It's been a good year for creative headlines, but sometimes you just get gifted them. "Hnefatafl" is a Viking chess game based on an ancient "Fetlar Hnefatafl" ruleset and is now available in Steam Early Access.

As a "chess-like" the game sounds more tower defence where an attacking faction takes on a defensive one with outweighted numbers.

Based on the historical records of a board game from the Viking Era, Diamond Sky Games has created its inaugural release, Hnefatafl. To produce Viking Chess: Hnefatafl, Diamond Sky Games partnered with Rain Games, developer of the indie hits Teslagrad and World to the West.

Viking Chess: Hnefatafl is a strategic, chess-like 1v1 board game with its roots in the 5th century. You can play single-player, against the AI, or online multiplayer. Play as the attacker faction, with a 24-piece army, and make the enemy King surrender by enclosing all his escape routes. Or become the defender, with 13 soldiers at your service, and protect your King from the opponent’s siege. With the interactive tutorial, you will learn the mechanics in minutes. Master all different win conditions, create your own strategy, and showcase your skills by unlocking collectables that you can add to your profile.

Check out a trailer for the ancient game-gone-digital embedded below.