Simple and direct, yes, but also fun like few others. Nidhogg 2’s wacky sword duels are coming to Nintendo Switch so that, whether on TV or in handheld mode, you can enjoy their 2D action with friends. Nidhogg analysis 2.
Dueling with swords is an art, a noble, elegant, to some extent beautiful fight … unless you decide otherwise; that in the face of that spirit of justice and respect for the adversary the most vile and creeping combat prevails. In both cases the objective is the same, to end the life of the other, but certainly the second option, to go all out no matter how scoundrel we are, is the most fun of all. Just one of the reasons that made Nidhogg such a popular video game for action fans. He was simple in the extreme, and yet it was almost impossible not to have fun with his crazy fencing duels. Flying kicks, low blows, lunges from behind, and yes! Also the option to throw your weapon at the opponent to cruelly skewer him … or to remain defenseless, with only your fists, trying to survive his revenge. Fast, direct and brutally addictive, such has been the success achieved by this work from the independent studio Messhoff that, it was a matter of time, it received a sequel that, like so many other titles, now premieres on Nintendo Switch .
The essence is exactly the same, nothing changes! Except for the possibility of using a greater variety of weapons with subtle differences that force us to adopt different combat strategies depending, also, on the weapon that the rival carries in his hands. Nothing particularly complex, it is true, but enough to make the battles more fun and crazy than the original video game. It has merit. It’s hard not to laugh while you kill and die in this crazy 2D action game whose biggest problem is that it offers short-lived fun . It is undeniable that its combat system, even in spite of its simplicity, it is pure vice; once you start the game you forget everything else, you only think about the doggies with which you can surprise the opposite. But with its alarming lack of novelties and alternative game modes that offer new challenges, this bloody spectacle can become repetitive all too quickly. More if you deny the multiplayer , which in Nidhogg 2 is everything.
Nidhogg 2 launch trailer on Nintendo Switch
I catch you!Sword held high, gazing at the adversary, trying to figure out what his next move will be. Maybe he will run and throw a low blow, or jump in order to surprise us from the rear. You don’t know! And that creates a certain tension. An uncertainty that turns into emotion when you reject a direct lunge to the heart, or slide between the opponent’s legs to evade their attack. There are not many options, in the end it is always the same … and at the same time different. It is the great strength of a video game with which it is difficult not to have fun, especially when the one in front of you is a friend. Don’t be fooled by its apparent simplicity. Although he is committed to direct action and without hesitation, going around throwing lunges without rhyme or reason only leads to defeat. Each movement must be measured well; study the opponent before attacking and,
The portability of Nintendo Switch and the use of the Joy Con is ideal to enjoy your local multiplayerIf you jump and he has his sword raised, say goodbye! You will surely end up skewered, as will happen if you roll on the ground when your enemy has decided to put his weapon at that height. You will not have to do anything! You will end your life yourself. It sounds horrible, it really is, but Nidhogg 2 gets this bloody show.make it a terribly fun experience. In the end, as I said, it is always the same. You run, you face the rival, and you keep going until you reach the end of the level, if not you end up following his steps preventing him from doing the same in the opposite direction. The point is that this is a non-stop; you fight and die while bringing out your worst instincts by screaming, cursing and crying out “victory!” every time you cover your weapon in blood. It engages, excites, amuses and at times, even surprises with genuine combat situations with which it is impossible not to let out an evil laugh. Imagine throwing an enemy into the abyss using a flying kick, or killing them with the arrow they themselves had fired. Pure delight! And in the end, the best description that can be made of the video game.
Killing the opponent with the arrow that he shot himself is an incredible sensation! It’s one of those moments that makes this crazy action game great.
This is a title of reflexes , of responding in a matter of milliseconds to the actions of the opponent, always looking for a way to surprise him with a final blow. There are usually no second chances here. A thrust means death, so you live the action with that fear; with fear of failure that increases when, in a bad move, they disarm you and you find yourself without a sword with which to repel the opponent’s attacks. What a tension, and how exciting Nidhogg 2 can be when it sets out. Too bad it is so lacking in news. The few weapons that it offers know little in a video game that has failed to grow by posing new challenges. Be it a greatsword, knife, bow or foil, there is little change in action. Nor the ten levelsin which the battles take place they offer variables beyond the aesthetic; in one there are traps, in other moving objects that can speed up or slow down the march … but in general, the arenas are quite simple. So after a few hours the moment will come when the game becomes repetitive.
There are ten scenarios in which to fight, all of them very different from each other … artistically, because at the mechanical level, they vary little, and it’s a shame.
It’s always fun to play a game against other players, and having you compete in a tournament against eight people to determine who is the best is fine, but it doesn’t seem like enough. There is a great evolution at the graphic level. From the minimalist style of the original, with that air to the Atari times, it moves to a much more colorful video game with settings full of details and some stick figures as protagonists that, although they do not convince me at the design level, they show a great variety of animations that give the video game a certain spectacularity. But where it matters, at the playable level, Messhof’s team has sinned overly conservative. Not even the campaignsingle player offers nothing really interesting. It is a tutorial that teaches you to use different weapons against increasingly intelligent and tricky enemies … and that’s it. Once surpassed, in about 20 minutes, unless you want to beat your mark and try to complete it in the shortest time possible, you will not find in it a worthy challenge or anything really new. It is a title designed to be enjoyed in multiplayer, better locally, for that reason to see the opposite face, something that makes the portability of Nintendo Switch and the use of the Joy Con easy, but you also have the online options at your fingertips.
“Okay”
Nidhogg II
It’s as fun as expected, but Nidhogg 2 is overly conservative. It changes its image, now it is more attractive, and adds new weapons with which to face other players in exciting sword duels, but the new Messhoff is very short of news. It is one more of the same, really addictive in its multiplayer facet, which offers immediate but also ephemeral fun. They are missing more challenges, new challenges with which to face their crazy action.
- Instant fun. It’s hard not to laugh with their crazy duels
- Its multiplayer, especially the local one, is pure fun
- New weapons and varied scenarios …
- although with few changes at the playable level
- New challenges are missing. It’s a very conservative game
- Its action feels somewhat limited. Alone he loses most of his fun
