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Welcome to our regular gameplay impressions and video post where we record our first 10-30 minutes with a new game, and provide some general impressions on that early playthrough. Today’s game is: Nidhogg from developer Messhof.
Nidhogg is, on the surface, a very simple game. It pits two players up against each other, puts swords in their 8-bit hands, and asks them to fight. What happens after that, however, is pure chaos…in the best way possible.
Beyond the extremely satisfying act of eviscerating one's opposition, and sending their orange or yellow-colored blood sky high, Nidhogg adds a secondary goal of moving across a few screens in order to win, and in turn be sacrificed to the nidhogg. So while one player might have the upper hand for the majority of the match, that momentum can shift in a heartbeat. What results when all those moving parts come together is an extremely tense experience that's easy to learn but hard to master.
Unfortunately, our experience with Nidhogg wasn't entirely perfect. In fact, we encountered a few problems while playing in the game's online multiplayer. As you can see in the video above, whoever is the host of the Nidhogg match gains a significant advantage over their opponent, to the point the game becomes almost unplayable. Local multiplayer is flawless, and a ton of fun, but the online might need some work if this wasn't just some internet connection issue (watch Rob's perspective of the battle here).
Moreover, there isn't much variety beyond Nidhogg's four multiplayer arenas and its tournament modifiers (called variants). That makes it a great party game for trading controllers and switching opponents, but those who want a deep multiplayer experience might be disappointed.
What Nidhogg does offer, however, is a well-designed and unique multiplayer experience that is fast-paced in the best way possible. It might seem simple, but oftentimes that's what makes for some of the most enjoyable games, especially when shared with a group of friends. Nidhogg is a little off-kilter, but it's a whole lot of fun — a colorful, psychedelic-charged brawler with a great soundtrack.
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Have you had a chance to check out Nidhogg? What do you think of the game? Let us know in the comments below.
Nidhogg is available on Steam for $14.99.