (as there won't be any permanent servers anyway), invite your steroid infected mates and play happy slaps. Considering there are no missile weapons (other than throwing your weapon) this is the pure show of male testosterone. And considering this uses the UT1999 engine, believe it or not, there is a modding community. The best ones being the coop mode - yes bring on your fellow men, hold hands and battle together in the name of Odin.
Overall, this game is for hardcore barbarians. If you show a sign of weakness, you will die. If you flex your chest muscles and failed to bust a dwarf’s head between those pecks, you will die. If you want elves and missiles, you must die. If you cannot jump, don't play basketball.