Volgarr the Viking

AHHHHHHHHYHGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just finished the game (with ending C) and had lot's of fun playing it, i'd say that along with Shovel Knight this is the best platformer I've played in recent years. The game is pretty hard by today's standards and I can relate to people getting frustrated with lack of checkpoints, but for me each death encouraged me to better myself and find some other strategy to beat the level and the bosses. I grew up playing classic NES/SNES/DOS platformers, so I felt right at home with the difficulty level. The controls are perfect, each death is only a result of you screwing up. Beating each level takes practice and you need to be persistent, when you finally beat the level, you feel great satisfaction in doing so. After beating the game I played the first three levels again and beat them on first try without deaths not even breaking a sweat. Initially each level felt almost impossible, but now after tons of practice, they were pretty much a walk in the park. So in essence, the game is not that hard, it's only up to you to hone your skills enough to beat it.

Volgarr the Viking is a trip back to the old NES games like Castlevania 1, Megaman 1, Hudson's Adventure Island , Ninja Gaiden (1, 2, 3), Ghosts N' Goblins and Ghouls N' Ghosts. The game play is identical to those games being that you will need to play it repeatedly in order to learn the level and get past it. There are no saves and no extra lives, but you have only 2-hits to spare only if you acquire the shield and helmet. If you die, you will be sent back to the beginning of the level. The graphics and design are a nod to the old 1987 Taito game, Rastan. The first part of the first level is somewhat identical to Rastan's first level. And you can even find Rastan's dead old bones complete with gear and sword in the background...I guess Volgarr's game was too difficult for him :D The graphics are exactly what you'd expect from a 16-bit platform game. They have a nice realistic, but cartoon look which I like. The animations for the characters are stiff, but this is mimicking those old NES and SNES games which had the same animations. The levels are interestingly designed and each have a specific theme. The controls are also similar to the old NES games I mentioned above. They are tight and the double jumping lets you have some flexibility in controlling the jump. Only well skilled gamers will be able to be creative with Volgarr's type of jumping. The epic type music is really amazing. I wish the soundtrack was included with the game. It makes me feel like I'm watching a Conan the Barbarian movie. The only modern enhancements of the game that I noticed are some complex transparencies on Volgarr's fire sword and the ability to pan the screen out. Overall, it is fun game to try to master and when you do it is really satisfying. It took me a day to finish it with repeated tries. After you finish the game by going through the easy path it will hint to you about a hard path, the "Valkyrie Path". Thus the game has some replay value. This game is for elite gamers only.

This is easily one of the best platformers I have ever played. Go ahead and compare it to classic 16-bit games or modern games. This one is a champion. The difficulty is perfect. And the game is fair. If you die it's because you messed up. You'll feel very comfortable controlling Volgarr in a very short time. He does exactly what you tell him to, exactly when you tell him to do it. You will die and you will learn a valuable lesson every time. With two check points per level (the halfway point and the after defeating a Boss) you will master the levels and once you know how you'll be able to clear them in a very short amount of time. You will feel like a King when you take down a Boss because it was not handed to you. You earned it with skill that the game taught you and from a determination that you found within. And once you are worthy it's time to do it better and unlock new levels and better endings. Don't tell me this game needs "this" or "that". Be a man and just say it's too hard for YOU.

Originally played this with my brother. Loved it. Still love it. Yes it's hard. Yes you will get better at it until it's easy.