They’ve done a few other things since then, that’s probably why they sound familiar. The Lost Vikings is an action/puzzle game – perhaps the first of its kind – by a modest developer known as Blizzard (Silicon & Synapse at the time). So what are three clueless vikings to do aboard an alien spaceship when all they want is to be back in their safe, warm huts nestled in the heart of their beloved village? Use teamwork to find a time portal and bust on out, of course! I think anybody would feel the same under similar circumstances. So you can imagine the surprise – dare I say, shock, experienced by these three norsemen when an evil alien ruler from the planet Crouton abducts them for the purposes of adding human specimen to his collection of alien lifeforms. It’s the kind of day where you feel pretty confident an evil alien ruler from the planet Crouton won’t abduct you for the purposes of adding human specimen to his collection of alien lifeforms.
And this is exactly what viking brothers Eric the Swift, Baleog the Fierce, and Olaf the Stout decided to do on this fine day with a breezy undercurrent of whimsical music to score a picturesque setting. Perfect for hunting and general camaraderie. It’s clear that Blizzard looks back on these three Viking stooges with fondness, and any fan of Co-Op Classics likely shares this same sentiment.Ahhh, what a peaceful, snow-capped day. Erik, Baleog, and Olaf have turned up in cameo roles in several other Blizzard games, most notably another game you might possibly have heard of before called World of Warcraft. (Hopefully, we’ll take a closer look at these sequels in a future Co-Op Classics column.) In 2003, a Game Boy Advance port of the SNES version was released. The Lost Vikings was ported to many different systems, and was followed by a sequel, which itself was remade and enhanced for 32-bit systems. Many of the things that make co-op Trine so great are found in this venerable 1992 classic puzzle platformer: clearly defined character roles, light fighting elements, smart platforming, and most especially teamwork. You can see the influence of The Lost Vikings in many games, perhaps none so much as Trine, which you’ll recall we are pretty fond of here at Co-Optimus.
Part of this fame is likely due to the Blizzard pedigree, but it’s an excellent game, regardless, and holds up very well to this day. The Lost Vikings is among the most popular games from its time, and fondly remembered by many a 16-bit era gamer. A compilation of these little conversations is available on Youtube and definitely worth your time to view. It’s quite fun and helps to alleviate the frustration of failure a little bit. At first, they complain of deja vu, then of being too tired of the scenery, and finally they address the player directly, and accuse them of having too much time on their hands. Perhaps the funniest schtick is when the Vikings discuss the players’ failures to complete a level when they respawn. The Lost Vikings is no exception, and from the very beginning, the bickering and other interactions between the Vikings will put a smile on your face. Communication is the key here, as it is in so many other highly cooperative games.Īnother hallmark of Blizzard games is comedic elements. It takes a bit of getting used to, and it seems that playing together makes some puzzles easier and others can be a bit more difficult to coordinate. Control of each individual Viking can be swapped on the fly as needed.
In two player mode, two of the three Vikings can move at the same time, each controlled by a different player. In single player mode, you control one Viking at a time, and switch back and forth as needed in order to advance. It’s a bit different than you might expect. You may be wondering where to co-op comes in.
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