The Lost Vikings
This article possibly contains original research. (July 2017) |
The Lost Vikings | ||
---|---|---|
Composer(s) Charles Deenen | Allister Brimble (Amiga) Matt Furniss (Genesis) | |
Platform(s) | Super Nintendo, Genesis, Amiga, MS-DOS, Amiga CD32, Game Boy Advance, Windows, Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One | |
Release | ||
Puzzle-platform | ||
Mode(s) | Single-player, cooperative |
The Lost Vikings is a
In The Lost Vikings, the player controls three separate Vikings with different abilities. The three Vikings must work together to finish each level and find their way back home. A sequel, The Lost Vikings 2, was released in 1997.
Plot
Three Vikings—Erik the Swift, Baleog the Fierce, and Olaf the Stout—get kidnapped by Tomator, emperor of the alien Croutonian empire, for an inter-galactic zoo. They are able to escape the ship, but get lost in various periods of time. They must traverse various bizarre locations, and eventually confront and defeat Tomator, to find their way home.
Gameplay
The Lost Vikings is a
Each Viking has the ability to carry and use items such as keys, bombs, and food (which restores health points). These items can also be swapped between characters as long as they are close to each other. Each Viking also has a unique set of skills:
- Erik can run faster than the other two, can jump, and can bash through some walls (and enemies) with his helmet.
- Baleog can kill enemies with his sword, or from a distance with his bow (and a "life-time supply of arrows"). The bow can also be used to hit switches from a distance.
- Olaf can block enemies and their projectiles with his shield, and use his shield as a hang glider. Olaf's shield can also be used as a platform for Baleog to walk over and to allow Erik to reach higher areas.
The game consists of 37 levels and 42 levels in Mega Drive/Genesis version.
Cameo appearances
Both Olaf and Baleog make an appearance in the 1993 game Rock n' Roll Racing; Olaf can be unlocked as a hidden character, while Baleog appears on several billboards advertising "Viking Cola" on the planet Bogmire.
In the 32X version of Blackthorne, all three Vikings appear in a secret area in the second snow level.
The Lost Vikings have also had cameo appearances in Interplay's
They have also appeared as
In the Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne's "Monolith" scenario, the names for the Dark Troll Commando hero are the same as those for the Lost Vikings: Erik the Swift, Baleog the Fierce and Olaf the Stout.
A flying unit in StarCraft II is called the Viking, and there is a picture of the unit on their website, subtitled The Lost Vikings. In addition to this, repeatedly selecting the Viking unit in StarCraft II makes the Viking pilot mention Erik, Baleog, and Olaf getting lost, as he tries to contact them. He also sets in co-ordinates for Norse by Norse-west. There is also an arcade console in the Cantina of Battleship Hyperion in StarCraft II called The Lost Viking, which is a mini playable vertically scrolling shooter game featuring the Viking unit in StarCraft II.
The Lost Vikings reprised their role as playable characters in the crossover multiplayer online battle arena video game Heroes of the Storm.[7][8] Unlike other heroes in the game, who are played as a single unit, selecting the Lost Vikings as a hero gives the player control over all three Vikings, allowing them to control them as individuals or to issue commands to all three at once. Erik is faster than most other heroes, and attacks from range with a slingshot. Baleog has the greatest attack power of the three, and throws swords from a medium range, dealing area damage to enemies near his target. Olaf has the highest health pool, and recovers quickly when out of combat.
Reception
Publication | Score |
---|---|
Mean Machines Sega | 84/100[36] |
Mega Fun | 83/100[34][35] |
Nintendo Power | 14.2/20[37] |
Total! | 87%[38] |
Video Games (DE) | 80% (SMD)[39] 78% (SNES)[40] |
VideoGames & Computer Entertainment | 9/10 (SNES)[41] |
The One | 90%[42] |
Computer Gaming World in 1993 called The Lost Vikings "a clever blend of comedy and role playing". The magazine concluded that "the game is a unique puzzle solving adventure, great for people who enjoy using their cerebral cortex along with their eye to hand coordination".[43] Zach Meston of VideoGames & Computer Entertainment praised the difficult puzzles, humor, distinctive visual style, personable character animation, and upbeat music. He summarized the game as "funny, fresh and challenging enough to keep you playing for hours on end".[41]
Accolades
Nintendo Power ranked The Lost Vikings the seventh-best SNES game of 1993. They lauded the gameplay calling it "deep and compelling" and praised the graphics and sound.[45] Mega placed the game at number 22 in their Top Mega Drive Games of All Time.[46] In 1995, Total! placed the game 52nd on its Top 100 SNES Games.[47] In 1996, Super Play awarded the game 94th in its Top 100 SNES Games of All Time.[48] IGN listed The Lost Vikings 30th in their "Top 100 SNES Games of All Time. They praised the game calling it a "Masterpiece" and praised the "nearly perfect" puzzle dynamics.[49] In 2018, Complex rated The Lost Vikings 93rd on their "The Best Super Nintendo Games of All Time".[50]
See also
- Gobliiins, an earlier puzzle-solving game dependent on three different characters
- Fish Fillets NG
- Trine
Notes
References
- ^ "Mega #20 pg. 79". Sega Retro. May 1994. Retrieved July 7, 2016.
- ^ "GamePro #55 pg. 50". Sega Retro. February 1994. Retrieved March 25, 2016.
- ^ "Relive the Legacy: Announcing the Blizzard Arcade Collection". Blizzard Entertainment. February 20, 2021.
- ^ "Classic Games". Blizzard Entertainment. Archived from the original on April 27, 2017. Retrieved April 25, 2017.
- Gamasutra. Think Services. Retrieved May 2, 2014.
- ^ McWhertor, Michael (February 19, 2021). "Three classic Blizzard games come to PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One today". Polygon. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
- ^ Kuchera, Ben (February 16, 2015). "The Lost Vikings have come to Heroes of the Storm, and things are getting weird". Polygon. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
- ^ "The Lost Vikings are back as playable hero in Heroes of the Storm". Blizzard Entertainment. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
- ^ AllGame. Archived from the originalon December 12, 2014. Retrieved May 26, 2017.
- AllGame. Archived from the originalon December 12, 2014. Retrieved May 26, 2017.
- ^ Clays, Simon (September 1993). "The Lost Vikings". Amiga Computing. No. 64. pp. 108–109. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
- ^ Lord, Gary (August 1993). "The Lost Vikings". Amiga Format. No. 49. pp. 72–73. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
- ^ Mead, Rob (July 1994). "The Lost Vikings". Amiga Format. No. 61. p. 73. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
- ^ Tucker, Tim (July 1993). "The Lost Vikings". Amiga Power. No. 27. pp. 28–30. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
- ^ "Walhall im All". Aktueller Software Markt (in German). September 1993. pp. 8–10. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
- ^ "The Lost Vikings". Aktueller Software Markt (in German). September 1994. p. 125. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
- ^ "Long lives CD32". Aktueller Software Markt (in German). September 1994. pp. 80–81. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
- ^ Lord, Gary (February 1994). "The Lost Vikings". Computer and Video Games. No. 147. p. 44. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
- ^ Rand, Paul; Anglin, Paul (May 1993). "The Lost Vikings". Computer and Video Games. No. 141. pp. 76–77. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
- ^ a b "Review Crew: The Lost Vikings". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 54. January 1994. p. 46. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
- ^ Harris, Steve; Semrad, Ed; Alessi, Marin; Sushi-X (May 1993). "The Lost Vikings". Electronic Gaming Monthly. Vol. 6, no. 5. p. 26. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
- ^ Manny LaMancha (February 1994). "The Lost Vikings". GamePro. No. 55. p. 50. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
- ^ Lowe, Andy (May 1993). "The Lost Vikings". GamesMaster. No. 5. pp. 54–56. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
- ^ Provo, Frank (April 10, 2003). "The Lost Vikings Review for Game Boy Advance". GameSpot. Archived from the original on June 22, 2003. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
- ^ Stratton, Bryan (April 18, 2003). "The Lost Vikings (GBA)". GameSpy. Archived from the original on July 1, 2004. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
- ^ Bedigian, Louis (April 24, 2003). "The Lost vikings". GameZone. Archived from the original on April 30, 2003. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
- ^ Fahs, Travis (July 25, 2008). "Lost Vikings SNES Review". IGN. Archived from the original on July 29, 2008. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
- ^ Harris, Craig (April 2, 2003). "The Lost Vikings". IGN. Archived from the original on June 4, 2004. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
- ^ Anfalmyr (January 21, 2010). "Test de The Lost Vikings sur PC". Jeuxvideo.com (in French). Retrieved September 2, 2021.
- ^ Anfalmyr (January 21, 2010). "Test de The Lost Vikings sur Amiga". Jeuxvideo.com (in French). Retrieved September 2, 2021.
- ^ Anfalmyr (January 21, 2010). "Test de The Lost Vikings sur MD". Jeuxvideo.com (in French). Retrieved September 2, 2021.
- ^ Anfalmyr (January 21, 2010). "Test de The Lost Vikings sur SNES". Jeuxvideo.com (in French). Retrieved September 2, 2021.
- ^ Logan (April 7, 2003). "Test de The Lost Vikings sur GBA". Jeuxvideo.com (in French). Retrieved September 2, 2021.
- ^ Sandrie; Philipp (July 1993). "The Lost Vikings". Mega Fun (in German). p. 74. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
- ^ Sandrie (May 1994). "The Lost Vikings". Mega Fun. p. 104. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
- Mean Machines Sega. No. 15. pp. 68–70. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
- ^ "Now Playing". Nintendo Power. Vol. 48. May 1993. pp. 102–107. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
- ^ Steve (May 1993). "The Lost Vikings". Total!. No. 13. pp. 24–26. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
- ^ "The Lost Vikings". Video Games (in German). April 1994. p. 88. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
- ^ "The Lost Vikings". Video Games (in German). April 1993. p. 45. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
- ^ a b Meston, Zach (May 1993). "The Lost Vikings". VideoGames & Computer Entertainment. No. 52. L.F.P., Inc. p. 48.
- ^ Upchurch, David (June 1993). "The Lost Vikings". The One. No. 57. pp. 82–85. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
- ^ Wilson, David (December 1993). "Vikings Just Wanna Have Fun". Computer Gaming World. p. 222. Retrieved March 31, 2016.
- ^ "The Lost Vikings Review". Super Gamer (2). United Kingdom: Paragon Publishing: 123. May 1994. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
- ^ "The Top Titles of 1993". Nintendo Power. Vol. 56. January 1994. pp. 2–5. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
- ^ Mega magazine issue 26, page 74, Maverick Magazines, November 1994
- ^ "Top 100 SNES Games". Total! (43): 46. July 1995. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
- ^ "The Super Play All-time top 100 SNES games". Super Play. No. 42. Future Publishing. April 1996.
- ^ Top 100 SNES Games of All Time - IGN.com, retrieved September 8, 2022
- ^ Knight, Rich (April 30, 2018). "The Best Super Nintendo Games of All Time". Complex. Retrieved January 23, 2022.