Nidhogg 2

 PlayStation 4
Nidhogg 2 Image
Metascore
73

Mixed or average reviews - based on 24 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
6.0

Mixed or average reviews- based on 19 Ratings

Your Score
0 out of 10
Rate this:
  • 10
  • 9
  • 8
  • 7
  • 6
  • 5
  • 4
  • 3
  • 2
  • 1
  • 0
  • 0
  • Summary: The rules are simple. Reach the other side and kill anyone that stands in your way. Deftly parry and rend their throats, riddle their bowels with arrows, or squish their brains between your toes. The wurm cares not for chivalry.

Trailer

Play Sound
Please enter your birth date to watch this video:
You are not allowed to view this material at this time.
Nidhogg 2 - Teaser Trailer

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 24
  2. Mixed: 12 out of 24
  3. Negative: 1 out of 24
  1. Vgames
    Sep 3, 2017
    86
    Though the simple gameplay needs some polish, the fast-paced battles and the combination of graphics and music can hold as a very successful party game.
  2. Atomix
    Aug 21, 2017
    80
    A pretty good sequel for one of the most fun indie games out there. Fantastic 1 v 1 action.
  3. Game Informer
    Sep 6, 2017
    80
    Though it doesn’t add much for players looking to play around with its improvements solo, Nidhogg 2 adds layers of depth to a simple formula without breaking what made it so appealing in the first place. The new weapons and maneuvers blend seamlessly into fights, making them more dynamic and tense. Its single-player offerings may be paper-thin, but for anyone looking to test themselves against their friends, Nidhogg 2 is hard to beat.
  4. PlayStation LifeStyle
    Aug 16, 2017
    70
    The online play currently ranges from bad to broken, and that’s a huge hit for a game that’s built around playing with friends. The single-player arcade mode isn’t enjoyable to play, and feels thrown in order to fulfill a checklist. It’s simply lacking in areas that’d make it a more appealing party game than the original. There are still flashes of brilliance that remind me why I loved Nidhogg, but the sequel never clicked for me in the same way.
  5. games(TM)
    Oct 6, 2017
    70
    Fast, intense, but flawed. [Issue#192, p.82]
    All this publication's reviews
  6. Everyeye.it
    Aug 21, 2017
    68
    If you leave the nostalgia for the sharp pixels of the old Nidhogg, you can appreciate the depth and variety of the new backdrops, and let yourself be persuaded to handle the new weapons.
  7. GameCritics
    Aug 28, 2017
    45
    While I still respect the concept and gameplay at the core, this superfluous follow-up stretches the definition of what a sequel is, and the majority of what it changes isn’t great. More than anything else, Nidhogg 2 is like someone drawing a mustache on the Mona Lisa with a sharpie – it was perfect the first time, and ‘touching it up’ has only marred that beauty. I’ll be sticking with the original.

See all 24 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 5
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 5
  3. Negative: 0 out of 5
  1. GBG_Jason
    Sep 28, 2017
    10
    Two fighters lock eyes and charge at each other, both wielding their swords with the intent of murdering the other. One stabs low, the otherTwo fighters lock eyes and charge at each other, both wielding their swords with the intent of murdering the other. One stabs low, the other high, and one becomes the victor as the other is disemboweled. As the champion runs, the defeated reappears with a dagger that he lobs, but misses. The sword is thrown in kind and stuck through the combatants head. The victor picks up his sword as he continues on and no sooner has to deflect a bolt that’s quickly shot from a bow, which inadvertently pierces the archer’s heart. It’s here that the winner is crowned with fame after being eaten by the Níðhöggr.

    If you’ve played Nidhogg, you can pretty much expect the same experience from Nidhogg 2. The largest differences are the amount of weapons available, and the graphics. The latter is quite a large jump from the original, which served its purpose well, but you can’t help but love the Sega feel that is brought about in 2 thanks to Toby Dixon. I highly recommend checking out his Tumblr that goes into the design of the game with Plasticine, as many games don’t make use of this animation method anymore. The game features extravagant backgrounds as you pierce your way through each level, running and jumping to safety. The music is also quite varied between the stages, creating a fun sense of ambiance.

    The game offers a few modes, including a single-player arcade, online, local versus (2 players), and local tournaments (3-8). The game has the ability to run indefinitely without a time limit, although it’s there for those that would rather not have the game end in a stalemate. This is almost impossible in the likes of the arcade mode, as the game has certain styles to learn as you play. My first time through the game I beat it in 21 minutes, and there’s a trophy for beating it in 20, which is more than doable once you understand the fundamentals.

    For those that have never played Nidhogg before, the arcade mode is a great place to learn how everything works. There is no tutorial, but the control scheme is hardly difficult. You run, jump, and attack. Attacks are dependent on how you move directionally, so you can be at a low, mid, or high stance. You are also able to throw your weapon, as well as go hand-to-hand or perform a dive kick. You’ll learn what works and what doesn’t while playing against the computer, as the characters more or less showcase the different things you can do with the weapons as you come across them. Some favor high stance, while others are insistent on going for your knees.

    While the arcade is a fun tutorial of sorts, the main focus of this game is the multiplayer. There’s nothing quite like sitting on the couch next to your buddy and yelling at them as they throw a sword and miss as you curb stomp them out of existence, only to have them stab you in the head as soon as they spawn. It brings back the joys of a simpler time, and it’s just as addictive as the old co-op/competitive games you used to play on Nintendo; just a bit more violent.

    There are plenty of strategies to playing this game, namely killing your opponent and running. But there are many intricacies to these, as you’ll learn by playing against others. What works well on one person will undoubtedly have a different result on someone else. In some instances, you may only have to kill them once the entire match and run through the rest of it, jumping over them and dodging their attacks. Others will hunt you down and be expert marksmen forcing you to kill them every time they’re on the screen if you hope to make any progress. Finding what their pattern of play is can be difficult, and almost a form of rock, paper, scissors when dueling. Note that whoever has the last kill controls the screen, and moving off of it as the loser means death.

    In addition to the danger that your opponent brings, the levels also have their own dangers that you must be careful of – many times after winning a duel I ended up falling to my death from rolling to pick up a weapon or just being clumsy. It’s rare that any of these events ever end up in frustration while playing against the computer, but it can mean life or death when going against a human.

    Nidhogg 2 brings what people loved of the first and amplifies it on every level. The game takes the competitive nature of old games and modernizes it, keeping the controls simple but the gameplay addictive. If you never played the first, don’t worry, this is the perfect game to jump into.    … Expand
  2. ramb0_allstar
    Aug 15, 2017
    7
    Nidhogg II is seriously quite the party game. Taking out most if not what seems to be all mechanics and replacing them with just mindless fun.Nidhogg II is seriously quite the party game. Taking out most if not what seems to be all mechanics and replacing them with just mindless fun. Short of gaming rage this game can be a lot of fun with the right people. You play in a no holds barred competition to the other side. Yes the other side, well more like several other sides but the mere point is to run to the the right (if you’re 1st player) or left (if 2nd player) either killing your opponent through a series of randomly chosen weapons from a bow and arrow, dagger, sword, stronger sword, or if all else fails your bare knuckles and feet. Once the point is in your favor all you really have to do is run dodging or killing your opponent as the game places him in front of you in an effort to slow your progress. If you are successful you will get eaten by what appears to be a giant worm (not really sure how that came about as I never played the first one and wasn’t really explained in this one)

    Despite a few instances where it felt like there was no way in hell you were stabbed, shot, sliced or diced the game can provide a mind numbing experience to where you can sit back relax and pass a few hours by without ever thinking of the time. To me that is something that certain games do well and this is definitely one of them.

    That being said, I do have to take in to account the times where you would literally get killed but you could still see a gap between you and the weapon killing you. With that taken in to account I look to score this game a 7/10. I just don’t feel that with a game like Nidhogg II that you could go much higher than that with the problems that exist in the game. Overall the game is a fun party game for you to pick up and have fun with your friends.    … Expand
  4. BITESCREEN
    Oct 4, 2017
    7
    Die Indiefortsetzung Nidhogg 2 ersetzt die stylische Atari-Ästhetik des Vorgängers durch eine spleenige Ugly-Early-VGA-Optik. Die ist sicherDie Indiefortsetzung Nidhogg 2 ersetzt die stylische Atari-Ästhetik des Vorgängers durch eine spleenige Ugly-Early-VGA-Optik. Die ist sicher nicht jedermanns Sache – was aber nichts am immer noch gelungen durchgeknallten Spielprinzip ändert. Messhof Games verbinden Fechtspiel und Brawler zu einer absonderlichen Local-und-Online-Koop-Erfahrung: Wahlweise in Highspeed oder mit ruhiger Taktik setzt man seine Stiche hoch oder tief an, kickt dem Kontrahenten die Waffe aus der Hand und hechtet Richtung Levelende – wo einen der titelgebende Riesenwurm zur Belohnung Happs nimmt. Das hohe Spieltempo und die präzise-chaotischen Kämpfe erinnern dabei mehr als nur einmal an den 4-Spieler-Hit Towerfall, während die bunten Umgebungen aber deutlich abwechslungsreicher kommen: Zu einem meditativen bis nervigen Elektro-Soundtrack geht es durch gammelige Schlachthäuser, drückenden Dschungel oder fiebrige Tanzclubs. Außerdem bekommt Nidhogg 2 durch neue Waffen wie den Bogen einen guten Wumms mehr Tiefe.… Expand
  5. TatsMcGee
    Sep 8, 2018
    7
    This is probably going to be one of my favorite indie games of the year. It’s to hard to classify this game because its kind of a fighting butThis is probably going to be one of my favorite indie games of the year. It’s to hard to classify this game because its kind of a fighting but not in any of the traditional sense of what a fighting game is. Its one vs one and each level has 7 rooms total. So you start in the middle so room 4 and depending on where you start you want to get to either room 1 or room 7. If you start on the left side, your goal is move to the right and get to room 7. If you start on the right, you’re moving to the left and you’re trying to get to room 1. Its kind of hard to explain but it’s easy once you get playing.

    So at the start of the match, you’ll each start with a sword. The two fight and whoever wins they get to move forward. So if its the person on the left, they start running to the right and you want to keep running until your opponent respawns. Then you go into another battle where the two of you will fight again. Let’s say Left wins again so they’ll keep running to the right. This continues until one person reaches the end of the level.

    So far from what I’ve described, the core gameplay is the exact same as the original. The 2 big changes are 1 the art style. As you can tell from the pictures above, rather than just being stick figures. The game does have some artistic design. Initially, people were really complaining about the design but I really liked it. The art design really fits the gameplay.

    The other big change is the weapons. In the original, there was one weapon and that was a sword. In Nidhogg 2, there are 2 different swords, a dagger and a bow and arrow. What this has done is, it’s created a meta game within the game. Weapons counter other weapons and one of the biggest changes is, in the original dive kicking was really strong and OP. In this game, one of the swords is a great counter to dive kicking so it’s not as good anymore.

    Why I like this game is, it’s a fun “party” game. I hate using that word because I feel like it has some negative connotation to it but trust me when I tell you. This is a fun game.    … Expand
  6. tobivv
    Nov 26, 2019
    6
    Decent party game, but good only for 20 minutes. The time limit always leads to a draw, so playing with more than 2 people in tournamentsDecent party game, but good only for 20 minutes. The time limit always leads to a draw, so playing with more than 2 people in tournaments doesn't really work.… Expand

Trailers

Current PS4 Games

Full List »
87 Theatrhythm Final Bar Line
86 Chained Echoes
86 Persona 4 Golden
83 The Legend of Heroes: Trails to Azure
80 Signalis
80 Persona 3 Portable
75 Sonic Frontiers
72 OddBallers
72 Yomawari: Lost in the Dark
69 SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake
69 Kukoos - Lost Pets
68 Tales of Symphonia Remastered
66 Helvetii
65 Little Witch Nobeta
54 Dragon Ball: The Breakers
52 Kamiwaza: Way of the Thief
All Current Games »