Review: Volgarr The Viking II (Nintendo Switch)

Volgarr The Viking II is an action platformer for the Nintendo Switch. It features a Viking hero with a penchant for slaying beasts and collecting gold. I’m a sucker for a good platformer, and this one took me pleasantly by surprise, despite a few flaws.

Things start off with an epic recap of the story so far. Although I haven’t played the original Volgarr the Viking, it’s clear that our hero is quite the adventurer, winning favors with the gods and earning himself a place in Asgard. A warrior’s work is never done, though, and Volgarr is sent back to Earth to destroy the latest monstrous attacks upon its people.

The game is divided into five worlds, each composed of two levels and a boss fight. Levels are quite lengthy, with checkpoints along the way to further divide them. The environments vary nicely, from snowy mountains to sea vessels. It looks great, sporting a deliberate 16-bit vibe that harks back to the good ol’ days (a.k.a. the ‘90s).

The mechanics are interesting. In terms of movement, things are kept simple. Volgarr walks and jumps. He also double jumps. I appreciate the slow, deliberate way he leaps, making Volgarr “feel” heavy. He’s a hulking Viking warrior, after all. It makes precision tricky, but part of the fun is navigating the levels with this limited moveset. His weapons are twofold; he hefts a giant sword plus a spear. Limitless spears help balance the difficulty, allowing you to focus on the combat as you push through. Plus, these airborne devices can be used to create stepping stones on walls that are too high to jump over.

There are a few frustrations. The title screen helpfully informs you that there’s an autosave feature. However, when Volgarr perishes, he’s whisked back to the start of the level. I can see the relevant icon blinking throughout the level, but what’s the point? Unless you happen upon a checkpoint—which are few and far between—there’s a fair amount of repetition as you redo each area. 

Volgarr has a life system, indicated by a ring in the top left of the screen. Even though you lose a life when you fall off a cliff or an enemy hits you, you can easily continue from your last “save point” (that’s the beginning of the level or a checkpoint, remember). This means you essentially have unlimited lives. Then at some point, I randomly became a zombie and stopped dying. Let me explain.

Volgarr collects shields from treasure chests to beef up his resistance. I’d love a little more explanation as to how this works, but I enjoy the way his armor and costumes change as you level up. His flaming sword, for example, just looks plain cool. The weird thing is that, in the beginning of the game, one hit equals death. One upgrade gives you an extra hit. Eventually, after many deaths, Volgarr becomes a green-skinned version of himself who is invincible. This is Zombie Volgarr.

At no point does the game explain this to you, though, if I’m being honest, it was a nice change of pace to only be whisked back to the beginning via falling instead of enemy attacks. Those enemies, by the way, come in the form of undead creatures, too. Some rise from the earth, others run at you. There’s a giant exploding troll of some sort. They vary in attacks, sporting shields or jumping. They’re all creepy in the best way possible, fitting the game’s retro aesthetic well.

Thankfully, despite the lack of explanation about some mechanics, hacking and slashing your way through hordes of monsters proves satisfying. I quickly forgot about dying and just enjoyed romping through each level, especially once I was a zombie. It’s a tough outing regardless, and it could use more frequent save points, but is otherwise an enjoyable way to kill a few hours.

Overall, Volgarr The Viking II is a fun, but flawed, platformer. There seems to be a lack of communication in terms of how everything works. It’s also more punishing than I’d like, though the zombie option helps here. I’m OK with a tough game, but things could benefit from difficulty options or a better restart system.