Time travel, teamwork, and a side of goofy humor make The Lost Vikings a gem of the puzzle-platform genre. Originally released in 1993 by Silicon & Synapse (later to become Blizzard Entertainment), this Super NES classic has seen ports to numerous platforms, allowing generations of gamers to experience its quirky charm.
The Premise: Vikings in Space?
Erik the Swift, Olaf the Stout, and Baleog the Fierce – three Vikings hardly known for their intellect – get themselves accidentally abducted into the spaceship of the intergalactic tyrant Tomator. Their escape plan? Well, it mostly involves finding their way back to Earth, preferably with minimal alien encounters.
Gameplay: Brains, Not Brawn
The true magic of The Lost Vikings doesn’t lie in smashing enemies, but in solving a series of intricate puzzles. Each Viking boasts a unique skill:
- Erik: Swift as his name implies, he can jump, bash through walls, and activate those just-out-of-reach switches.
- Olaf: His sturdy shield blocks projectiles, doubles as a hang-glider, and helps his companions reach high platforms.
- Baleog: With his sword and deadly accurate arrows, he’s the offensive powerhouse, able to take down foes from a distance.
The key lies in switching between the characters and using their abilities in tandem. Can’t reach that ledge? Olaf’s shield can give Baleog a boost. Need to get through a narrow gap? Send Erik in first. This creates a unique dynamic where planning and coordination are just as important as reflexes.
The Humor Factor
The Lost Vikings doesn’t take itself too seriously. The Vikings themselves are lovably inept, the dialogue is witty, and the whole setting of Vikings zapped into spaceships and strange worlds is just plain silly. The humor adds a lighthearted touch to the puzzle-solving, making it a great choice for casual players.
Why It Endures
The Lost Vikings excels in its core design: challenging yet accessible puzzles, a distinct visual style, and its three-way cooperative gameplay. Each level is a clever exercise in problem-solving, testing both your reflexes and your ability to think your actions through. The game offers a replayable adventure, especially as you attempt to find all the collectibles and hidden areas.
If you love puzzle platformers or just fondly remember the 90s gaming era, The Lost Vikings is worth checking out. It’s available on many modern platforms, so there’s never been a better time to join these three hapless Vikings on their spacefaring adventure!
The Lost Vikings Remake
While The Lost Vikings has been re-released, as part of the Blizzard 30th Anniversary collection, the game doesn’t have a true remake, either announced or even rumoured. It’s unlikely that The Lost Vikings remake will ever happen, as remaking a classic game for a modern system often involves a number of considerations as outlined below. That being said; the characters, the Lost Vikings, could very well find themselves reimagined, in an all new type of game.
- Balancing nostalgia with modern expectations: A core challenge lies in staying true to the original gameplay and art style that fans know and love, while also incorporating elements that meet the expectations of modern gamers. This might involve updating graphics, adding new features, or refining the controls to feel more fluid on a modern controller.
- Preserving the original experience: It’s important to strike a balance between modernization and staying true to the original experience. Changes that stray too far from the original can alienate fans, while not making enough changes can make the game feel dated to new players.
- Technical considerations: Porting a game to a new system with significantly different hardware and capabilities can present technical hurdles. The developers would need to ensure the game runs smoothly and takes advantage of the new hardware’s potential, while also ensuring compatibility with the new system’s features and limitations.
As for the popularity of the puzzle-platformer genre and the Viking theme, here’s a quick look:
- Puzzle-platformer genre: While not the dominant genre it once was, puzzle-platformers continue to have a dedicated fanbase and see occasional releases of new titles. Their enduring appeal lies in their accessible gameplay, often charming visuals, and the satisfaction of solving clever puzzles. However, the genre might not hold the same mainstream appeal it did in the 1990s.
- Viking theme: The Viking theme remains somewhat popular in entertainment, though its peak was arguably around the time The Lost Vikings was released. There are still occasional Viking-themed TV shows, movies, and video games released, but the genre’s popularity fluctuates. This could be a factor to consider when remaking The Lost Vikings, as the game might need to find ways to appeal to a broader audience beyond those specifically interested in the Viking theme.
Overall, remaking The Lost Vikings for the PS5 would likely involve navigating challenges related to balancing nostalgia with modern expectations, preserving the original experience, and overcoming technical hurdles. The game’s success would likely depend on its ability to capture the charm of the original while offering a compelling experience for modern gamers, regardless of the current popularity of the puzzle-platformer genre or the Viking theme.
If you would like to play The Lost Vikings, what better way than a multi-platform retro console with thousands of games, that costs less than a PS5 game? Over 20,000 games, ultra-portable retro systems.