Nidhogg 2 (2017)

Niddhog 2 has studied the lessons from its predecessor and makes its way into the Nintendo Switch catalogue as a fun and fluid multiplayer experience. It shines less when it comes to solo play, as the game feels a lot less motivating when there is only one player involved, but those looking for enjoyable local multiplayer sessions will find Niddhog 2 to be a satisfying choice.

Nidhogg 2 is fun to play for a few rounds at a party, but it's not exactly the next EVO hit. It's a pick-up-and-play game with the potential for intense matches between friends, but that's about all it's good for. The game works, and none of its few weapons feel more powerful than its peer. The problem is that there's no reason to keep playing. Arcade mode isn't varied enough to make it worthy of more than a single playthrough. The base game doesn't have a ton of nuance either, so it's not really fun to go back and practice against the AI or online players. Nidhogg 2 is good, but I only recommend it for a party.

Nidhogg 2‘s setbacks make it an inadvisable purchase for anything but local multiplayer. The local multiplayer is fantastic enough to carry this game. Nidhogg 2 succeeds in making a few very simple concepts wonderfully captivating. By combining intuitive controls with a healthy range of tricks and strategies, Nidhogg 2 is the very definition of “Easy to learn, hard to master.” It is a worthy investment for you and your friends, provided they're close by.

Nidhogg 2 is a really tricky game to score because it seems like such a hit or miss, love it or hate it, kind of experience. If you don’t have anyone to play with I’d caution you on considering the purchase as there’s really no meaningful solo play and even if you do find online matches there’s something lost in the experience even if you’re able to get into some nice and tense matches. Even if you’ve got some friends to play with I’d say the odds are equal that you could really get a kick out of the experience or have it fall flat. Credit to the developer, it’s some of the very small touches like being able to reflect shots that give what seems to be a very shallow game surprising depth, it all comes down to the experience you’re looking for though.

Overall, Nidhogg 2 is a successful follow-up to the dynamite original, instantly making this one of the must-have local multiplayer games on Switch. Not much is there for the solo player, though the online multiplayer is nice. The ideal setup is a slew of friends passing off controllers in the tournament mode, but even in less than ideal multiplayer scenarios, it's still a chaotic and wacky blast.