NOTE: This review was originally published in early October 2015 on the now defunct swedish leg of IGN.
It was written by yours truly in swedish and has been machine translated by ChatGPT and reworked for an international audience. Please enjoy.
| Platform(s) | Playstation 4 (reviewed), PC, Wii U |
| Genre | Beat'em Up |
| Players | 1-4 players offline/online cooperative |
| Developer | Zoink! |
| Publisher | Zoink! |
| Released | 2015 |
| Playtime | 8h |
When Odin's only eye is stolen by Loki, he finds no other solution to the problem than resurrecting four peculiar Viking warriors from the afterlife and sending them on a crusade to retrieve it. Why Loki actually wants this magical eye is unclear, but it seems it has something to do with mead-pong.
Zombie Vikings is a cooperative side-scrolling beat 'em up for up to four players set in a world steeped in Norse mythology. Like other games in the genre, the goal is to (mostly) move from left to right and beat up virtually everything that moves. However, this entry offers more variety. Not only do the levels provide more space to maneuver (making it feel more like an action-oriented adventure game than an old-school beat 'em up), but you can also acquire new weapons and upgrades along the way.
The humor is the game's strongest asset. From the title screen, it's clear that the tone of Zombie Vikings is anything but serious, as evidenced by the misplaced "Ö" in the English words. A quirky, well-worn joke that might be funnier for us Nordics because we know how to pronounce it. (Repeat after me and try not to chuckle: "Öptions," "Shöp.")
Silly spellings aside, the game successfully entertains with a superbly written Monty Python-esque script.
Fans of Zoink's previous adventure, Stick It To The Man, will be reminded of the graphical style with its colorful, paper-thin characters and flapping mouths. However, the artists have honed their skills, as both the backgrounds and characters look significantly more polished than before. The animations also feel more natural here.
The trademark absurd humor is back, this time penned by Zach Weiner, known from the webcomic Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal. The constant quirky (and often pop-culture-inspired) comments on everything the protagonists encounter are another appreciated hallmark of Zoink. Nearly everything that made me enjoy the studio's last game is present here, albeit with a different gameplay structure.
We meet our antiheroes after they've been pulled back to the mortal realm from Valhalla. The crew consists of the octopus-man Seagurd, eternally fused with the legendary octopus Inky Pinky when they both died after a prolonged battle. Next is Caw-Kaa, a cynical goth girl raised by crows. Then there's Gunborg, a super-jacked, fiercely competitive football (as in soccer) player. Lastly, we have the slightly unhinged, horned hairball Hedgy.
Each character has unique abilities: Seagurd can spray ink and attack with his (and Inky Pinky's) tentacles. Caw-Kaa has birdlike traits and can perform a deadly aerial assault. Gunborg is the strongest lass this side of Midgard, with muscles so powerful they can explode. Hedgy, meanwhile, spews up exploding cadavers and can roll into a razor-sharp hedgehog ball.
The controls function as expected in a brawler. You can fight, jump, pick up items and enemies, and perform character-specific unique attacks. Standard combos are executed by pressing the attack button in sequences, while holding it charges up a stronger strike. Each character's unique ability can also be charged for either a weaker or stronger version, depending on how long you hold the button.
By mastering the combination of movements and attacks, you achieve a satisfying flow rarely seen in the genre. It creates a sense of mastery, even when you know you're not the best. This keeps Zombie Vikings fun to play, even though the variety of enemy types is somewhat lacking.
Unfortunately, there are barely a handful of enemy types, no matter how well Zoink tries to disguise them with different outfits. Despite their varied hats and weapons, they behave identically to the clones from earlier levels. It's a shame considering the potential villains undead Vikings could have faced in such a freely told mythological tale.
Boss fights, however, are anything but generic. You'll do everything from battling armored killer worms to playing a Viking-themed football game involving throwing gnomes into monster mouths to score. You even get to brawl with one of the Norse seas! Each boss feels unique and becomes a driving force as you progress through the game, knowing there's a good laugh awaiting after a long level of relentless hacking and slashing.
The aforementioned weapon upgrades are also giggle-worthy, as most "swords" are anything but conventional weapons. Powerful and equipped with special properties, they include items like a cat tied to a stick that lashes out with claws or an enchanted nasal prosthetic that sneezes on enemies due to its allergy to humans. You can also find magical runes that grant abilities like health regeneration or double-jumping. These are especially helpful in certain levels where the balance between enemies and players feels off - particularly in solo play - but alas, you can only activate one rune at a time.
The game's story-driven nature becomes apparent early on, which is a welcome feature as you're bombarded with short, comedic sequences. However, the downside is that certain levels force you to play as specific characters to explore their backstories. This can feel unnecessary since the entire gang is present in all cutscenes anyway. It's likely a way to encourage players to try out all characters.
Another positive aspect is the attention to detail in everything from menus to backgrounds. The voice acting is generally excellent, and I love that they added a song in the pause menu (where our friends shout "FIKAPAUS!") The music is great, though one of the tracks is a bit too frequent on the soundtrack.
Every level is vibrant and brimming with detail, encouraging exploration. However, Zoink stumbles here as the backgrounds are just that - only backgrounds. There's very little interaction beyond a few gameplay mechanics. Allowing players to engage with background objects and characters might have brought out more of the game's zany humor, making some of the less memorable levels stand out more.
Each level includes an optional side quest, usually involving helping someone in need with a fetch quest. Completing these grants new weapons or runes, making it worth the effort, such as tracking down a blind hag's cat.
That said, Zombie Vikings suffers from some teething issues. Minor graphical bugs and AI glitches are frequent, but more serious game-breaking bugs also exist. It's frustrating to slog through a long level only to be forced back to the map due to a glitch, like when one of the four gnomes you're supposed to capture suddenly vanishes.
The online multiplayer also performed poorly during testing, with frame drops and moments where the camera froze entirely. If you're playing co-op, I recommend doing so locally, at least until future updates iron out these issues.
It is also very apparent that Zombie Vikings is designed with multiplayer in mind, as reflected in the level design, with large open spaces perfect for chaotic battles. Playing alone is still entirely viable and works well, though there's a noticeable difficulty imbalance. Solo play is significantly harder than multiplayer, even though more enemies spawn in the latter. Multiplayer is easier for two reasons: you can revive fallen teammates (literally putting their heads back on), and certain levels let players merge into a massive Frankenstein-esque zombie that deals devastating damage.
At times, it was too difficult for me to progress solo. I occasionally resorted to using an extra controller to summon a second character as a decoy while I attacked enemies from behind.
The Verdict
Despite encountering nearly every bug the game had to offer and finding it challenging to play solo at times, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. The humor is consistently top-notch, never feeling too silly and serving as a reward for overcoming tough sections. Add to this the unique graphics, superb sound and music, and varied, entertaining gameplay moments, and Zombie Vikings is one of the best beat 'em ups in recent years.