Real Talk By: Haggy

Reviewed on PC

A year or so ago I managed to download a game from Messhof called Nidhogg onto my laptop.  I then went to the Campus Commons, plugged it into a TV and for the rest of the day hosted a king of the hill of utter joy with people between classes.  Nidhogg is something I’d call a college classic.  Made by a few devs in college for fun among themselves, it became something on its own meaning it’s a designers dream project.  So the first one was pretty darn good, but now that they have made a sequel to it, has any of that magic been lost?

Let’s start with the menu and optimization.  It’s an extremely stylized 2D game so the options menu is rather sparse, but the inability to set a resolution is a bit annoying.  You can set it to Windowed or Full Screen, dragging the windowed game to whatever dimensions you want.  The lack of a bordered windowless is a mild gripe.  Other then that, the Menu is straight forward and to the point like Nidhogg 1.

The Game Play is where, without a doubt, Nidhogg 2 performs best.  Almost mirroring the quick twitch fencing of the original, it’s quick to pick up, easy to play, and leads to intense and visceral duels between players.  Whether it’s in Arcade mode, Local Versus or Tournament, or now, even Online!  What’s added on from the original are primarily the three new weapons, each adding an intense experience whether it’s the powerful but predictable Broadsword, the quick but small Dagger, or the accurate but clunky Bow.  Each weapon is very well utilized, and keeps the game fresh.

The last aspect of Nidhogg 2 to go over, and the one that is most massively different from the original, is the Aesthetics.  It’s an extremely emotive art-style, with colorful insanely made characters in a world that is somewhere a mix of a fever dream inspired by what most certainly is some sort of LSD in a bizarre and quite frankly crazy world.  It is outrageously colorful and made, and whereas I prefer the abstract simplicity of the original, the new artwork is growing on me in a big way.  Not to mention the soundtrack is an intense mix of thumping fighting tunes and orchestral or utterly chaotic overtures based on the many stages.

Nidhogg 2 is a strange game.  However, its fantastic quick combat, and utterly perfect concept of an arcade fighter for friends makes it a fantastic buy.  Resonable priced at its $15 price tag. Get it now (but make sure have controllers) and join in on the insanity! It’s pretty freaking good!

Nidhogg 2 gets

4 out of 5

 

What’s Legit?

+The Game Play From the Original is As Quick and Precise as Ever.

+The Soundtrack is Fantastic

+It’s a Great Party Game (If you don’t mind lines)

What’s Perpetrating?

-The AI is pretty easy to beat in Arcade Mode

-Light on Extras

-You Almost need a Controller

#Nidhogg2 @PlayLegit