Volgarr the Viking II
- August 6, 2024
- Crazy Viking Studios
Volgarr the Viking II is a seriously retro and seriously difficult game, that just doesn't prepare the player enough for its punishment.
Get on Steam"Volgarr the Viking II" is a challenging 2D action-platformer, continuing the saga of the barbarian king. With new power-ups, magic, enemy types, and a booming soundtrack, it builds upon its predecessor. Modern quality-of-life options provide a more accessible experience, allowing players to choose their level of difficulty in exploring new worlds, fighting brutal bosses, and discovering multiple endings.
Nintendo Switch
PC
Playstation 4
Playstation 5
Windows
Xbox One
Xbox Series X|S
PlayStation
Xbox
Reviews
- Volgarr the Viking II offers a satisfying challenge that rewards players for overcoming its tough gameplay, reminiscent of classic arcade titles.
- The game features improved mechanics, including multiple checkpoints per stage and a new power-up system, enhancing the overall experience.
- The graphics and music are top-notch, contributing to an engaging atmosphere that fans of retro-inspired games will appreciate.
- Many players find the longer levels repetitive and tedious, leading to frustration during gameplay.
- The introduction of a 'Undead Mode' after using continues has been criticized for making the game feel less rewarding and more punishing.
- Some design choices, such as the lack of leaderboards and the implementation of lives, have disappointed fans who preferred the original's approach.
- gameplay9 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by a blend of nostalgia and challenge, featuring familiar mechanics from the original game alongside new elements like "undead mode" and a refined checkpoint system. While the game offers fun and engaging mechanics, some players find it overly difficult and repetitive, with many enemies and features feeling recycled. The design intentionally limits player abilities to enhance the challenge, appealing to hardcore gamers while potentially alienating casual players.
“Gameplay is fun as well, even if it's way too hard for me as a casual player.”
“Crazy Viking did not frontload your character with a ton of mechanics like most other modern platformers: they purposefully limit your mechanics in a very specific manner in order to give you a challenge.”
“Beautiful pixel art, simple but great mechanics, feels refined and solid.”
“They are longer than Volgarr I, but they become way too repetitive. It also doesn't help that many enemies and mechanics are copy-pastes from the previous game.”
“I'm referring to the new central mechanic that is 'undead mode,' which has to do with the newly implemented lives and checkpoint systems.”
“It's also essentially just a hardcore mechanic; you have six continues before you 'have to restart' (which, of course, isn't technically true since that just triggers the undead mode). If you hate the undead mode, you need to improve your skills and avoid dying so much.”
- music6 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- -17 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The music in the game is consistently praised as epic and pulse-pounding, enhancing the overall experience with excellent sound design. Reviewers highlight it as a top-tier aspect, contributing to the game's challenging and satisfying gameplay. Overall, the music is seen as a significant improvement and a key element that elevates the sequel.
“The sprite work and music are top tier!”
“Challenging, brutal, fun, awesome animation and art, pulse-pounding music...everything you want out of a sequel.”
“Excellent sound design and music.”
“The music is lacking and doesn't match the intensity of the gameplay.”
“The soundtrack feels repetitive and uninspired.”
“The music fails to create an engaging atmosphere, making the experience less enjoyable.”
- replayability3 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
The game offers enhanced replayability compared to its predecessor, featuring multiple paths for each of the five main levels and a secret level accessible through a more challenging route. This design encourages players to explore different strategies and experiences, making it enjoyable even before mastering the game.
“More playable and fun before mastering it than the first one.”
“The first game has 2 paths for each of the 5 main levels, plus a secret level if you take the hard path, adding replayability to it.”
“That's my kind of replayability.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of Volgarr 2 to be more tedious than in its predecessor, with longer stages that can feel overly drawn out and challenging, detracting from the overall experience.
“Just like Volgarr 1 but amped up. Overall, a great and challenging game, but my only gripe is that the stages are way too long and drag on. The stages in Volgarr 1 were a perfect length, whereas here in Volgarr 2, it can get quite tedious to get through to the next stages.”
Critic Reviews
Volgarr the Viking II Review
Volgarr the Viking II is, quite simply, one of the best 2D action platformers on Switch, or any other platform for that matter. It improves upon the original in just about every conceivable way, introducing neat ways to ease newcomers into its relentless brutality, vastly improving the visuals, and adding a soundtrack that is destined to go down as one of the all-time greats. Minor quibbles with the UI aside, Volgarr the Viking II is an absolute must-play if you can stomach the intense difficulty.
90%Volgarr the Viking II Review (PC)
Volgarr the Viking II is designed to appeal to players who liked the first installment, with its mix of difficulty and reward. The Norse-themed universe does not offer much in the way of story, but it has tight gameplay and plenty of challenges for players to face. Accept the fact that you’ll end up as a zombie at one point and get ready to delete saves to try again. The game’s presentation captures what made action platformers stand out in arcades in the ‘90s. Anyone who hung out in those will like it, others might have trouble connecting with it. Volgarr the Viking II is a throwback that tests players’ skills and is not afraid to frustrate them. Review key provided by the developer.
80%Volgarr the Viking II review
Volgarr the Viking II is a seriously retro and seriously difficult game, that just doesn't prepare the player enough for its punishment.
65%
