A unique and inspired title that lacks polish.
When a gamer hears “open world,” one may think of a vast horizon and wide landscapes teeming with life. When “2D sidescroller” is mentioned, the scope of the game may become far more narrow to the average gamer. This is where Niffelheim comes in, a Viking survival sim brought to you in the form of a 2D sidescroller by Ellada Games. Though it may sound bizarre, Niffelheim proves itself to be a fun and unique experience. Though unique does not always mean perfect.
Your Destiny in the untamed wilds and beautiful landscapes
You are a Viking whose mission is to delve the dungeons of Niffelheim and conquer the monsters within. This will prove your worth and allow you admittance to Asgard, where you can finally rest your warrior soul. To do this you will need to build a base, scour the land for resources and hunt and cultivate wildlife to survive in this treacherous purgatory. Inside, you will find your own mine and workstations that allow you to build structures such as a Forge and Sawmill. You will also be able to build walls and guard towers to defend against attacks from enemy Monsters or other Vikings, should you choose to face them. Using these workstations, you will expend your hard-earned resources to craft armor, weapons, food, and other items to conquer Niffelheim and the dangers within.
Niffelheim is a large and treacherous place. The 2D sidescrolling perspective may seem odd at first but it finds itself as you play the game. This is helped by the wonderful art style. At times, the world of Niffelheim may seem like a painting or a still out of a comic book. There are 4 landscapes to explore, each housing their own rival Viking clan should you choose to face them. There are also dungeons littered throughout the lands, which are explored by going lower and deeper into them. The controls are straightforward and easy to understand, which allows for quick and easy immersion into the game and its world. This all comes together to be a fun and challenging experience that feels rewarding due to the Mastery system, which simply makes you better at something by doing it often.
The devil in the details…scars be damned
For all of its unique aspects, Niffelheim suffers a great deal from a lack of polish. Indeed your greatest enemy in the world of Niffelheim will be a piling list of nitpicks. From graphical glitches to inconsistent targeting, to a general lack of direction in the early stages of the game all pile up to create a potentially bad first impression. Learning to deal with inconsistent mechanics such as melee range while attacking may cost a life or even warrant a few restarts as to not fall too far behind. These nitpicks can be overlooked, but for the first time player, it may be enough to make them think twice about playing.
Conclusion
Though flawed, Niffelheim is a game that offers a solid gaming experience given in a unique package. The 2D side-scrolling perspective shows off the artwork nicely and doesn’t detract from traditional survival-style gameplay. With multiple characters to play as and a ton of tech to research, the game offers a very robust experience that begs to be replayed over and over. Though some may be turned off by its lack of polish and direction in early stages, those that overlook these or push through will find a fun and unique experience worthy of valor.
Neffelheim for provided for review by Uberstrategist on PS4. Neffelheim is available now on PS4, X Box One and Nintendo Switch.
