Volgarr the Viking II Review (Switch eShop)

Since the release of Volgar the Viking in 2013, fans have been itching for a full sequel to the Rastan-inspired action platformer for over a decade at this point. Now the time has finally arrived. Thanks to a partnership between developer Crazy Viking Studios and retro specialist Digital Eclipse, we can step back into the boots of Volgarr as he embarks on a quest that will prove more deadly than any he’s faced. The result is a game that, frankly, feels improved in just about every conceivable way, making Volgarr the Viking II not only one of the best 2D action platformers on Switch, but one of the best of all time.

Let’s start with the obvious: Volgarr II is brutal. There have been several adjustments made to make the game more approachable to newcomers, which we’ll get into in more detail later, but you should know that this isn’t for the faint of heart. You will die in Volgarr II, and you will die a lot. Like the original, getting through each stage is an exercise in learning the layout, anticipating every enemy position, and observing their attack patterns and weaknesses. When entering each new area for the first time, attempting to storm through as quickly as you can is simply not an option; you can be sure that there will be something lying in wait to bring your journey to a swift and bloody end.

Veterans of the original will find themselves at a slight advantage since the gameplay remains relatively unchanged; why fix what isn’t broken, right? Volgarr walks at a brisk pace, can double-jump to reach greater heights, and can throw spears into walls to use as makeshift platforms. Your basic sword swing is adequate for dealing with most enemies, but utilising this with your other moves is crucial to progressing through some of the game’s more challenging segments. There’s nothing quite like jumping up, throwing a spear into a Draugr, and somersaulting to take out a foe below you with an arching sword swing before throwing a spear again to wipe out a third hapless fool - all before landing. Glorious stuff.

Unfortunately, Volgarr isn’t the most resilient of warriors and, in his basic form, just one hit that isn’t blocked by his shield is enough to tear the flesh from his bones and send him back to the last checkpoint. Like the original, however, handy upgrades can be obtained by breaking open chests littered throughout the stages. There are more of them this time, and each grants you an additional hit point to ward off your inevitable demise. In order, you’ve got boots, a flaming sword, a belt, and a helmet. The fire sword is particularly useful since it effectively doubles your attack damage; some of the bigger enemies, like the officially named ‘Chonky Chad’, require four or more strikes before dying, so halving this will make your task much more manageable.

One of the biggest changes in Volgarr II comes with the new checkpoint and continue system. Yes, you’ve got checkpoints now, which are a true blessing if you’re new to the game and need a helping hand. Veterans, meanwhile, can give themselves an extra challenge and destroy the checkpoints Shovel Knight-style to gain treasure and bonus lives. Additionally, in the original, you could die as many times as you like and not worry about being penalised (unless you take on the Path of the Valkyrie levels). This time, however, Volgarr now has finite lives, and if you run out, you’ll be given the option to either continue or quit out to the main menu. Choosing the former puts you right back to the start of the level (or the mid-point if you happen to reach it), but it also comes at a great cost.

Every continue used will rob Volgarr of a piece of his soul. This isn’t immediately noticeable at first, but you’ll come to realise that Volgarr becomes more and more pale with each continuation. Soon enough, his skin will be completely green and his hair will be purple; you’ve now entered ‘Undead Mode’. This is the game essentially acknowledging that you’ve died quite a lot and need a bit of help; you won’t take any damage while playing in ‘Undead Mode’ unless you fall down a pit or into a pool of slime, so you can proceed through each level quite safely, and it’s genuinely a great way to learn what’s coming up without fear of death.

Now, the real kicker to this is that there’s no way to reverse it. You’re stuck like that unless you decide to delete your save and start from scratch. See, this is where the multiple endings come into play. Completing Volgarr II in ‘Undead Mode’ will give you the worst ending, and which conclusion you receive is entirely dependent on how well you play. To get the best ending, you need to be exceptionally good at the game and die as few times as possible. Yikes.

It honestly took us a bit of time to come around to the idea of the ‘Undead Mode’; once we realised it was irreversible, it almost felt like an insult to our skills. 'Screw you, game,' we thought before promptly deleting the save file to start again. It’s only when we re-entered ‘Undead Mode’ for the third time that we realised it might be best to just embrace the help and use it to better ourselves and learn the levels properly. It's an inspired idea that, to our knowledge, hasn't been implemented quite this way in another game, but we suspect we'll be seeing a lot of copycats in the years to come. There is also a ‘Practice Mode’ available via the main menu that will let you replay each individual level as many times as you like once you’ve beaten them at least once. So if your preference is to just start from scratch and keep inching forward bit by bit without dying, you can do that.

That’s the beauty of Volgarr II. It’s not a game that’s designed to be beaten in one go. Gradually improving to the point where you can get through a single level without perishing is the whole point of the experience. It’s not here to hold your hand, and every success will be followed by failure just a short while later. For some, this will sound like a total nightmare, but the immense feeling of satisfaction when you finally manage to ace a level in one go is simply unmatched. In short, if you’re someone who relishes a challenge and yearns for the days when games made you work for your reward, then you’ll be in heaven (and once you’ve improved enough, you can toggle a speedrun timer to really test your nerve).

Graphically, the game has been improved drastically. It will still look familiar if you’ve played the original, but the environments and character design have been given a huge revamp. Levels range from snowy, Nordic mountainous regions to the very depths of hell itself, and this is conveyed with stunning pixel art that bursts with colour. You can adjust the visuals ever so slightly via the main menu, too, with a scaling filter offering ‘sharp bilinear’ or ‘point’. The former gives a subtle smoothing effect, and it looks nice, but we opted for the latter for a much cleaner, sharper image. It looks wonderful on the big screen.

The only issue we have with the visuals — and it's a small one, mind — is the UI. As you can see in the screenshots, you’re shown how many lives Volgarr has left along with which upgrades you’ve obtained in your journey. It’s great that it’s there, and we wouldn’t want it removed entirely, but it’s a touch too large and central for our liking. Shrinking it down slightly, or moving it further into the corner would be ideal. It’s not overly intrusive, but every time we look at it, we can’t help but think, 'Hmm, bit too big.' Maybe this can be tweaked in a patch.

Perhaps the most significant aesthetic improvement, however, comes with the music. Each orchestrated track is simply sublime, giving your journey through each stage a huge sense of purpose; like you’re on the way to Mordor to toss the One Ring into the fires of Mount Doom itself. It’s epic stuff, and frankly, the first game pales in comparison. We’ve been replaying every major theme in our minds ever since picking up the game, and honestly, if Crazy Viking Studios decides to release an official soundtrack, it would give our gym sessions a much-needed kick up the backside.

The last thing we'll mention is that load times in Volgarr II are snappy. Considering how often you'll die, quit out to the menu, and start a new game, we really appreciate how seamless it feels. We actually timed it to make sure our judgement wasn't being clouded by the wonderful gameplay; quitting a game and loading up a new one takes less than five seconds.