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. 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
  3. youlouz
    Mar 21, 2015
    5
    This game is too frustrating, but fun

    PROS
    -Combat
    -Graphics

    CONS
    -Frustrating
    -Bugs and glitches .
  4. 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
  5. 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]
  6. 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.
  7. 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.
  8. 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
  9. 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
  10. 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
  11. Shimmeywill
    Mar 3, 2020
    6
    A fun enough retro game experience. Not the most noteworthy or stand out title though.
  12. 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

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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