RSS Feed
Twitter
November 2nd, 2014 
Carl Williams 
It is no secret that Microsoft is kind of taking a beating with the Xbox One versus the Playstation 4 right now. While there are many possible reasons for this, I like to think it is a case of lack of retro content available for the platform- Sony has their whole PSOne Classics catalog of titles that have been released on PSN over the years to fall back on here, Microsoft not so much. Instead, Microsoft has to rely more on “neo retro” releases to grab the nostalgic section of the gaming populace. Volgarr the Viking is one such title that could go a long way with the readers here at Retro Gaming Magazine, if marketed right.
Volgarr the Viking is a 2D side scrolling, throw your controller hard, action adventure game that is very reminiscent of the classics. Graphically, Volgarr looks similar to the Ghouls n Ghosts/Ghosts n Goblins (covered in our first issue available here) games from Capcom with a mix of Rygar from Tecmo mixed in for good measure. There are downhill slides to safety, or into more danger, to contend with just like in Strider (Sega Genesis and Arcade, not the NES version) and there is a lot more blood than Capcom’s futuristic ninja title ever put onscreen. 
The publisher states prominently in their Xbox Games Store listing for Volgarr that this is a game squarely set in the period “when games were tough”. If you are not interested in a challenge, or want a game that is going to hold your hands and guide you through the levels then you may want to check out something else, maybe something in the First Person Shooter section. Volgarr the Viking is not intended to a simple challenge, this is a game of love for the days of yore when games were hard- steel yourself or don’t apply.
If you feel you are up to the challenge of Volgarr it is currently the free title for November if you have an Xbox Live Gold Membership and an Xbox One. Volgarr is also resting comfortably in the Humble Bundle Store and has crossed onto Steam for Mac, Windows and Linux users and the Steam version supports “Big Picture” mode.
Volgarr the Viking by Crazy Viking Studios
Platform: Xbox One, Steam (Windows, Mac and Linux)
Genre: 2D Side Scrolling Arcade/ Ghosts n Goblins toughness
Rated: 16+ by PEGI
Available now on Xbox Games Store and on Steam and Humble Bundle Store
Source: The Xbox Hub
Share this:
Posted in 
Tags: 
I want this on PS4! (I think)
Other games it’s like: Rastan, Dahna, Odallus, Actraiser (if you need to add to the tags or anything).
Thanks, Matt, for the additional games that Volgarr the Viking is similar to. I added them. Great choices there too, can’t believe I missed the connection with Dahna, Rastan and Actraiser- I have never heard of Odallus (I will have to look that one up).
Odallus is a new game 🙂 But I helped beta test it a little. I think it just went up for preorder on Steam.
Oh cool. Just checked out Odallus on Steam-
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=155556863
Has a very Mystic Defender on Sega Genesis look going on. I like that.
Yeah, I think the questing for items between worlds might be a little like Demon’s Crest. The character sizes are 16-bit-looking but the colors look like NES.
It looks quite cool. I may need to grab that when it is released. I saw there is a demo, may grab that for now and do a preview here on RGM.
Sweet. hope you enjoy . I only played the beginning.
Yeah this game is great! It’s good on the Xbox One an PC and not coming to PoS4!
Cross platform is killing almost every one of my “Plus Column” games for each system since they are available on PC too. There are not very many exclusives that I am interested in, not that I would have the time to properly enjoy them at the moment.
Crazy Viking Studios are awesome for releasing this on PC too right along with the Xbox One version (rather than making either platform wait).
They have stated that Volgarr will go where the fans are, and as long as they can afford to make it happen. My question is, if enough wanted it, could we possibly see an actual Sega Genesis/Super Nintendo/Sega Dreamcast release of Volgarr?
Start the campaigns now!
[…] saw on the Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis as we reached the end of those consoles lifespans. In my previous article, I mentioned that there were many gameplay elements shared with classic titles such as Strider, […]