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. 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.
  2. 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
  3. 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.
  4. 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
  5. 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

Awards & Rankings

87
#87 Most Shared PC Game of 2013

Critic Reviews

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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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