Developer: Messhof
Publisher: Messhof
Platform: PC, PS4, Switch, Xbox One
Tested on: Switch
Nidhogg 2 (Switch) – Review
Well we aspire to be many things in life, we often only get to become one or two things, depending on our time, focus, talents and abilities. This is where videogames come in, as they allow us to become things we never imagined possible, or they allow us to live completely different lives in an online environments. We can become heroes, villains, even gods if we want to be, but sometimes there’s an odd pickle in the jar that presents us with a totally different goal completely, namely getting eaten by a giant worm called the Nidhogg. For some reason this is what the fighters consider to be the ultimate goal in Nidhogg 2, which is now released for the Nintendo Switch. Duck, dodge, dive, but most importantly skewer your opponent like a kebab and run to the other side of the arena to become the chosen one.
Story
If you’re hoping to find a story or some greater purpose when playing this game, you’ll be sorely disappointed as there is no story value at all in this title. You’ll be controlling a random weird looking fighter, who finds himself in an arena with an equally odd looking fighter, striving to reach the opponent’s side of the playing field, in order to get munched down by a giant worm. While a story would not have aided this game in becoming more memorable, the giant worm already does a lot to make this game quite impressionable.
Graphics
Nidhogg 2 is a game that looks equally as good on the Switch as it did on the PC. You’ll be treated to a very colorful fighting game, with odd looking characters, interesting backdrops and a variety of very different stages. Each side of the arena is mirrored, which means that, in the spirit of fairness, each side is equally as hard, or easy, to traverse for each player. The gore effects are a very nice touch for this game that otherwise has a children-like vibe. It seems that some of the backdrops have received an update compared to the original version.
The original PC version did suffer under frame drops in certain arenas, but it seems the developers tackled these issues, making sure you get a proper gaming experience. Everything runs smoothly, both in handheld or docked mode.
Sound
Truth be told, the soundtrack of Nidhogg 2 is quite impressive for such a bite-sized title. The music is catchy and gets you in the right mood to duel a strange looking foe. Each arena comes with its own track and it makes things quite interesting and in some cases it’s actually fun to try all the arenas, not only for their visuals but for the tunes in the background as well. The rest of the game is accompanied by a plethora of screams, swords clashing, a few splatter sounds and the occasional grunt.
Gameplay
In our original review we described the game as a ‘fencing’ game, and truth be told, this still remains true. You’ll always be fighting in a 1 v 1 format, all while using different weapons at your disposal such as swords, daggers, bow and arrows and of course a good old fashioned kick in the face. That’s pretty much all there is to do in this game. You can plow through the arcade mode, which has an increased difficulty compared to the original PC release, or you can opt for local matches or take your fighting skills online. Overall there’s more than enough action, if you’re into doing the same thing over and over again. That said, it does take quite a while to master the game’s mechanics, even with its simple controls in place. When you finally feel in control, you can mix things up with different rules in the custom matches to make things quite interesting.
The control scheme is very basic, and this allows it to work perfectly with a single Joy-Con controller when playing with a friend, allowing you to start a two player game, or if you simply don’t own a Pro controller. The game simply uses two buttons for all its mechanics, namely a jump button and the button that operates all your weapons. The weapon button can be used in combination with your left stick (or only stick when playing with a single Joy-Con controller), as you can alter your stance. Going up or down, will change your blocking height, but also the height you attack. If you see your opponent is holding his sword quite high, it might be interesting to stab him in the gut. This makes the game a lot trickier than you’d initially think, and it does take a lot of practice getting the hang of blocking, dodging and attacking. Of course, there’s enough luck thrown into the mix, as well as hoping your reflexes will be triggered when playing this game.
Conclusion
Nidhogg 2 is still a fun game, even while it’s best to be enjoyed in short bursts. You can easily get other people to join in on the fun, as the controls are extremely simple and luck can sometimes be a deciding factor in matches. We are happy to see that the game has been brought to Nintendo’s latest platform and while the overall content may be slim, this game is still worth checking out.
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