As someone who has never been especially interested in Norse mythology or Viking culture, the theme of this game did nothing to attract me. Based on its stellar reviews, however, along with its frequent 50% off pricing, I decided to dip in.

This is one of those special games that's going to stick with me as a fond memory long after I've finished playing it (which, after 238 hours to this point, doesn't appear to be soon!). The mechanics and progression are so tightly implemented that they reach that perfect balance of Rage -> Motivation -> Triumph, before you move onto a new biome and start the loop over again.