Co-op Viking survival game Tribes of Midgard is running an open beta this weekend

If you're looking for something a little different to play this weekend, Tribes of Midgard might fit the bill. It's an isometric co-op survival game set in the time of Ragnarok that pits groups of up to ten players against invading Giants of Jotunheim, and it's open to all in an open beta that's set to run until Sunday.

The Giants don't actually have a beef with you, but to reach Asgard and throw down with the Norse gods—who they do have a beef with—they have to pass through the human realm. And by "pass through," they mean demolish entirely in order to destroy the Seed of Yggdrasil, "the last bastion that protects the Gods from other realms."

Gameplay sounds a bit like Fortnite: Save the World, from a top-down, cel-shaded perspective. During the day you'll explore a procedurally generated game world, battle all sorts of mystical creatures, collect resources, and craft powerful equipment to use against the Giants; at night, you must defend your village from the invading Legions of Hel, who seek the Seed's power for their own ends.

Each day you survive, you and your people will grow stronger as you craft new equipment and strengthen Yggdrasil with the souls of your enemies. But make no mistake: One way or another, your doom is at hand. "Ragnarök is inevitable," developer Norsfell said. "But fight fiercely and die a glorious death to ensure the tribe’s brave souls arrive at the gates of Valhalla."

The Tribes of Midgard open beta is live now and scheduled to run until midnight on July 28. There's no NDA so you can stream and share all you want, but because it's a beta there are a few potential technical hitches that could come up: Day/night transitions may happen very suddenly and rapidly if you run into lag, and crashes are possible if you leave a world and join another without exiting the game first. Performance may also be iffy with a full team of ten, so if you run into problems, try setting the maximum number to six in the game creation screen.

The Tribes of Midgard open beta is available on Steam. The full release is expected to arrive sometime in 2020.