ItвЂ™s a short play, but one that promises a veritable stroll through Norse mythology. The gameвЂ™s hub is even called Ginnungagap, вЂњThe VoidвЂќ, after the primordial expanse from which all life emerges in the creation myth of Norse pre-history. Through its God Power system the game makes reference to many of the familiar names and faces of Norse mythology, from Freyja to Thor, and even to some of the less well-known aspects of the old myths, like IdunnвЂ™s apples and MimirвЂ™s Well. This title follows the story of a Viking woman, Thora, who seeks to impress the gods and earn her way into Valhalla following an unremarkable and inglorious death. Bonus: if you donвЂ™t know all the old stories or want to reinforce what you already know, there are snippets of the Norse myths in the gameвЂ™s loading screens. The art touches on some classic Norwegian environments like fiery mines, frozen mountains, and Dwarven labyrinths of gold, with little flourishes, like the rune-inspired typography, to tie it all together. In Munin, the titular character must navigate a puzzle platforming landscape and traverse through the nine realms of the afterlife in order to retrieve their wings, which were stolen by Loki. If thereвЂ™s one thing that Munin understands that other games ( cough God of War) donвЂ™t, itвЂ™s that Loki is an asshole and he ruins everything. The third game comes out this upcoming July. ItвЂ™s an interesting, and vividly beautiful, take on the mechanics of battle.

This tactical roleplaying series, like the other games on this list, draws from Norse mythology, but leans more towards an appreciation for вЂњViking cultureвЂќ, with touches of influence taken from the various races depicted in its folklore. The art of The Banner Saga, inspired by the visual style and techniques used on the 1959 animated Disney film Sleeping Beauty, is nothing short of enchanting.

In a way, Through the Woods feels like how many of the beings in Norse mythology came to be: sprung from the fantasies of young children who were told not to play alone in the forest. As she searches for him, she finds mythical beasts, empty longhouses, and ominous rune-inscribed stones that hint to a ancient, disturbing mystery tied directly to the fate of her son. The game takes the player through several abandoned villages in a remote Norwegian forest, as protagonist Karen tracks her kidnapped son Espen. However, while it may be light on some of the more popular themes associated with Norse mythology, itвЂ™s heavy on the elemental spells, giving the cultureвЂ™s history of paganism and wizardry some much-needed time in the spotlight.ДЄ thing I like about Through the Woods is its ability to tap into the imagination of Norse folklore. If youвЂ™re not utterly tired of mowing through Draugr and dual casting frost spells yet, read on.Д¬reated by Swedish developers Arrowhead Game Studios, Magicka and its sequel Magicka 2 focus more on the arcane aspects of Norse mythology, and only loosely at that. With the recent release of God of War, Norse mythology is front and center once again, bringing to mind some of the other wonderful games to play if youвЂ™re interested in the aesthetic and folklore. On the contrary, there are actually a fair amount, with influence drawn from Vikings, the Norse pantheon and traditional paganism spread across all manner and genre of titles. Before I set out to write this list, if youвЂ™d asked me, IвЂ™d have sworn there just werenвЂ™t a lot of games out there that explore or are inspired by Norse mythology.

Viking age mythology games