Volgarr the Viking

 PC
User Score
7.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 103 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 68 out of 103
  2. Mixed: 24 out of 103
  3. Negative: 11 out of 103

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  1. Chnmmr
    Jul 6, 2014
    6
    The theme and graphic style drew me in. The music was suitable and I reminisced about my days on the SNES and Genesis. But several hours in, and still on level 1 I realised something.

    The game is hard NOT because it's hard, but because the jumping is absolutely terrible. Having no control over your jump makes this game artificially hard as 9 times out of 10 it was jumping into a pit    The theme and graphic style drew me in. The music was suitable and I reminisced about my days on the SNES and Genesis. But several hours in, and still on level 1 I realised something.

    The game is hard NOT because it's hard, but because the jumping is absolutely terrible. Having no control over your jump makes this game artificially hard as 9 times out of 10 it was jumping into a pit that killed me because for some reason, Volgarr can't jump vertically up and a bit forward to get on a platform, but instead has to do this aberration of a left then immediately right jump to get over walls he's next to.

    I can accept the save system, the very few hp Volgarr has, and the quick reflexes needed at various points, but the jumping ruins everything. I recommend this game but only in 10 minute bursts, any more and you might find your monitor outside your house out of unfair frustration.    … Expand
  2. Steeldude
    Aug 26, 2015
    4
    This game is only hard because of retarded (and by retarded I mean so horribly done that even the retro games that this game tries to copy had done it million times better) jumping controls. Moreover, the game as a whole is unimaginative. Not worth your money or time.
  3. MikeZillaGames
    Sep 14, 2013
    9
    ODIN BE PRAISED! Volgarr the Viking is here, and it's place is already secure amongst the honored dead in Valhalla.

    I don't really even need to go into massive detail here. If you watch any gameplay trailer, Volgar the Viking speaks for itself. This game harkens back to old school arcade sidescrollers and beat-em-ups, while also introducing a lot of nice additions when it comes to    ODIN BE PRAISED! Volgarr the Viking is here, and it's place is already secure amongst the honored dead in Valhalla.

    I don't really even need to go into massive detail here. If you watch any gameplay trailer, Volgar the Viking speaks for itself. This game harkens back to old school arcade sidescrollers and beat-em-ups, while also introducing a lot of nice additions when it comes to platforming. The satisfying combat is just the icing on the cake.

    You WILL die here, a lot. Obviously the difficulty means this experience isn't for everybody, but then again that's very poor criteria to hold against it. What I will say is that Volgarr gives me an almost Demon's Souls or Dark Souls style of vibe from it.

    It's well worth your time, and it's sure as hel worth your money...so hop on your longboat, grab your sword and spear, and prepare you favorite heavy metal for some Viking savagery!    … Expand
  4. T-1001
    Sep 13, 2013
    10
    It does exactly what it's supposed to do!

    It's an homage to the difficult hardcore platformers of the 90's. If you aren't familiar with any snes or nes platformer, then you might as well give up before starting the game. The controls are reminiscent of the old Castlevania games. There's really not much else to say other than that it's well designed in an old-school kind of way.    It does exactly what it's supposed to do!

    It's an homage to the difficult hardcore platformers of the 90's.
    If you aren't familiar with any snes or nes platformer, then you might as well give up before starting the game.
    The controls are reminiscent of the old Castlevania games.
    There's really not much else to say other than that it's well designed in an old-school kind of way.

    There are no instructions in the game other than an intro level that's a lot like Megaman X's intro level, so you're forced to learn all the mechanics while playing. This is not a bad thing at all and it just strengthens the old-school feel.

    So, to sum up gameplay: It's perfect.

    I wish the music was a little more energetic, though. I know what it's inspired by, but at times I feel it just doesn't fit what's going on in-game.

    The graphics are great, but seem a little muddy. Hopefully, they could add some kind of filter option to turn of that muddiness and keep the sprites pixelated.

    If you plan to buy this game; beware its insane difficulty. It honestly hurts my face.    … Expand
  5. Frayper
    Sep 14, 2013
    10
    This game is really cool, it is very similar to the ancient game Ghost'n Goblins, and I really love this game, and some people complain that the game is absent checkpoints, and what they eeto same HARDCORE!!
  6. Kattsylt
    Sep 22, 2013
    9
    The strange thing about me is that i love platformers even though im aboslutely terrible at them. Most of them i just uninstall after a few hours but this is one of those few i stick with, mainly because i love the style and gameplay; I love it enough to keep trying even if i've suffered more deaths than any player in this game will manage to accomplish, even if they are deliberatelyThe strange thing about me is that i love platformers even though im aboslutely terrible at them. Most of them i just uninstall after a few hours but this is one of those few i stick with, mainly because i love the style and gameplay; I love it enough to keep trying even if i've suffered more deaths than any player in this game will manage to accomplish, even if they are deliberately trying to beat my record.

    * The game is hard, it took me (remeber that im terrible) 4hours to complete the first world which consists of two stages, which are about the lenght as an avarege super mario level.
    * The graphic is oldschool but very pretty
    * The music fits perfectly
    * The controls are quite easy to learn and responsive, but remeber that the hero is a viking and not a ninja. If you ever played Castlevania on Nes, its pretty much the same. So you cant just rush and mash buttons to complete the levels.    … Expand
  7. Alraune
    May 9, 2020
    10
    A nice game, which sticks boldly to its vision.

    While obviously not the most expensively produced Action-Jump'n'Run out there, it does its job quite well. The basic mechanics like jumping and attacking are very easy to understand and focused around having to move and fight with care and tactical sense. The stages, while of course not exceptional elaborate and creative in their    A nice game, which sticks boldly to its vision.

    While obviously not the most expensively produced Action-Jump'n'Run out there, it does its job quite well. The basic mechanics like jumping and attacking are very easy to understand and focused around having to move and fight with care and tactical sense.

    The stages, while of course not exceptional elaborate and creative in their layouts and elements, are quite interesting to play and use their relatively small number of traps and enemy-types economically, but nevertheless effectively and with a surprisingly large amount of variety. It's worth noting, that almost every world has it's own array of trap- and enemy-types. Because of of these efforts and their challenging nature, the stages feel fun to play even after the 30-th try. The bosses interesting and challenging to fight too.

    As "Völgarr the Viking" features a save-system, which merely lets your restart at the start of each world, most of the progress you make is saved in your ability in playing this game and in an Online-Leaderboard.

    The pompous music and the bass-heavy sound-effects suit the game well, but are nothing special.

    If you like your games to be easy to understand, tactical to play, direct in their game-play and with a lot room for personal improvement, look no further, as this might be the game for you.    … Expand
  8. kdamica
    Sep 14, 2013
    6
    I get it: Back in the good old days, games were hard and it took skill and dedication to beat, while today's gaming landscape of save points and auto-regenerate baby players toward the end of the game. And today, there are many excellent games that hark back to the difficulty of early gaming, such as Super Meat Boy, Spelunky, Teleglitch, and Rogue Legacy. Volgarr the Viking, however,I get it: Back in the good old days, games were hard and it took skill and dedication to beat, while today's gaming landscape of save points and auto-regenerate baby players toward the end of the game. And today, there are many excellent games that hark back to the difficulty of early gaming, such as Super Meat Boy, Spelunky, Teleglitch, and Rogue Legacy. Volgarr the Viking, however, revives some of the most frustrating game elements of the time.

    First, a lack of checkpoints mixed with long levels means that players have to replay the parts of the levels that they've already mastered again and again before reaching the really difficult parts. Better games tend to avoid this repetitiveness with shorter levels or random elements.

    Second, Volgarr's jumps cannot be controlled mid-air. Some people might not mind this, but I found it frustrating, especially when there are nearly blind jumps onto small platforms (I'm looking at you, third level).

    Finally, and this one is minor, but there is no way to attack upward. The game design loves to have enemies jump on top of you, and when they do, there is no way to defend. Even Rastan had upward attacking!

    Ultimately, I would have played this game for a lot longer than I did if only my first complaint were addressed. If you loved Ghosts n' Goblins, Karnov, or any other of the old-school platformers that no one ever beat, you'll probably like this one, but I just don't feel like playing the same mostly-boring levels over and over.    … Expand
  9. youlouz
    Mar 21, 2015
    5
    This game is too frustrating, but fun

    PROS
    -Combat
    -Graphics

    CONS
    -Frustrating
    -Bugs and glitches .
  10. Avadon
    Sep 22, 2013
    3
    The game aims at a very specific target audience, with infinite patience and a fondness for trial and error. Having grown up in the 80's, I gave it a shot to remember the old days. It's generally well made, but the lack of being able to adjust your jump mid-air killed it for me. All the good retro games had that, this one doesn't for some reason, but it still features tons of precisionThe game aims at a very specific target audience, with infinite patience and a fondness for trial and error. Having grown up in the 80's, I gave it a shot to remember the old days. It's generally well made, but the lack of being able to adjust your jump mid-air killed it for me. All the good retro games had that, this one doesn't for some reason, but it still features tons of precision platforming, so if you don't launch yourself from the specific magic pixel that the game wants you to every single time, you will die constantly. As a developer you should know which elements are challenging and which ones are nonsense, and avoid the latter. What a shame.… Expand
  11. GrahfZeppelin
    Sep 19, 2013
    10
    There are several reasons this game is among the greatest within it's genre. First off; it's enemies are in predetermined locations and rarely deviate from a designated pattern. What this does is allow players to develop a level of cognitive memory in the same vain as classics within the Ghosts'n Goblins and Contra franchises as well as the more recent Demon's/Dark Souls. Basically, youThere are several reasons this game is among the greatest within it's genre. First off; it's enemies are in predetermined locations and rarely deviate from a designated pattern. What this does is allow players to develop a level of cognitive memory in the same vain as classics within the Ghosts'n Goblins and Contra franchises as well as the more recent Demon's/Dark Souls. Basically, you learn as you play and improve with each mistake. eventually you will develop the reflexes required to navigate the later challenges in the game.
    Second. This games weapons are a sword and a spear. unlike the aforementioned Ghosts'n Goblins and Contra this game makes you use the same two weapons throughout. this works, in my opinion, better due to the games level design being built solely around these two weapons. The Spear is especially impressive due to it's many functions (and trick shots when you get the hang of it). It was also very smart for the developers to give the spear the same base strength as the sword so that it can be used as a primary weapon instead of a 'panic' or spamming weapon.
    Third; this game maintains the 'stiff' double jump as seen in Super Ghouls'n Ghost [SNES]. The level design is perfectly catered to this jump standard and despite what you may think, it actually makes things easier when you get used to it as it locks you in almost grid like jumping patterns. This ultimately helps you gauge distances better based on the games design.
    Fourth; The challenge. Although many critics and users will immediately dub this a "Hardcore retro game" it should be noted that it's actually easier than your standard early '90's 16-bit Platformer. Checkpoints can be found in the middle of each stage and before entering the next stage but, you have Infinite lives (unless you play the tougher "hard" difficulty levels). The levels aren't overly long and there is only 6 levels on the main route so with a bit of practice it's not bad at all. Enemies don't even act randomly (except the ghosts but they move very slow) so that is a huge help in the muscle memory department.The only thing I would consider "Hard" for newer players would be the fact that there is no checkpoint directly before to the bosses (like in Mega Man games). I can see this being trouble for some but the bosses have very simplistic patterns that can be learned with some dodging and observing before engaging.
    Overall, being a huge fan of this kind of game, I can honestly say that Crazy Viking Studio's nailed it. I would even go so far as to say it's actually better than most classics found in the arcades or on the SNES. My pick for GotY and I hope to see more from this studio.    … Expand
  12. MassMtv
    Sep 14, 2013
    10
    As it was mentioned(and,i am sure,will be mentioned many more times) this is a game that shows best all the charms of old school hardcore gaming. The gameplay is almost perfect,the graphics transfer very well a time from which this game draws inspiration and,most importantly THE DIFFICULTY IS RIGHT.
  13. KouDy
    Sep 17, 2013
    9
    Once again indie market shows the way by reminding us how good old times were. Great revival of the hard platformer genre. This game absolutely delivers what it promises.
    Great graphics and animations. Very well done music.
    Downsides are weird default controls. Stick up attack in the middle of double jump to deliver the spear where you need it is really weird combo. Thankfully this    Once again indie market shows the way by reminding us how good old times were. Great revival of the hard platformer genre. This game absolutely delivers what it promises.
    Great graphics and animations. Very well done music.

    Downsides are weird default controls. Stick up attack in the middle of double jump to deliver the spear where you need it is really weird combo. Thankfully this can be changed in options. For some disadvantage might the save system so definitely worth of mentioning.
    Overall very well executed game that deserves your attention if you are into this genre.    … Expand
  14. Rafael_N
    Sep 22, 2013
    10
    First of all, this game is not for everyone. It's for real gamers,the ones from the the old-school era of gaming, back in the 80s and 90s. Volgarr the Viking is a (very) hardcore action platformer game, and the only "saving" option here is the ability and skill you get each time you play the game. Every time you play it again you will go further, because you are learning how to play it.First of all, this game is not for everyone. It's for real gamers,the ones from the the old-school era of gaming, back in the 80s and 90s. Volgarr the Viking is a (very) hardcore action platformer game, and the only "saving" option here is the ability and skill you get each time you play the game. Every time you play it again you will go further, because you are learning how to play it. This game mechanics is hardly seen nowadays unfortunately, it reminds me of many games, like: Ghost n Goblins, Castlevania and even a bit of Zelda II Adventure of Link. The game has 3 different endings, each one harder to get than the other; leaderboards to compare your score with all players in the world, and trust me, a lot a fun packed. Volgarr is the kind of game that if you dedicate yourself to master it, it will reward you with many satisfying moments. Go for it if you like a good challenge! For the kind of game that Volgarr the viking is, and the kind of game that Volgarr the Viking clearly always intended to be, it deserves a 10 out of 10.… Expand
  15. Ywrik
    Sep 16, 2013
    10
    Wow This game is Ghosts'n Goblins of 21th century What else could I say Oh, yes imagine Dark souls in 2D...prepare to die, often and without bonfires, but master your moves, time it right and you will be rewarded by great feeling of empowerment. Love it. Solid Ten, period.
  16. I7aTP0H
    Sep 17, 2013
    3
    Are you serious? This game is only hardcore, because it has bad controls, bad level design and respawning enemies. I'm a fan of retro games, in fact, I still have a working NES and play it from time to time. But Volgarr has nothing to do with good hardcore retro games.
  17. cimerians
    Sep 14, 2013
    6
    A Rastan clone and just as hard. In fact this would have been a perfect game for gaming today if the devs were a little more forgiving with placing more check points and at the very least showing you how much health you have left. As it is you have no idea how low you are in health and if you have been sweating through a long level and die, be prepared to start all over again. Again andA Rastan clone and just as hard. In fact this would have been a perfect game for gaming today if the devs were a little more forgiving with placing more check points and at the very least showing you how much health you have left. As it is you have no idea how low you are in health and if you have been sweating through a long level and die, be prepared to start all over again. Again and again and again aka Mega Man style. Those who love a challenge will love it everyone else be aware before plunking down your money on this as it will test your patience. Either way be prepared for repetition and frustration.… Expand
  18. AAKN
    Oct 13, 2013
    7
    Game Play[9]
    Controls[3]
    Contactable/Easter Eggs[9]
    Innovation[4]
    Graphics[6]
    Sounds[3]
    replay Value[10]
    Gaming Satisfaction[10]
    Price/Playtime[10]
    Technical Issues[6]
    ------------------------------------
    Over All[7.0]
  19. Steamers
    Sep 16, 2013
    3
    Volgarr the Viking is love letter to Rastan- Taito's 1987's classic arcade platformer. Know for its quarter gobbling difficulty, tight controls, and Conan vibe, Rastan was a standard in many arcades during the late 80's and early 90's. Crazy Viking Studios uses Rastan as a template and runs with it. Even this first half of the intro stage is lifted directly from Rastan and features thatVolgarr the Viking is love letter to Rastan- Taito's 1987's classic arcade platformer. Know for its quarter gobbling difficulty, tight controls, and Conan vibe, Rastan was a standard in many arcades during the late 80's and early 90's. Crazy Viking Studios uses Rastan as a template and runs with it. Even this first half of the intro stage is lifted directly from Rastan and features that well-worn breakable floor into a power up room. Many of stages are well designed with some intelligent enemy placement. The spear's use as a platform is well implemented and quite fun and its use leads to some "puzzle-like" stage solutions.

    However, much like Rastan, its difficulty comes from its unforgiving, arcade era, tactics, limited chances, large volumes of enemies, and punishing the player for losing. Like Rastan, much of the game relies on rote recollection. As advertised, you will die, only because you need to die in order to network what the stage is and what to expect. Some traps and off-screen enemy placement need foresight to properly deal with. Without such foresight, prepare to lose a power up or die. But next time you know better and the challenge is circumvented with the required placement or spear throw. It is like your are scouting ahead to assess the level than beat it. It is here that Volgarr derives its paper-thin challenge. Volgarr is not a difficult game, it is a punishing one that relies on memorization. There is no saving function- so if you exit the game all progress is lost. If you lose all your money, you're done and you have to restart. The game must be finished in one sitting. It is here that the game plays you rather than you playing the game.

    One of my biggest gripes with the game is that it will never capture the taste of Rastan. Rastan was a difficult game, unfairly at some points. But it had variety in both weapons and enemies- something that Volgarr has slim pickings on. (Like Lizardmen? Good, that's all you'll see most of the time.) But it was also social. This was the game you crowded around the cabinet to show off, dare others to play, learn from your buddies, josh with each other, and even meet new kids who thought they could take on this behemoth of a game. That was THE arcade experience. In 2013 as a PC exclusive, chances are you're playing this game by yourself. Without the encouragement, putdowns, and so on, the game just feels like doing your taxes. You can get bored, start to yawn, and just want to do something else, even if you're doing well.

    This is the kind of game for people who like to memorize a challenge. Something that you can be sure to recall 10, 20, 30 years from now. You want it so that your fingers have muscle memory associated with a game. If you like the sound of that, Volgarr is waiting to download into your brain. If you're looking for the arcade experience, go to an arcade with your buddies.    … Expand
  20. LordZed
    May 30, 2014
    9
    Anyone giving this a negative review simply had no idea what they were buying. The Game does exactly what it should: It has amazingly tight controls, A+ level design, and great pixel art. It's also one of the fairest designed platformers I've played. If you get hit it's your own fault 99% of the time, not the clunky controls or unfair traps. A perfectly designed, but super hard,Anyone giving this a negative review simply had no idea what they were buying. The Game does exactly what it should: It has amazingly tight controls, A+ level design, and great pixel art. It's also one of the fairest designed platformers I've played. If you get hit it's your own fault 99% of the time, not the clunky controls or unfair traps. A perfectly designed, but super hard, puzzle/action/platforming game. Just be prepared to die. A lot.… Expand
  21. bananagrams
    Sep 15, 2013
    4
    Fun for only 10 minutes. The levels/monsters are not randomized, meaning every time you die you have to fight the exact same enemies in the exact same place on the exact same platform as you did the last 15 times you died. I don't mind dying often in a difficult game, but I found myself making mistakes because I simply was bored of the level and trying to rush back to where I diedFun for only 10 minutes. The levels/monsters are not randomized, meaning every time you die you have to fight the exact same enemies in the exact same place on the exact same platform as you did the last 15 times you died. I don't mind dying often in a difficult game, but I found myself making mistakes because I simply was bored of the level and trying to rush back to where I died (checkpoints are far apart, but not in a rewarding way). Rogue Legacy does everything this game tried to do and is far more rewarding while still being quite difficult.… Expand
  22. jim109109
    Oct 4, 2013
    7
    Volgarr is a game I'll be playing for quite a while. After 5 hours I've only gotten past 3 stages. It's good to finally have a real challenge. It's a shame Volgarr wasn't released in the SNES era or it would have been a classic.
  23. Hckngrtfakt
    Dec 10, 2013
    10
    This game plays great homage to those 80's-90's platforming games we all grew up loving.
    If you loved QuackShot, Castle of Illusion, and/or Joe and Mac, then this game is perfect for you.
  24. NeV3rKilL
    Oct 5, 2013
    10
    A classic game. Drinks from Ghost&Gouls, Castlevania, etc.

    Lack of check points and a lot of fun. If you ar looking a good old platform game, Volgarr is your Viking.
  25. CokinandJokin
    Nov 8, 2013
    10
    What's the matter little baby? Are you crying because there is no 'easy' setting? Do you want a mid-level save feature? How about a cookie and a hug? OR HOW ABOUT YOU PUT ON YOUR DANG BERZERKER PANTS AND GET CRAZY LIKE A VIKING WARRIOR IN A 16-BIT BLOODLUST.

    Tight mechanics, large variety of enemies requiring different strategies, bosses are HAM, excellent music and BRUTAL difficulty.    What's the matter little baby? Are you crying because there is no 'easy' setting? Do you want a mid-level save feature? How about a cookie and a hug? OR HOW ABOUT YOU PUT ON YOUR DANG BERZERKER PANTS AND GET CRAZY LIKE A VIKING WARRIOR IN A 16-BIT BLOODLUST.

    Tight mechanics, large variety of enemies requiring different strategies, bosses are HAM, excellent music and BRUTAL difficulty. This game is a win all the way.    … Expand
  26. Alexandr5678
    Oct 5, 2013
    10
    This game is Amazing!!! This game is really old school, no saves, no downloads, during the 8-bit how it was done, and the tech who is afraid of this game, do not complain about the complexity
  27. Wallhalla
    Apr 1, 2016
    10
    Volgarr the Viking is an amazing action platformer that I absolutely enjoy and love, sure it's a bit hard but with patience and training it's actually not as difficult as people make it seem. It has a lot of content, great design and it's AWESOME! It's a must buy.
  28. DanBenevenuto
    Dec 11, 2018
    7
    This game is one of the most difficult games ever. It has great mechanics and is a typical 2d adventure game, you have to finish the stage, but, without save points, if you die you will back to the beginning. The art is beautiful, Volgarr looks like a badass angry viking.
  29. marto
    Aug 15, 2017
    7
    Nice graphics, sound and gameplay. Stylish.
    However, I quit at the boss of world 2. Having to memorize each and every move of a boss so far away from the last checkpoint is not my idea of entertainment. Learning each next move with each death... sorry, as I am approaching 40 I can't afford to waste my time like this.
    Then I played some more and killed the mofo. And the next one. Maybe    Nice graphics, sound and gameplay. Stylish.
    However, I quit at the boss of world 2. Having to memorize each and every move of a boss so far away from the last checkpoint is not my idea of entertainment. Learning each next move with each death... sorry, as I am approaching 40 I can't afford to waste my time like this.

    Then I played some more and killed the mofo. And the next one. Maybe it's not that bad :)    … Expand
  30. slider1983
    Oct 30, 2019
    6
    Many centuries ago an evil and greedy dwarf named Fáfnir looted treasure across the land. His greed eventually transformed him into a deadly dragon. The god Odin came to discover that Fáfnir was constructing a magical fortress along Midgard to increase his power on the world. Powerless to do anything himself Odin sees a lone Viking dying in battle. His name is Völgarr. Always determined toMany centuries ago an evil and greedy dwarf named Fáfnir looted treasure across the land. His greed eventually transformed him into a deadly dragon. The god Odin came to discover that Fáfnir was constructing a magical fortress along Midgard to increase his power on the world. Powerless to do anything himself Odin sees a lone Viking dying in battle. His name is Völgarr. Always determined to fight to death Völgarr died among overwhelming numbers. Odin brings the Viking back to life with a new mission: destroy Fáfnir as well as his power once and for all. Völgarr is mankind’s last hope. As Völgarr journey across the lands of Midgard slaying enemies and reaching Fáfnir to deliver the final blow. Victory could mean Völgarr the Viking gets to keep his second life; if not Völgarr will stay dead and Midgard with be completely controlled by evil!

    Kickstarter projects aren’t known to entirely succeed and suffice to say a lot with grand ambitions have failed. Völgarr the Viking (2013) by Crazy Viking Studios was an attempt by the developers to recapture the coin-op difficulty and fun of 1980s fantasy arcade games like Ghosts n’ Goblins (1985) and Rastan (1987). The Kickstarter campaign was obviously a success although like many campaigns took a number of years before it reached completion. The results met with good reviews although for me personally the high difficulty while working in the arcades has no place on the home console. As detailed above the aim of Völgarr is to go through five or six worlds killing enemies, collecting treasure (simply for high score points) and then kill the boss at the end. After each level is completed you enter a hub world where your treasure is totalled up and you gain access to the next level. It’s straightforward. You fight with a sword although a power up can be collected to turn it into…a flaming sword! You can also upgrade your shield and give yourself an extra hit by eventually collecting a helmet. There are three different endings to get based on a path of difficulty with Path of the Crystal (Ending C) being the easiest and Path of the Valkyrie (Ending A) being the hardest. To get on the second path requires making sure you don’t lose all your armour (like in Ghosts n’ Goblins) and collect a spirit. Actually to get Ending A requires a single play through without any restarts which with this game’s difficulty feels mostly impossible.

    The graphics and music truly capture those old fantasy arcade games. You feel like you’re playing through a more violent Saturday morning fantasy cartoon series. Conan the Adventurer (1992-1993) is what Völgarr reminded me of. You fight knights, lizard men, zombies, ghosts, various fish enemies, etc. The atmosphere is amazing. In terms of extras you have a good number of achievements to obtain but you can also (at least on Steam) upload your scores to the online server. Völgarr even allows players to setup speedruns through the game’s menu although I’m not sure why people would want to punish themselves with the high difficulty of this game. It’s fair to say that Crazy Viking Studios did a great job of replicating the instant death and hard as nails difficulty of those original 80s arcade games, perhaps too great a job as simple steps into Midgard more times than not end up straight into death. There is no lifebar, without protection one hit kills. Whether it’s respawning enemies (no excuse for this in 2019), falling into spiked pits, getting caught in level traps or slowly having your health depleted Arthur style by enemies pouncing on you there certainly is no shortage of ways to get your character killed. A lot of these things I mentioned are outdated mechanics that should have been left back in the 80s and really have no place in modern gaming. Some hardcore fans may protest this is a ‘proper’ game difficulty although my take on it is if today you want to artificially extend the life of a game you add more achievements, not extra ways to kill the player. This is coming from someone who despises most modern gaming as well.

    The main problem with Völgarr the Viking is that it’s too hard for its own good. It means that the sheer frustration of being killed yet again not only puts you off continuing to play but it also means you aren’t allowed to see the rest of this superbly animated game. In trying to match the difficulty of 1980s arcade games (which were designed to eat credits) you end up with an unnecessarily difficult game that seems to punish your every first new step rather than encouraging continuation and that’s a real shame. Perhaps some things should be left in the arcade?    … Expand
  31. sitebender
    Dec 4, 2019
    6
    Still every bit as stiff and brutal as it's ever been. I like the game, I've completed the PC version, it's just every level takes around an hour to get good enough to complete it when there are two halves to each level with a boss at the end and the only checkpoints are when those stages start. You're not seeing a lot, you're just memorizing everything to be good enough to make it. I'dStill every bit as stiff and brutal as it's ever been. I like the game, I've completed the PC version, it's just every level takes around an hour to get good enough to complete it when there are two halves to each level with a boss at the end and the only checkpoints are when those stages start. You're not seeing a lot, you're just memorizing everything to be good enough to make it. I'd like it a lot more if it were easier or there was more to see.… Expand
  32. Shimmeywill
    Mar 3, 2020
    6
    A fun enough retro game experience. Not the most noteworthy or stand out title though.
  33. Jojogonpa
    Apr 12, 2021
    5
    Un bon gameplay, de bon graphismes et thème, mais bordel que le jeu est trop dur pour rien... trop punitif et pas assez de marge de manoeuvre... une déception
  34. BrutalPlayer
    May 12, 2022
    10
    Killing Fafnir was satisfying. Overall game was like... one mistake and you are screwed. But game was overall the most fair game I played. Patterns were mostly easy to learn. The only problem I had was with this fish boss.
  35. Simsto1
    Jul 5, 2023
    8
    Great game, prepare to die with safes being atleast half an hour away. Once you finally get the hang of it it's worth it though

Awards & Rankings

87
#87 Most Shared PC Game of 2013

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
76

Generally favorable reviews - based on 9 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 9
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 9
  3. Negative: 0 out of 9
  1. Pelit (Finland)
    May 11, 2014
    77
    Völgarr the Viking is challenging, which is nice, but there are too few checkpoints. Repetition is never, ever fun. [Feb 2014]
  2. Vandal
    Nov 25, 2013
    80
    If you miss those old-school games where beating just a stage was already an achievement, where you'll die if you don't pay all the attention it deserves, this is the experience you're looking for.
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  3. CD-Action
    Nov 14, 2013
    70
    The difficulty level of this platformer/brawler is very demanding but fair, so when you grasp what it’s all about you’ll probably start to enjoy this red hot metal rod stuck in your... eye. [12/2013, p.65]
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