Volgarr the Viking is a difficult action/platformer developed by Crazy Viking Studios, and published by Adult Swim Games. It was initially released on September 13, 2013, and is currently available for PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Play Station Vita, Wii U, and Nintendo Switch.
The warrior Volgarr has been charged by Odin with a quest to defeat an evil dragon, armed with a sword, a spear and a wooden shield he embarks on a journey to complete his duty.
Tropes appearing in this game:
- Action Bomb:
- Artoos in World 2. When hit with a spear you can throw them at other enemies, though.
- Bomb-carrying bats called batchoos in World 4. Upon being above Volgarr or getting hit, they dive, exploding in the process.
- Advanced Movement Technique: At the end of the roll, Volgarr can jump, even when being mid-air.
- All the Worlds Are a Stage: World 6 features enemies and hazards from all the previous stages.
- A Molten Date with Death: Fire pits in World 4 burn you on contact, resulting in a One-Hit Kill.
- Barbarian Hero: Volgarr, the player character. Very much so, with his long, braided hair and beard, a well-muscled Heroic Build, furry Loincloth and boots, and a sword and shield.
- Bee Afraid: World 1 features large killer bees as enemies.
- Bird People: World 5 features anthropomorphized birds as common enemies.
- Blob Monster: World 2 features blue blob enemies called slymes that jump around. World 4 featured red blobs called hot sauces.
- Bottomless Pits: Occasionally featured.
- Big Creepy-Crawlies: Starting with the jumping spiders in the World 1, and then with giant black widows in World 3.
- Breakable Powerup: Volgarr can collect items from chests, in order: a wooden shield, a metal shield, a helmet, a flaming sword, and a power up that makes you fling fireballs at enemies when you get hit. These act as Hit Points or a series of Single Use Shields, with each bit of damage removing one until Volgarr is a One-Hit-Point Wonder.
- Charged Attack: Holding a throw button charges a spear attack as long as Volgarr has a blue shield. Charged spear does more damage, is thrown further, and can pierce multiple enemies.
- Collision Damage: Being in contact with the enemiy hurts, unless the player is using a rolling move.
- Colossus Climb: Lord Gyrgok, the Lizardman King found at the end of World 1, has a giant shield. You must use spears on his shield to reach his head, though these get destroyed whenever he attacks so you must repeat the process.
- Dangerous Backswing: The standard sword swing has a hitbox both behind and above you.
- Dem Bones: Third stage features skeletons as primary enemies.
- Double Jump: The only way to alter your arc mid-air. It's also a Spin Attack similar to that from Metroid.
- Enemy Roll Call: Enemy names are shown during the credits.
- Energy Ball: Some enemies shoot out balls of energy.
- Fireballs: Balls if fire come out of flaming pits in world 4. Cult leaders also spits out balls of fire.
- Flaming Sword: Final equipment upgrade sets Volgarr's sword on fire, increasing its damage.
- Fluffy the Terrible: The fourth Boss, a giant serpent that some believe to be the reincarnation of Jormungandr, is in fact the cult leader's pet snake "Fluffy".
- Giant Enemy Crab: Crab battlers are mounted on giant red crabs.
- Giant Spider: Volgarr-sized spiders called turantulas show up in the first world. Likewise, widowers in World 3 are also giant spiders.
- Horny Vikings: Volgarr with the helmet Power-Up. The helmet has the obligatory curved horns sticking out of its sides.
- Incendiary Exponent: The Flaming Sword upgrade — everything is cooler when it's on fire.
- Inexplicable Treasure Chests: Chests are found in various locations. Their contents depend on the equipment Volgarr has.
- Instant 180-Degree Turn: Both you and enemies, so the Unnecessary Combat Roll isn't doesn't give you free access to enemies' backsides.
- Kung Fu-Proof Mook: The mermen of World 2. Standard ones will stab you if you try to hit them with melee, blue ones will jump when you throw a spear at them, and red ones will use a dive slide attack (usually only counterable with a plunge attack unless terrain) when they spot you or are attacked, whichever happens first. See also Shield-Bearing Mook.
- Javelin Thrower: Spears are your ranged attack. Once you have the Hammer Shield, you can even charge up a throw.
- Law of Chromatic Superiority: Several enemy families have green mooks which do almost nothing, blue advanced ones which become an actual threat, and finally rare red ones which will make your life hard. In the first World the difference is hitpoints only, but in further world the differences also include more advanced attack and dodging patterns.
- Leitmotif: The game features two of the motifs. One for Volgarr's (most prominently featured in World 5 and especially 6), and the second one is villain's (Heard in World 4 and at the beginning of World 6.) motif.
- Lizard Folk: Lizardmen in World 1 make up the bulk of the enemies.
- Ludicrous Gibs: Every being that dies — including Volgarr — turns into flying, cartoonish piles of blood and bones.
- Money Spider: Enemies often drop coins and other valuables when defeated.
- Mook Maker: Worlds 2 and 4 feature Cute Slime Mooks of water and fire varieties coming from fountains. They will keep spawning as long as you are onscreen.
- Our Dragons Are Different: The final boss turns into one unless you get to him fast enough through the Valkyrie's route.
- Alternatively, the True Final Boss is a giant one that's for all intents and purposes a Background Boss.
- Post-Defeat Explosion Chain: Large enemies and bosses go down with a series of explosions.
- Prongs of Poseidon: Myrmors, an aquatic race in world 2, uses tridents in battle.
- Single-Use Shield:
- Hammer, Helmet and shield acts as one. Getting hit will make the player first lose the hammer, then the helm, then the shield.
- The Wooden Shield breaks after a few blocks, on top of not protecting you from several attacks. Fortunately, the Hammer Shield replaces it and takes infinite hits; unfortunately once you lose that the next power-up will be a measly wooden one.
- Shield-Bearing Mook:
- Several skeletons in World 3. You must either crouch to hit their legs, use a well-placed plunging attack, or take advantage of terrain to kill them.
- A lizard enemy also wields a shield.
- Bird People in World 5 also carry a shield.
- Shock and Awe:
- When equipping Baldur's Protection, the helmet, a ray of lightning hits from the sky, killing enemies directly above you.
- World 2's boss occasionally attacks by electrifying the water pit or by sending a lightning ray which can only be dodged by being underwater.
- Shout-Out: To the red dragon boss of Dungeons & Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara. You can also find the corpse of Volgarr's spiritual ancestor, the star of arcade and console classic Rastan, in the first pit of the first stage.
- Smart Bomb: Thor's hammer clears the enemies onscreen, when activated. It also doubles as Single-Use Shield.
- Spikes of Doom: Bloody spears act as deadly hazards.
- Stepping-Stone Sword: Spears get stuck in a wall and can be used as platforms.
- Stock Femur Bone: When vertebrates are killed, they explode with a few or several bloody (if applicable)) femur bones.
- Super Drowning Skills: Only in World 2-1 (either path), where the water acts effectively as Bottomless Pits.
- Treasure Is Bigger in Fiction: Gems are size of Volgarr's fist in this game.
- Underground Monkey: World 4 features red versions of the snakes and Cute Slime Mooks, now with fire powers.
- Unnecessary Combat Roll: Zig-zagged. The rolls makes you fit through small gaps and avoids contact damage with enemies, but doesn't make you invulnerable to enemy weapons.
- Vent Physics: World 5 and 6 features vents that periodically lift and push Volgarr around.
- Wall Jump: Your spears sticking to surfaces gives you a poor man's version of it.
