Volgarr the Viking

Aye, count me in for the 'it's decent, could've been awesome' chorus. Game has great visuals, solid, retro inspired mechanics, and fantastic level design. Oh yeah, it's also stupidly hard. One thing it doesn't have: a checkpoint system - even a single one per stage would've been enough - to make the journey enjoyable for anyone who isn't a master of platforming, with godlike skills. I'd give the game 2.5 stars, if I could, so I'll round my score to 3, since I still believe 2 is too harsh, for something that is not broken per se (some Viking ninjas finished it no problem). Just... Beware. If you're anything in between an average-to-decent player, there's a strong chance you're not gonna see more than a couple of stages, in Volgarr, before getting fatally annoyed.

been wonderful. Among the indie, I consider Volgarr the Viking a milestone, only problem : its own strength, which is the difficulty. To clarify, the game accomplishes exactly what it promises : an arcade experience, with brutal and quick thinking challenges considered ''old school'', and for some that is clearly enough. However, ''old school'' doesn't mean sacred. Unfortunately, Volgarr doesn't get that, it tries too hard ( ... pun intended) to be .... hard ( sorry), and it sacrifices for it enjoyability, even for players that have actually enjoyed difficult games such as Castlelvania or the more modern ones, like dark soul. Indeed, and it accomplishes this by eliminating any permanent save feature ( when you boot up the game you have to start over, regardless of previous achievements) and by giving the player no quarter in both the number of hits the character can take and the number of deadly challenges ( which could be a great thing, but not in the lack a solid save system). So, a good game to try out, that's for sure ( maybe discounted, at full price its basically robbery) since it is, without a doubt, one of the most worth indie experiences, but it misses the landing zone of greatness for a few centimetres ( which is enough to get you killed in this game, fitting).

I should of read ´em more closely. This game has great animation and okay sound but is hampered by seriously floaty controls and no air-control while jumping too. I understand that you are making your game 'hard', but I´m with team There-Is-No-Excuse-For-Not-Having-A-Save-System-In-20XX.. so, yeah. Floaty controls, jumping is not very precise, should have read the reviews. Loads of people like this game, but me, I would need more of those saving-crystals.

As a kid who grew up during the eighties and spent countless hours in the arcades, I really thought it was a game for me. Watching the trailer, I thought I would meet again old friend, Rastan in primis. I saw the the game used the spears like the plungers in Quackshot : very promising... Enough to overcome the rather bad animations and the not-that-great graphic style. Sadly, "quoting", mimicking famous old games is not enough. Volgarr suffers from horrible jump mechanics : it has no air control, ok, but the level design can't handle it most of the time. You don't have to be skilled and precise, you have to deal with a deficient jump. Which is far different, and boring. And just like in the bad plateformers (the superfamicom G&G for example) they tried to mitigate it with the double jump, but it's useless. Next, the spear handling is atrocious as you can't use if you're close to a wall (why ?), it makes your character stupidly step forward (why ?), and you can't throw your spear crouched (why ? because it would jam the "step forward" gimmick ?). Absurd design decisions that make this game absolutely boring, and not worth the effort it asks you to put in. As for the hack'n'slash action, don't expect something as sharp as a Ghost'n'Goblins or a Shinobi, as the flow is inadequate for your clumsy character. Most of the game loop I experienced reduced itself to a "hit an enemy too low for your spear". A really bad game. And I've launched Ghouls'n'Ghost on my Saturn to check, and the difference is gigantic.

Alright, this is my first review I have ever given any game. Ever. If I had done this review 2 or 3 or even 6 years ago...my highest rating would have been 2 stars. It was just too difficult. I was frustrated every single time I played. However, I persevered (that's putting it lightly), and just last month I picked the game back up - for maybe the 4th time - I was completely bent on beating it once and for all. SO... I figured out how to beat levels in succession. Then I figured out how to beat the level without getting hit more than twice. Then I figured out where the "hammers" in each level are located that give you a "Free Hit." Then I realized that there are multiple pathways for each level (the blue orbs you collect enough of from the chests that offer an alternate level to be played). Finally, I learned the game's entire pattern, bosses and all. What I just wrote in that one paragraph, took me almost 8 years to accomplish. And at the end of the 8 years, I was able to beat this entire game, with a Grade A ending, under one hour, without dying ONCE. I am here to tell you that this is the single most proud I have ever been when it comes to a video game. Believe it or not I don't play a ton of games. So: -This game is hard -No, this game us ridiculously hard. -No, don't even buy this game, it's too hard. ... Unless of course you like a very rare challenge when it comes to games. It is unlikely another game like Volgarr will be created again. It's not going to test your wallet, but it is going to test your patience. The first time I beat level 1 you would have thought I just won the lottery. It's difficult. The first time you get the Fire Sword you would think you just discovered time travel. Did I say it's difficult. If you want a game that acts like every other game, this IS NOT for you. If you are willing to learn patterns, and sequences and are okay with failing many times....so, so many times, then this is your pathway to Valhalla. Worth it.