Volgarr the Viking 2 review: Ragnarok'd

The discussion of "Dark Souls difficulty" is amusing for someone like me who grew up in the 1980s and 90s. Games that felt brutally difficult and satisfying to master were more common in those days. Arguably, few games hit the punishing and borderline-unfair heights of Capcom's Ghosts 'n Goblins series. Volgarr the Viking 2, from Digital Eclipse and Crazy Viking Studios, feels like it operates on that same level, offering intuitive platforming and combat combined with crushing difficulty. However, a few aggravating design choices keep it from the hallowed halls of Valhalla.

Glorious battle

Following the events of the original Volgarr the Viking, the title character is back for more violence. What's the game's story? There really isn't much of one, nor does it really need it. There are undead creatures and monsters who need slaying and Volgarr thirsts for glory by combat.

Playing Volgarr the Vikings 2 is deceptively simple. The bulky Volgarr moves elegantly and engages in hard-hitting 2D combat. Most enemies fall with one or two hits with a sword or by tossing a spear. Volgarr can get more powerful if he collects accessories along his path. Like the aforementioned Ghosts 'n Goblins series, those accessories also mean Volgarr can take extra hits. However, if he takes a hit without a piece of gear, he dies instantly.

Volgarr can also jump and double jump across platforms in worlds that are noticeably bigger than the original game. They're so big that checkpoints have been added in the form of Runestones, though players have the option to destroy them and trade that checkpoint in for extra bonuses. Higher areas can be reached by throwing spears against walls and using them as makeshift steps. Everything here sounds easy and, in fact, Volgarr the Viking 2 is perfectly doable with the tools available.

Then things get tough.

By Odin's beard!

Volgarr the Viking 2 is not afraid to throw out tough-as-nails enemies with complex patterns, traps that pop up out of nowhere, and wildly difficult jumps. Not only are they difficult jumps, but there may be an exploding enemy that barrels into Volgarr's landing spot. It's that kind of game. Nothing about this game is impossible, but it's a game that will test players' patience frequently.

This is a game that is built like the modern Souls games in the sense that making progress involves understanding enemy patterns and platforming layouts. It's also like the classic Ghosts 'n Goblins sense where precision means everything. If you're a pixel off, you're going to die. You're going to die a lot and you'll see a slew of Game Over screens. That's not bad in itself, but then there's the penalty that comes with dying too much.

Using too many continues will put players into a permanent undead state. Narrative-wise, it basically means Volgarr has failed and only his walking corpse remains to aimlessly shamble forward. Undead Volgarr is basically god mode, where players can take no damage from direct enemy attacks. It's a forced easy mode where players can waltz to the end of the game with the exchange being that it results in the game's worst ending out of six possible conclusions.

The problem with this is that there's no way to turn it off. Undead Volgarr is forever. It is a badge of dishonor where the only way to remove it is to completely delete the save file and start over. Given how tough the game is and how death can often come because you're just a few precious pixels off on a jump or dodge roll, it feels cheap. The only upside is that by completing worlds as Undead Volgarr, players can still unlock worlds for the game's Practice Mode, which allows them to sharpen their skills for one true final run.

Arcade throwback

Volgarr the Viking 2 revels in its retro aesthetic. The worlds are pixel paradises out of the 16-bit gaming era. The story is minimal. The mechanics are classic. The difficulty, as mentioned repeatedly, is soul-crushing without feeling overly unfair, that is until you get Undead Volgarr forced on you.

There's a lot of satisfaction that comes out of overcoming Volgarr the Viking 2's intense challenge. It comes with a lot of frustration, so be aware of that going in, but as a throwback to the Blockbuster Video rental era of gaming, this is a fairly mighty effort.

This review is based on a Steam code provided by the publisher. Volgarr the Viking 2 is available now on PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch for $19.99 USD. The game is rated the T.

Ozzie Mejia

Senior Editor

Ozzie has been playing video games since picking up his first NES controller at age 5. He has been into games ever since, only briefly stepping away during his college years. But he was pulled back in after spending years in QA circles for both THQ and Activision, mostly spending time helping to push forward the Guitar Hero series at its peak. Ozzie has become a big fan of platformers, puzzle games, shooters, and RPGs, just to name a few genres, but he’s also a huge sucker for anything with a good, compelling narrative behind it. Because what are video games if you can't enjoy a good story with a fresh Cherry Coke?