Volgarr the Viking 2 doesn't care about the contemporary gaming landscape. The notion of a game where the protagonist dies in a single hit, and repeated death sends you spiraling back to the start of a lengthy level, runs counter to all the modern conventions players have grown accustomed to in the post-arcade age. Even a game like Dark Souls, renowned for its difficulty, offers concessions for players who want to modulate its difficulty: certain gear and meta builds are more powerful than others, summons and co-op can make fights much less demanding, and death usually doesn’t set you back too much. These sorts of things cannot be said about Volgarr the Viking 2.
Volgarr the Viking II stands out by looking, sounding, and, most crucially, playing like an '80s or '90s action-platformer. It has an almost religious reverence for the classics that inspired it, making it brilliant, but also a bit of a tough sell.
Volgarr the Viking 2 stars the titular Volgarr, a Viking warrior-turned-king who sets out on a journey to defeat a hostile force. Volgarr 2’s narrative doesn’t extend far beyond that brief description, and this is by design. It’s one of the earliest examples of how it eschews modern expectations in favor of a more straightforward approach.
While other retro-inspired games like Streets of Rage 4 take something of a tongue-in-cheek approach to their presentation, reveling in their pulpy genre influences infused with varying degrees of irony, Volgarr the Viking II is completely earnest. The game often feels like a long-forgotten classic from decades past, uncovered in a dusty attic somewhere and hooking you into the "one more try" mentality.
In an interview with The Best War Games, Volgarr the Viking 2 developer Kristofor Dürrschmidt described the game as "trying to compete with games from 1994." Taking in the final product, it's fair to say that this goal was realized.
Volgarr the Viking 2 is the Definition of 'Tough but Fair'
Just like those classic games would urge players to continue feeding the arcade cabinet quarters by being brutally difficult, Volgarr the Viking 2 urges players forward by beating them down. Indeed, the game can often feel either hostile or indifferent to the player, not interested in hand-holding or mitigating its challenge. Volgarr can suffer, at absolute most, six hits before dying, his durability determined by the pieces of gear that the player has collected, which often grants unique bonuses. For instance, players can obtain a flame sword that deals increased damage against foes while boosting the range of Volgarr's attack.
Much like the fire flowers or mushrooms in Mario, taking damage will result in losing these upgrades, one by one. If Volgarr has no gear, then he will die in a single hit, without exception. Through this approach, Volgarr the Viking 2 manages to maintain a strikingly good balance between punishment and reward, granting players extra abilities based on performance, but not hesitating to take these abilities away in an instant. The result is a gameplay experience that is as terrifying as it is exhilarating, as more than a few minutes fully geared-up will make you wonder how long your luck will last.
Even so, Volgarr the Viking II is surprisingly fair. There are very few instances where a death can be attributed to something outside the player's control: there are solutions to every problem, ways to avoid every enemy attack, and paths through every platforming challenge. Volgarr's low HP means that the game demands perfection from the player, which can lead to many frustrating moments, but equally satisfying conclusions as well, as finishing a level never feels like a matter of luck or RNG—the player can take pride in their ability to master the game's mechanics.
It's worth noting how good this mastery feels. Naturally, just about every game encourages mastery, as this is what makes them mechanically interesting, but Volgarr 2's specific combination of simple controls and precise platforming makes for a smooth and endlessly rewarding experience. Understanding exactly where a certain enemy's attack will land, the perfect place to launch a midair attack, or when to time a spear throw, creates a feeling of being in easy, seamless conversation with the game.
With Volgarr only having a handful of abilities at his disposal, players will become intimately familiar with his moveset by the time they reach the final boss. He winds up feeling like a natural extension of the player's own body, not weighed down by complex combos, unlockable moves, or any other such action-RPG-influenced bloat. In other words, simplicity plus unflinching difficulty equals immense, natural satisfaction in Volgarr the Viking 2.
Volgarr the Viking 2 Is an Unforgiving Game that Not Everyone Will Like
Volgarr the Viking II doesn't have the broad appeal of other challenging games, as its combat and traversal gameplay are the whole package. It doesn't have much in the way of story, exploration, mini-games, or any other such layer to its gameplay and narrative structure. That's not necessarily a criticism of Volgarr the Viking, but it's something that anyone with a passing interest in the game should understand before picking it up. If you're looking for something that will recontextualize or expand on what you already know about retro action-platformers, this isn't it. Volgarr the Viking 2, like its predecessor, isn't pushing the envelope in any major ways. It's more like a home-cooked staple prepared exceedingly well.
About the subject of broad appeal, Volgarr the Viking 2's accessibility options are worth noting. The game's most impactful accessibility feature, and its closest thing to an easy option, is "undead mode." When Volgarr dies a certain number of times, the Valkyrie's resurrection powers lose their potency, and he essentially becomes a zombie. How this translates to gameplay is that players effectively become invincible, only vulnerable to platforming-related deaths like falling into a pit or pool of lava. This change is irreversible and lasts until the end of the game, impacting the ending players receive during that playthrough.
The undead mode feels like a major leap from near-instant death to invulnerable super-soldier, and while the game is still challenging (platforming can often be harder than combat), it's hard not to feel like undead mode is the "wrong" way to play. Many of Volgarr the Viking 2's aforementioned strengths, like the emphasis on perfection that leads to satisfying gameplay, are undermined or completely thwarted by undead mode, as any challenge associated with enemy encounters is effectively removed. It feels like there was a middle-ground between sudden-death and invincibility that was ignored here. Ultimately, Volgarr the Viking II can be beaten in just a few hours, so starting over once undead mode is triggered isn't a huge loss. Still, it feels like an inelegant answer to the accessibility question in a game that is otherwise airtight.
Volgarr the Viking 2 is not a game that will win any awards for innovation. It won't astound with its visuals or scope, or surprise any experienced video game enthusiasts. But Volgarr the Viking 2 is certainly a good time, and a love letter to a specific era of gaming that winds up surpassing many of its progenitors. It's not for everyone, but if you're in the target audience, you won't be able to put it down or get it out of your head after playing the first hour.
Volgarr the Viking 2
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 74 /100 Critics Rec: 53%
- Released
- August 6, 2024
- ESRB
- T For Teen Due To Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Digital Eclipse, Crazy Viking Studios
- Publisher(s)
- Digital Eclipse
WHERE TO PLAY
- Platform(s)
- PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5
- Genre(s)
- Platformer, Action
- Tight and satisfying controls
- No-frills gameplay experience
- Strong encounter and level design
- An awkwardly implemented easy mode
- A lack of innovation within its genre
Volgarr the Viking 2 releases for Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, PS5, Switch, and PC on August 6, 2024. The Best War Games was provided a Steam code for this review.