an oddysee about a strange-looking creature named Abe, there was an
action/adventure game about strange-looking Vikings. What these games have in
common (other than their likable oddness) is that they were both strategy
games. Not strategy games in the vein of Command & Conquer or Final Fantasy
Tactics. But a strategy game that featured more than one playable character,
all of which were necessary in order to complete various puzzles.
In The Lost Viking’s case,
the three playable characters are all equally necessary. Each Viking has a
limited number of moves, and thus needs the aid of others to pass each stage.
Erik the Swift runs and jumps. That’s pretty much all he can do. Each of the
three Vikings has a special move, but Erik’s is pretty much a puzzle-solver:
while running, he can smash his head into walls. If the wall is breakable,
Erik’s thick skull will crack it hard enough to bring the whole thing down,
allowing you to pass the area. His jumping abilities are an integral part of
every level, since there are many platforms and various terrain types that
can’t be reached by the other characters.
Olaf the Stout is short
and…big-boned. This 320-pound Viking is the biggest of them all. He’s also
the slowest and least mobile of the bunch. He does, however, carry a handy
shield that enables him to do three helpful things: block most enemy attacks,
help Erik reach high areas and, perhaps the strangest of them all, the shield
is strong enough to use as a floating device. The first use is a no-brainer:
what good would a shield be if it couldn’t block laser blasts and other
projectiles? The shield’s second and third functions are unlocked when Olaf
holds the shield over his head. Erik can use the shield as a platform and
then jump to areas that were too high to reach otherwise. Lastly, the shield
acts as a parachute when falling, making it possible to glide over to
platforms that have important, hard-to-reach items and avoid dangerous traps
that, if fallen into, will immediately put an end to the game.
Baleog the Fierce is the
last Viking. His abilities are more attack-oriented than Erik and Olaf,
making him the only character who is able to battle every foe. His primary
and secondary attacks are sword-swiping and bow-shooting, respectively. His
sword isn’t overly effective, especially when battling feisty enemies who
retaliate quickly. But the bow and arrow isn’t always the best weapon
either. Still, they’re both pretty effective, especially when combined with
Olaf’s shield. Arrows are unlimited, but there are special fire arrows that
can kill an enemy in just one hit. Those arrows are pretty scarce, so it’s
not wise to use them on the first enemy that appears after obtaining some.
Combined, these Vikings
make for an interesting, entertaining and at times frustrating experience.
The gameplay is very strategic. It’s extremely important to use and pay close
attention to all three of the Vikings. You’ll be tempted to leave one or two
behind every now and then, but then you’ll get stumped and realize that the
others are necessary to finish the stage. This is cool, but at the same time
very cheap. Because all three Vikings are important, if one dies, it’s like
they all die. Therefore, the only thing to do after the death of one Viking
is to restart the stage. You can restart as much as you want, but that
doesn’t make it any easier to deal with.
The game throws a series
of puzzles at you in every stage. Some are repeated, the most common being a
situation in which an area is impossible to pass thanks to the annoying
laser-shooting enemy that’s blocking the way. You could use Baleog and go
down fighting (and trust me, you would almost definitely go down — even if
you shoot the enemy enough times to kill it, you will get shot along the way,
usually twice. Three shots and the game is over). Erik could run past or
jump over the enemy, but what about the rest of the Vikings? The only way to
successfully pass the area is to have Olaf pull out his shield and stand in
front of the enemy. Switch to the other Vikings, and while Olaf is blocking
attacks, exit the area. Then carefully time the laser blasts, and right after
one has been shot and blocked, have Olaf run to safety. (If he’s running and
a shot is fired, he will be hit. Keep that in mind.)
This extreme difficulty
could be looked at as great way to challenge gamers that are bored with the
usual selection of Mario clones. Or it could be looked at as something that
will drive you nuts more than it will give you satisfaction. Both are true to
some degree. I can’t complain too much about the challenge, but the fun ends
whenever I get to the end of a level and die fives times in a row just because
I made one teeny, tiny mistake. And it’s always at the same point, too. An
overbearing enemy attacks Erik, who has no way of defending himself. He
instantly dies, and the other Vikings are screwed. The other Vikings can’t
come and help either, since Erik must hit a switch or something to pave the
way for the others to come!
Unlike most frustrating
games, however, The Lost Vikings’ frustration factor diminishes shortly after
you quit playing. No one wants to play a game that becomes fun again after
they stop playing it, but that is the case here. I found myself going back to
the game an hour after turning it off and saying, "That’s it, I quit! I can’t
take this anymore!" Its unique, strangely appealing gameplay style is
secretly addictive. It’s a secret because you won’t realize you’re addicted
to it until after you’ve quit and come back to it a few times. This game
isn’t for everyone, but surely there are a lot of players out there who love
different kinds of games, and will appreciate the unique experience that’s
found within this SNES classic.
Gameplay: 8.3
No
item-collecting (aside from keys and health power-ups). No jumping on enemies
to defeat them. And no Mario clichés will be found in The Lost Vikings. This
game is all about strategic team-playing. It could have easily been turned
into a multiplayer game of some kind, where three players work together to
solve the puzzles simultaneously. Instead, it’s up to one player to solve
everything by frequently switching between three characters. It’s a lot
slower and much more frustrating than most action/adventure games, but
addictive enough to keep you playing till the end.
Graphics: 6
Was this how The
Lost Vikings looked on the SNES? I can’t say for sure since I haven’t played
that version. Either way, these graphics are really, really dated. This may
be a port, but it could have looked so much better.
Sound: 6
Difficulty: Medium/Hard
If it weren’t for
the death rate, which is extremely high, The Lost Vikings wouldn’t be so
difficult. It’d still be challenging though, since it requires a lot more
brain-power than most action/adventure games.
Concept: 6
The Lost Vikings’
original concept was easily worthy of an 8 or a 9, but that only applies to
the original version, which was released several years ago.
Overall: 7.9
It may not be for
everyone, but The Lost Vikings is definitely worth checking out. It’ll test
your patience, but also proves to be very addictive.
