Gaming
Nidhogg 2 Review: Gruesome mutant fencing simulator
Nidhogg 2 is a game about moving from one side of the screen to the other. It’s also much, much more. It’s also about impeccable timing, leveraging momentum, reflexes and your ability to predict having a knife thrown at your head. With only two buttons to remember, Nidhogg 2 grabs the old cliche of ‘easy to learn, hard to master’ and jams it in your face.
When I first boot the game up, I’m bombarded with a pulsating soundtrack and eclectic visuals. I admit I paused for a second. Although I’ve never played the original Nidhogg, I have seen screenshots. Gone is the blocky minimalism, replaced instead by a claymation-style that I initially found off-putting but grew to love as I played through a few rounds.
In motion, there’s a lot going on. Both the character models and the stage backgrounds are horrible (in a good way), seeing you fight through a variety of gruesome stages and usually the innards of your previous self that still litter the ground. Melee kills are particularly brutal and leave a big stain as a reminder of where it all went wrong.
It all just clashes together in a way that I enjoy, low-pixel, technicolor gouts of blood juxtaposed with the fairly elegant way the game actually handles. The background animations keep things flowing but don’t detract and regardless, the combat demands your concentration so much so it’d take a nuclear bomb going off in your living room to distract.
As I jump into the single-player (which effectively acts as an extended DIY tutorial/testing ground), it’s not hard to see what makes Nidhogg 2 great, even if you are fighting terrible AI that switches between running onto your sword or kicking your ass all over the map.
Matches start with two players on opposite sides of the arena. Depending on where you start, you’ll always be pushing to get to the opposite side of the screen. Your opponent? They’re trying to go the other way, effectively making them a roadblock. Respawn timers are low so killing the opponent is often just a way to get some breathing room and make it to the screen edge, bringing you to the next stage where it all begins again.
This tug-of-war mechanic makes for some incredibly tense moments where you realise you’re on the final screen and you only need to get past your opponent one more time. More often than not, these moments devolve into standoffs as you desperately wonder whether you should go high or low.
What I love about Nidhogg 2 is that killing your opponent is always secondary to the main goal of reaching the side of the level. When you have the momentum, it’s not uncommon to simply ignore your opponent, simply slipping past them if the opportunity arises. There are no points for kills, just the unending desire to push on to the next stage.
That said, the combat is great. It manages to be both frantic yet measured, with four weapons that effectively act as a game of rock-paper-scissors-broadsword. One hit is still a kill and there are no hard counters per se, but different weapons have their own pros and cons (expanding on the original Nidhogg which only had the fencing sword).
The hand-to-hand melee is a little overpowered and can cause some frustration, especially when it revolves around being close to your opponent and spamming the attack button. There were moments when I found myself being curbstomped seemingly at random just by being close to an unarmed opponent.
When you add in bottomless pits to traverse, the potential to disarm your opponent with a well-timed swing and the last-ditch option to launch your weapon at your opponent’s head, everything becomes much less predictable but rarely unfair.
Where Nidhogg 2 truly shines is its multiplayer. While I’m assured the original Nidhogg was better suited for local play around the couch rather than online, the matches I played of Nidhogg 2 were excellent with virtually no lag.
Going up against another real-life human makes the game infinitely more fun. Fights become chaotic and the mind games are in full flow, usually devolving into foot chases and bare knuckle beatdowns when each player decides to hurl their weapons at each other upon respawning, clanging together harmlessly in the air.
My only disappointment with Nidhogg 2 is that there isn’t more to do. Once the initial rush of playing a new game wears off, I can’t help but feel that at its core it just needs something extra. It’d be nice to see a team game mode with 2 v 2 or 3 v 3 or even just a more fleshed out single-player.
As it stands, if you’re looking for a few rounds of frantic fencing action with some friends, Nidhogg 2 has charm and guts by the bucketload.
In the ongoing conflict against the Automaton invasion fleet, the Helldivers 2 players have successfully halted their advance. However, the situation has now reached a tiresome stalemate. Yet again, the machines refuse to take a break from their relentless pursuit of progress, with reports emerging of the Factory Striders being deployed in record-breaking quantities.
There have been reports of alleged machines that were supposedly encountered during Operation Swift Disassembly, which was just the beginning of a larger campaign. However, these accounts should be taken with a grain of salt, as they are unverified and seem to be more on the imaginative side. Factory Striders have gained a reputation as formidable weapons platforms that can produce more Automatons while enduring significant damage. If the machines are able to withstand such a relentless assault, it will be necessary to develop innovative strategies.
Factory Striders have made a resurgence on the Automaton front. These imposing, massive support dreadnoughts now threaten freedom and democracy throughout the galactic rim. pic.twitter.com/XRTPU7k71s
— HELLDIVERS™ 2 (@helldivers2) April 16, 2024
Have you come across groups of Factory Striders in Helldivers 2? Which strategies are proving to be the most effective in taking down these armored brutes? The Orbital Railcannon Strike will prove to be a valuable asset in the comments section below.
The recent release of Amazon’s adaptation of Fallout has ignited a renewed interest in the series and brought attention to the captivating alternate history that forms its foundation. Fans have expressed concern that the TV show’s events might be at odds with the plot of the Obsidian Entertainment video game New Vegas. Warning: Spoilers ahead for New Vegas and Amazon’s show!
Bethesda Game Studios director Todd Howard and Fallout TV executive producer Jonathan Nolan recently sat down with IGN to discuss the timeline. Howard was taken aback when showrunners Graham Wagner and Geneva Robertson-Dworet presented him with the surprising concept of obliterating Shady Sands, the bustling capital of the New California Republic, in the aftermath of the events in New Vegas. Howard eventually warmed up to the idea: “After discussing it, we realized that this could be a significant story moment that many things hinge upon.”
It seems that they had to make some tough decisions to ensure everything fell into place, but Howard emphasizes the importance of preserving the integrity of the Fallout timeline: “We take great care with the timeline. There seems to be some confusion in certain areas. However, all the events from the previous games, including New Vegas, did occur. We take great caution in that matter. We’re really pushing the limits here, but the explosions occur right after the events of New Vegas.
What are your thoughts on this? Is it up to par? Even though it may not have a significant impact on the overall quality of the games or show, it is comforting to know that those in charge are paying attention. We value your feedback and would love to hear your thoughts in the comments section below.
If you’ve been keeping up with the new Fallout show on Amazon Prime, chances are you’ve been relying on PS Plus Extra and PS Plus Premium to access and enjoy one of Bethesda’s legendary RPGs. We decided to bypass the highly acclaimed Fallout New Vegas and Fallout 3, opting instead to explore the vast landscapes of West Virginia in Fallout 76. Infamous for its initial reception, Todd Howard’s “Fallout with Friends” has evolved significantly over the past six years. However, does that imply the game is of high quality? Is it worth playing in 2024?
As we ventured out of Vault 76 for the very first time, we were determined to find the answers to those burning questions. Recalling our escapades on the Push Square YouTube channel, we encountered quest-giving NPCs—a feature that was surprisingly absent upon release—awe-inspiring bases built by fellow players—and an abundance of loot that could easily burden us 76 times over.
In the midst of the vast array of open-world online experiences, we found ourselves quite enthralled by the combination of 50s classics playing in the background as we obliterated the heads of ghouls. And to top it off, we were able to enjoy all of this with our friends. Exploring the wasteland in the company of a ragtag band of survivors adds a unique element to Fallout 76, setting it apart from other games in the series. However, does it manage to prevent us from uninstalling and transitioning to one of the mainline entries in the series? To discover more, be sure to watch the complete video!
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