Clash of Crests - Eaters of the Dead places players in a medieval tactical experience on PC that mixes strategy and adventure elements. The core premise follows Ahmed ibn Fahdlan, an emissary who joins a band of Northmen after his caravan falls to arrows on the steppe. Bound by a seeress prophecy that requires a thirteenth warrior who cannot be a Northman, he travels with Buliwyf and his twelve companions to defend a dying king's hall against threats that shift from human foes during daylight to monstrous ones after dark.
Gameplay
The experience centers on a narrative-driven campaign divided into six distinct chapters. Each chapter unfolds across authored maps that range from a Norse trading camp along the Volga to the depths of a bone-filled cave system. Battles emphasize positioning and resource management as players command units drawn from a full Nordic nation, including hirdmen, berserkers, skalds, and shieldmaidens. These forces can be drafted into combat at any point, supported by longship crews and Norse siege engines when the scenario calls for them.
Opposing the player stands the Wendol faction, depicted as warriors in bear skins and skull masks who serve a deeper power known as the Mother in her temple. Encounters progress from initial ambushes at stone circles and river crossings to ritual halls where drums echo without pause. The structure rewards careful unit selection and adaptation, as losses and terrain features carry forward through the linked chapters. Players navigate bone chambers and slave pens while managing the constant threat of both daytime raids and nighttime horrors.
Game Modes
The primary mode is the single-player campaign that chains the six chapters into a continuous story. Each segment presents specific objectives tied to the source account, such as surviving the first night in a longhouse under attack or pushing deeper into the cave system. Units remain available across battles, allowing players to carry forward experienced fighters or adjust compositions based on the demands of the next map.
Additional flexibility comes from the ability to engage the same units and factions in standalone battles outside the main campaign flow. This setup supports repeated play on the hand-crafted maps while preserving the core loop of drafting Nordic forces against Wendol opposition.
Story and Setting
The narrative draws directly from the perspective of Ahmed ibn Fahdlan, who records events that his peers in Baghdad dismiss as fantasy. The six chapters trace a clear progression: the initial encounter at the Volga camp, the first night of scratching sounds and falling bones, the hillside fire attack that consumes cattle pens, the trail of ambushes leading to the cave mouth, the descent through bone chambers and ritual spaces, and the final confrontation where the drums fall silent at dawn. The setting blends historical-inspired Nordic elements with the Wendol threat, creating a consistent world of longhouses, stone circles, and subterranean halls.
Is It Worth Playing?
Clash of Crests - Eaters of the Dead targets players who enjoy tactical strategy campaigns with a strong narrative thread and faction-specific unit rosters. The six-chapter structure offers a self-contained experience built around authored maps and persistent forces, while the option to replay battles in other modes extends replay value for those who like experimenting with different compositions of hirdmen, berserkers, and siege support. The Wendol faction provides a distinct opposing force that changes the nature of engagements across day and night scenarios. Because the game remains in development ahead of its planned release, prospective players can evaluate the detailed campaign outline and unit variety to decide if the tactical focus and story progression align with their preferences for strategy titles on PC.
