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Review: Nidhogg 2 (Nintendo Switch) Nidhogg 2 is a local multiplayer game where players fight to reach the opposite end of the screen to perform self-sacrifice to a giant, mythical worm called Nidhogg. This pious, violent game of tug-of-war sees players using rapiers, broadswords, knives, and arrows to outsmart one another.
Within the indie space the original Nidhogg is somewhat of a legend, though I never got the chance to play it. A game laser-focused on one-on-one combat with limited but tight controls and a tendency to have a furious back and forth as each person tries to successively defeat their foe for the glory of being eaten by a giant worm monster? It may sound a bit daft but the formula works, and with its sequel on the Switch I think the added weapons and refinements that have been made make it a pretty wild title, though it’s audience appeal may be a bit on the narrow side. As stated before your goal in Nidhogg 2 is to face off against a fellow warrior. You’ll begin in the middle of a series of connected rooms and your goal is to get all of the way to the end where you’ll have the honor of being consumed by the Nidhogg (from Norse mythology). To accomplish that goal you’ll need to make use of one of a variety of weapons you’ll be given each time you spawn.
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Slashing, stabbing, skewering, impaling, or plain stomping your foe’s head into a pulp repeatedly will be necessary to get to your goal, though if you’re wily you may be able to jump over them and make a run for it as well just beware their ability to throw their weapon after you. Since the moves used in combat are mechanically not that diverse, and the weapons have differences but only provide so much variety, what Nidhogg is really about is winning a sort of mental game of rock/paper/scissors against your foe. This is what makes the single-player arcade mode a bit of a waste, though it’s nice to have as an option I suppose. The next best way to enjoy the game is going online and hoping to match up with someone. If you’re well matched this can make for a pretty intense and sometimes prolonged battle, but it also lacks the spice of local smack talking.
The best way to experience it is definitely with a friend or maybe up to 7 of them so you can get into a tournament. The ability to verbally abuse and egg on someone right next to in the hopes of getting them to flinch or make a mistake is truly where this game is the best. Whether or not it stays fresh for you and can sustain itself for more than a short time will likely vary, possibly wildly.
Nidhogg 2 is a really tricky game to score because it seems like such a hit or miss, love it or hate it, kind of experience. If you don’t have anyone to play with I’d caution you on considering the purchase as there’s really no meaningful solo play and even if you do find online matches there’s something lost in the experience even if you’re able to get into some nice and tense matches. Even if you’ve got some friends to play with I’d say the odds are equal that you could really get a kick out of the experience or have it fall flat. Credit to the developer, it’s some of the very small touches like being able to reflect shots that give what seems to be a very shallow game surprising depth, it all comes down to the experience you’re looking for though.
With that in mind, Nidhogg 2, the debut for the budding series on Switch, runs the risk of overcomplicating the delightful cacophony of dumb multiplayer fun. Thankfully, while it does add more depth, grungier graphics, and more active backdrops that make the action a little harder to follow, this sequel stands up to its predecessor as a mostly successful evolution of the style.For starters, Nidhogg is basically a game of side-scrolling tug of war. You and your foe start in the center of a series of connected rooms with the goal for each of you to reach the opposite side, in which case you’re devoured by the nidhogg of Norse mythology for some reason (I swear: being eaten by a giant serpent means you win!). To defeat your enemy, you wield a weapon and try to stab them or knock them down. When one player is slain, they respawn a few seconds later. At any given moment, you have lots of movement options, such as lunging with your sword, rolling to avoid a stab, jump-kicking to knock your enemy down, or throwing your weapon to impale your foe.
The actions are all quick and relatively straightforward, but that leads to mind games with your opponent. Local multiplayer is the highlight here, with a simple one-on-one battle option as well as a tournament mode for up to eight players. While matches can get into stalemates and go on for a while, those are usually intense and fun to watch, making for a great experience for both players and spectators during a tournament. Additionally, an arcade mode provides some limited single-player content. It’s just a series of matches against the computer that can generally be finished in about 20 or 30 minutes. Online multiplayer is also present, which ran fine in my time with it, but I definitely feel Nidhogg loses something when not played locally.Most notably, Nidhogg 2 adds a whole bunch more weapon options. Swords come in more variations than the first game, along with the addition of small daggers and bows and arrows.
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The added variety often leads to more endearing chaos, though the gameplay slows down slightly when you come back to life as you need to take stock of what you’re packing. In my experience, I found that the new weapons built on the foundation of the first game beautifully. When I stumbled upon the fact that you can reflect an arrow back at your opponent with your sword, it was glorious, and that’s just one smile-worthy discovery of many I came across.
The original game had a simplistic look but Nidhogg 2 looks like it could fit somewhere in between Oddworld and Earthworm Jim with a somewhat intense and aggressively messy art style. Ultimately, the sweet simplicity of the first game is what I prefer, but the style of the second is off-the-charts crazy and nuts. The soundtrack and sound design complement the look and feel perfectly. Each stage has different graphic flourishes, often with new obstacles such as moving platforms or tall grass areas. The vibrancy of the stages does occasionally interfere with the gameplay and it’s a little too busy at times. I’m torn, because I dig the new look, but I can’t help but long for the charm of the old graphics, too.Overall, Nidhogg 2 is a successful follow-up to the dynamite original, instantly making this one of the must-have local multiplayer games on Switch.
Not much is there for the solo player, though the online multiplayer is nice. The ideal setup is a slew of friends passing off controllers in the tournament mode, but even in less than ideal multiplayer scenarios, it’s still a chaotic and wacky blast. The entire contents of this Web site, unless otherwise noted, are Copyright © 1999 - 2020 NINWR, LLC. All Rights Reserved.™ and © for all products, characters, and indicia related thereto which are contained herein are owned by the companies who market or license those products.This Web site is not endorsed, sponsored, nor otherwise affiliated with Nintendo. It has been created for the sole purpose of entertainment and knowledge.Reproduction in whole or in part in any form without consent from NINWR, LLC is prohibited.
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