And with additional game mechanics on display, including dive-kicking, rolling, reflecting arrows, and many others, there isn’t a single dull moment while playing. Games can be a quick one-and-done affair, or can turn into long, epic battles filled with close calls and crazy comebacks. Thanks to the amount of depth provided by Nidhogg 2’s various systems, no individual game will play out in exactly the same way. For the more competitive players, Nidhogg 2 also has a ranked matchmaking system. Similar to fighting games such as Super Smash Bros., Nidhogg 2, at its core, is a party game meant to be played with close friends, either in quick one-on-one matches or in a longer tournament style.

While those who played the original Nidhogg may find it to be more of the same, for those new to the series, Nidhogg 2’s arcade mode should provide a few hours of frustrating yet nail-bitingly thrilling gameplay.Īlthough the arcade mode is impressive in its own merit, Nidhogg 2’s greatest potential lies in its multiplayer. This rock-paper-scissors mechanic ends up providing a ton of depth and allowing for intense duels filled with epic comebacks. In doing so, Nidhogg 2 creates a pseudo weapon triangle where each weapon has its advantages and disadvantages against another weapon. Each few levels also introduces a new weapon type, giving the player a random chance of getting four different weapons: a rapier, a broadsword, a bow and arrow, and a dagger. However, in the later levels of the 10-stage arcade mode the game gets exponentially more difficult, as the AI becomes more aggressive and obtains new behaviors and play-styles. The game provides the player with only one type of weapon, and completing early levels is simply a matter of positioning the sword at the right elevation to proceed. At first, playing arcade mode was pretty underwhelming and felt rather one-dimensional. The game’s single-player content consists of an arcade mode that pits you against an AI across a variety of different levels. Having never played the first Nidhogg, I wasn’t sure what to expect when I loaded up the game for the first time. Despite a slow-burning campaign and some frustrating difficulty, the game deserves a spot in your library as a top multiplayer fighting game. Doing so rewards players with the rather interesting reward of getting sacrificed to the Nidhogg, the game’s namesake.ĭrawing comparison to simple yet deep fighters like Street Fighter and Super Smash Bros., Nidhogg 2 is a fun and competitive experience that offer hours and hours of fun multiplayer mayhem. These combatants participate in an intense and exhilarating duel, with the goal being to reach the opponent’s final screen. Provided with a handful of different weapons, two opponents face off, either via AI or online. No matter how gaming has evolved over the years, one thing remains constant: people just seem to love beating the stuffing out of one another.ĭeveloped by Messhof Games, Nidhogg 2 brings a unique and interesting tug-of-war approach to the fighting game genre. From Tekken to TowerFall, players around the world compete daily, either on the couch or on an online headset, vying with friends and foes in pursuit of fame and glory. Competitive fighting games seem like all the rage these days.

Nidhogg 1 player