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The new weapons don't drastically alter the feel of Nidhogg 2, but their subtle changes add much needed variance to the spartan jousting series. In one particularly preposterous duel, I shot an arrow, had my opponent deflect it, then shot another arrow that sent the first on back to its original target. Bows in particular really shake things up and arrows can be deflected back at to their source. Where the first game limited players to a single variant of sword, we now have slower but bigger broadswords that swing in a wider arch, short daggers that make up for their limited range by their ability to slice at swift speeds, and bow & arrows that offer unlimited long-range attacks at the expense of being slow to load. Outside of the drastic aesthetic change, Nidhogg 2's main addition is that of three new weapons. Nidhogg 2's soundtrack joins the ranks of Hotline Miami's as a surprisingly eclectic club mix. Each arena has a vastly different vibe with a wide variety of musical scores ranging from horrifying, to enchanting, to straight up danceable.

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Where the first Nidhogg was all pristine medieval arenas, this sequel expands the series breadth to shimmering rainbow stages in the sky, gruesome slaughterhouses, and the suffocating wetlands of a Viking sewer system. Other times it's purely a mood setting variant. Some add new obstacles that vary the flow of combat, be it a conveyer belt of hardened lava, claustrophobic tunnel, or tall grass obscuring both players' field of view. The new environments are also far more varied than that of the first Nidhogg, both aesthetically and practically. It's an amusingly anticlimactic end to each battle, when the victor is eaten, and the beast itself has never looked more laughably indifferent. In fact, the whole point of the Nidhogg's combatants is that they wish to be consumed by a god-like snake (that's the Nidhogg!) to arrive in Valhalla.

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These Silly Putty swordsmen (and swordswomen) exacerbate the ridiculous qualities of this gruesome sport, full of spectacular stunts and ultra violence galore. The gooey, bug-eyed combatants express their horror of being slain in the sort of comically exaggerated way that made Bart Simpson guffaw at many an Itchy & Scratchy episode. The shift from glamorous to gross is downright upsetting at a glance, but this initial impression melts away after a few rounds when you realise this garish aesthetic accentuates the game's goofy humour. Initially it's a shock, and not necessarily a pleasant one. It's better to run the opposite way so you'll respawn in their way quicker.

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Pro tip: Don't chase the player in the lead. Gone are the striking evocative 8-bit neon backdrops of old, and instead we're given excessively detailed, and often disgusting, animated environments that wouldn't feel out of place in a Ren and Stimpy episode. The most noticeable change this time around is the aesthetic, eschewing the first Nidhogg's classy pixelated sprites in favour of garish multicolored monstrosities that look like stretchy Play-Doh molds. This sequel doesn't reinvent the wheel but it does add further depth and flavour to its predecessor's winning premise in a delightful, if inessential, way.

Messhof aced the basics, but had more to offer.Įnter Nidhogg 2. Lead developer Mark Essen spent three years refining Nidhogg's systems, so it would be a shame to simply let them run their course in a single cult hit.

Nidhogg wasn't lacking in complexity, but it was in variety and scope. For some, however, it was too bare bones. It was a beautiful ballet of blades and brawn, distilled into a scant four maps. Barring that, there was always the option to viciously rip your opponent to pieces with your bare hands. Based on timing, positioning and momentum, you could slide into foes, dive kick, stab, parry, disarm, deflect, and toss your sword. Ludicrously simple on its surface, the depth came from a multitude of context-sensitive movesets. Messhof's two-player competitive fencing game shaved the one vs one fighting game to its core with only two buttons (jump and attack) and a single game mode wherein each player ran towards their goal on opposite ends of a seven-stage scrolling arena. The original Nidhogg was a great example of minimalist elegance. It's not revolutionary, but it's the best Nidhogg has ever been. An already sterling fighter gets a new coat of paint and a few new tricks.

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