Skip to main content

Niffelheim

Niffelheim is a decent 2D survival game that plays it all just a little too seriously to be called enjoyable. It looks pretty good, but the simple combat and finicky systems hold it back.
Niffelheim Game Cover
63%Game Brain Score
gameplay, graphics
grinding, replayability
62% User Score Based on 676 reviews
Critic Score 65%Based on 6 reviews

Platforms

Nintendo SwitchAndroidPlaystation 4XboxiPhoneWindowsPlayStationLinuxPCTabletMac OSPhoneXbox OneiPadMobile Platform
Buy NowGet on Steam Buy NowGet on Play Store Buy NowGet on Apple Store
Niffelheim Game Cover

About

Niffelheim is a single player and multiplayer survival role playing game. It was developed by Ellada Games and was released on September 26, 2018. It received mostly positive reviews from both critics and players.

"Niffelheim is a platformer game with support for single-player, multi-player, and co-op modes. Survive in the underworld of Norse mythology, gather resources, craft weapons and armor, and defend your lands against enemies. Collect all pieces of the portal to Asgard while uncovering the mysteries of these lands and proving yourself to the Gods."

Genres & Tags
Play Modes
Niffelheim screenshot
Niffelheim screenshot
Niffelheim screenshot
Niffelheim screenshot
Niffelheim screenshot
Niffelheim screenshot
Niffelheim screenshot
Niffelheim screenshot
Niffelheim screenshot
Niffelheim screenshot
Niffelheim screenshot
+7
Skip User Reviews

62%
Audience ScoreBased on 676 reviews
gameplay44 positive mentions
grinding124 negative mentions
  • Beautiful hand-drawn graphics and a captivating Norse mythology theme.
  • Engaging crafting and resource management mechanics that provide a sense of progression.
  • The game offers both single-player and multiplayer modes, allowing for cooperative play.
  • Combat mechanics are simplistic and can feel clunky, leading to repetitive gameplay.
  • The game requires excessive grinding for resources, which can become tedious over time.
  • Difficulty spikes and unbalanced enemy scaling can lead to frustrating gameplay experiences.
  • gameplay
    180 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay of Niffelheim is characterized by a mix of resource gathering, crafting, and combat, but it often feels repetitive and simplistic, leading to a grindy experience. While the art style and atmosphere are praised, many players find the mechanics lacking depth and polish, with issues such as clunky controls and a lack of engaging combat. Overall, the game offers a decent amount of content but may not justify its price for those seeking a more refined and varied gameplay experience.

    • “It offers exciting gameplay, a robust character development and crafting system, and beautiful style inspired by Norse mythology.”
    • “The gameplay here is deep on gathering resources, and not so much about battling monsters.”
    • “Overall, I have really enjoyed this game: interesting survival mechanics, complex crafting, excellent art design and great background music.”
    • “The first few hours of the gameplay are the core experience: you are going to be doing these few tasks repeatedly until you manage to find and acquire the 22 pieces (fragments) to ascend to Asgard, as the story explains that your character is stuck in Niflheim and needs to prove themselves worthy of Asgard.”
    • “No matter how much it has going for it in terms of mechanics, style, etc., somehow all of it manages to just be tedious and straight-up not fun.”
    • “The actual gameplay, UI, combat, annoying inventory management, and boring baby step progression keeps me from enjoying it.”
  • graphics
    173 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of the game have received widespread praise for their beautiful hand-drawn art style and detailed environments, effectively capturing a captivating Norse mythology aesthetic. However, some reviews note that character animations can feel stiff and lack polish, detracting from the overall visual experience. Despite these criticisms, the game's visuals are often highlighted as a standout feature, contributing significantly to its atmosphere and appeal.

    • “The hand-drawn graphics are a beauty to look at: the backgrounds are full of detail and the character models are excellent.”
    • “Beautifully hand-drawn 2D graphics make sure the Norse atmosphere is rendered well, in this Niffelheim is excellent.”
    • “I absolutely love the graphics and the music which complements each other so well.”
    • “The grinding is too extreme and survival too harsh, everything is too difficult, especially maintaining the integrity of crafted gear after the cost of crafting it in the first place. The graphics and feel are quite bland for 2020; this experience is simply not worth it, and it's a shame.”
    • “The graphics looked inspiring, the gathering, building, and survival system looked like it was set up well... then I got into combat.”
    • “Unfortunately, it's not a graphic designer they needed for a recommendation; it's a real developer and a real game designer.”
  • grinding
    125 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The reviews overwhelmingly characterize the game's grinding aspect as tedious and repetitive, with many players expressing frustration over the slow pace of resource gathering, crafting, and combat mechanics. While some appreciate the art style and find the grind rewarding, the consensus is that the excessive focus on grinding detracts from overall enjoyment, making it feel like a chore rather than a fun gameplay experience.

    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “Grinding in this game is incredibly rewarding and keeps you engaged.”
    • “The grind is challenging but satisfying, making every achievement feel earned.”
    • “You can deduce immediately that it's another game that requires hours of tedious grinding for resources.”
    • “The game is very slow, there is a lot of tedious inventory management and the need for constant collection of items scattered around the world, the crafting system is kind of cryptic and not very friendly to new players.”
    • “The grinding is too extreme and survival too harsh, everything is too difficult, especially maintaining the integrity of crafted gear after the cost of crafting it in the first place.”
  • story
    94 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The story in the game is generally considered basic and lacks depth, primarily revolving around the player's quest to collect fragments to ascend to Asgard. While the Nordic setting and lore provide some context, many players find the quests repetitive and uninspired, often reduced to simple fetch tasks that do not significantly enhance the narrative experience. Overall, the game has potential due to its thematic elements, but it suffers from a lack of compelling storytelling and direction.

    • “Overall, Niffelheim hits the mark in regards to setting, story, and world-building but misses terribly in play mechanics like combat and progression.”
    • “I'd recommend it based off of the lore, setting, graphics, and story alone (I'm a big Norse mythology fan)...”
    • “The story is not that complicated, but the Viking lore compensates for that.”
    • “There's something of a story to it, but questlines are difficult to follow and just end abruptly with no indication of whether or not they'll pick up again.”
    • “While dialogues with NPCs and quest descriptions will give some insight about the world and how the lore is, generally don't expect much content story-wise.”
  • music
    56 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game is widely praised for its atmospheric quality and ability to enhance the overall experience, with many reviewers highlighting its beautiful soundtrack that complements the hand-drawn graphics and immersive gameplay. While some users wish for a greater variety of tracks, the existing music is described as enchanting and fitting well within the game's themes, particularly in relation to its Viking folklore setting. Overall, the combination of music and art creates a captivating atmosphere that draws players into the game world.

    • “The game offers beautifully designed locations and characters, as well as epic, atmospheric music, which allows players to fully immerse themselves in the world of the game.”
    • “I absolutely love the graphics and the music which complements each other so well.”
    • “The beautiful artwork and soundtrack in this game is amazing and adds to an enjoyable experience when you are cutting down trees, pushing through mines, and defeating challenging foes.”
    • “Not enough music tracks.”
    • “Very nice game but you have to add more different music!”
    • “Lazy music loop.”
  • atmosphere
    31 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its beautifully hand-drawn graphics, immersive sound design, and the ability to evoke a strong sense of place, particularly within the context of Nordic mythology. Players appreciate the detailed environments and atmospheric music that enhance the overall experience, although some note that gameplay mechanics can detract from fully enjoying this rich atmosphere. Overall, the aesthetic elements contribute significantly to the game's charm, making it a visually and audibly captivating experience.

    • “The game offers beautifully designed locations and characters, as well as epic, atmospheric music, which allows players to fully immerse themselves in the world of the game.”
    • “Beautifully tailored environment, atmospheric sound, and pretty immersive gameplay.”
    • “The dark atmosphere loses its layer of exploration and mystery, and becomes simply a nice and grim background to a lot of walking and chopping wood.”
    • “Great idea, good atmosphere, but gameplay and progression is clunky, obtuse, and lacks flow.”
    • “I thoroughly admire the Nordic charm laid thick by this game; its atmosphere resounds with that certain rustic beauty that can put you at ease for hours.”
  • replayability
    14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Overall, opinions on replayability are mixed. While some players appreciate the variety offered by multiple heroes and starting areas, others feel the game lacks significant replay value, particularly in single-player mode. Customization options and procedural generation are suggested as potential enhancements to improve replayability.

    • “I haven't finished it yet, but I plan to, and it looks like it has a fair amount of replayability.”
    • “Having those settings exposed also helps with replayability.”
    • “You have 4 different heroes you can choose from, which offers replayability, and also you have 4 different starting areas, which is also nice.”
    • “I don't see a lot of replay value in it... but at such a low price point (I got it on sale), is that really necessary?”
    • “It's not an easy game, but it's not a hard game; however, it holds little in the role of replay value.”
    • “I don't see much replay value except maybe in multiplayer, but I think I've seen everything I need to put this game away for good.”
  • stability
    13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's stability has been widely criticized, with users reporting frequent bugs and glitches, particularly in multiplayer mode, which detracts from the overall experience. While some players find single-player mode more enjoyable and less buggy, the game is generally considered unpolished and lacking in content, indicating that it may still be far from completion. Despite ongoing updates aimed at improving stability, many players feel that significant issues remain.

    • “Honestly, it is not my 'cup of tea', but I can say that they did a really great job on the updates and keeping it bug-free. :)”
    • “I picked the game for the multiplayer coop, but it is so buggy and unstable at the moment.”
    • “Very unpolished with buggy controls, empty areas, and many missing features for a game that entered early access 10 months ago, so it is probably a year or two away from completion yet.”
    • “Buggy, too, as I've logged in sometimes to find things mysteriously missing from my stash/inventory since the previous session.”
  • humor
    11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game is a mixed bag, with players finding it both entertaining and frustrating; while some appreciate the comedic elements and the developers' self-awareness about the game's flaws, others criticize aspects like the inventory system as overly cumbersome. Overall, the game successfully blends dark themes with humor, creating a unique experience that keeps players engaged despite its shortcomings.

    • “Hilarious is the fact that apparently the devs are aware of how bad the game is, so they decided to improve and re-balance things and release it as a paid DLC!”
    • “Nice game, constant updates, and very funny!”
    • “Awesome chill-out game, which is funny given you are a gritty Viking in the land of death.”
  • character development
    9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Character development in the game is a mixed bag; while some players appreciate the robust customization options that cater to various playstyles, others find the base character designs lackluster and the system potentially overwhelming for newcomers. Additionally, there are criticisms regarding high shop prices that detract from the overall experience. Overall, the character development system is seen as a significant feature, though opinions on its execution and design vary.

    • “The game offers a robust character development system that allows players to customize their hero to their needs and playstyle.”
    • “The advantages of Niffelheim include its robust character development system, allowing players to customize their hero to their needs and playstyle.”
    • “It offers exciting gameplay, a robust character development and crafting system, and beautiful style inspired by Norse mythology.”
    • “No character development and shop prices are so high they are pointless.”
    • “The combat and character development system is quite complex and may overwhelm new players.”
    • “Base character designs are lackluster.”
  • optimization
    7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's optimization is mixed; while some players report smooth performance and fluid gameplay, others experience technical issues like performance drops and bugs. Comparisons to similar titles suggest it falls short in optimization despite newer technology, and it is noted to run well on older hardware like a 2017 MacBook Pro.

    • “Gather everything you see, and if resources are located correctly, things run smoothly.”
    • “Performance runs smooth and gameplay is fluid.”
    • “This game reminds me much of SteamWorld Dig, but somehow it's more poorly optimized even though it has 5 more years of technology to run its flash game-looking graphics.”
    • “The game may also have some technical issues, such as performance drops or bugs that can make the game difficult to play.”
    • “It's a flash game optimized for a controller on the PC.”
  • emotional
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The emotional response to the game is overwhelmingly negative, with players expressing feelings of frustration and disappointment due to dull gameplay and a lack of engaging content. Some users even resort to extreme expressions of anger, indicating that the experience was so unsatisfactory it elicited strong emotional reactions, including tears.

    • “This game evokes such deep emotions that it feels like a rollercoaster of feelings.”
    • “The story is so touching that it brought me to tears.”
    • “The characters' struggles resonate with real-life experiences, making it an emotional journey.”
  • monetization
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The monetization strategy of the game has been criticized for falsely advertising a completed product, with some users feeling that the downloadable content (DLC) is unnecessary and lacks additional content or achievements. However, despite these concerns, some players express understanding towards the developer's intentions, suggesting that the monetization may not stem from greed.

    • “Honestly, they probably should get their game taken down for it, as they are falsely advertising a completed game, which this is clearly not.”
    • “I read around the forums, and the dev seems like a nice guy, so I doubt it's only greed; you really don't need the DLC (no extra content in it, as far as I know); and there are no achievements attached to it, so even though I hate this kind of monetization, this one didn't trigger me.”
Skip Critic Reviews

65%Critics’ scoreBased on 6 critic reviews
Skip Game Offers

Buy Niffelheim

23h Median play time
18h Average play time
13h Main story
31h Completionist
8-30h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 9 analyzed playthroughs
Skip Videos

Videos

Skip Games Like Niffelheim

Games Like Niffelheim

Force of Nature Image
68%2.9kreviews

Force of Nature

2016Open World Role Playing
PCWindows
Frozen Flame Image
75%1.7kreviews

Frozen Flame

2022Survival Role Playing
PCWindows
DYSMANTLE Image
89%4.5kreviews

DYSMANTLE

2021Open World Role Playing
Nintendo SwitchAndroidPlaystation 5+15
Savage Lands Image
53%4.4kreviews

Savage Lands

2021Role Playing
PCWindows
Feel The Snow Image
86%2.4kreviews

Feel The Snow

2019Role Playing
PCSteam DeckWindows
More games like Niffelheim
Skip FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

Niffelheim is a survival role playing game.

Niffelheim is available on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, iPhone, Windows and others.

The main story can be completed in around 13 hours, while the entire game is estimated to take about 31 hours to finish. On average players spend around 18 hours playing Niffelheim.

Niffelheim was released on September 26, 2018.

Niffelheim was developed by Ellada Games.

Niffelheim has received mostly positive reviews from both players and critics. Most players liked this game for its gameplay but disliked it for its grinding.

Niffelheim is a single player game with multiplayer and local co-op support.

Similar games include Force of Nature, Frozen Flame, DYSMANTLE, Savage Lands, Feel The Snow and others.