Overview
The Lost Vikings is a puzzle platformer released for multiple personal computer systems and home consoles in 1993. Developed by Silicone & Synapse (the company that would become Blizzard Entertainment) and published by Interplay, the game lets you control three Viking warriors who are abducted by aliens and have to find their way home. Each Viking has a unique set of skills, and you’ll need to use these in combination to make your way safely through each level.
Gameplay
Drawing influence from the hit game Lemmings, The Lost Vikings tasks you with using the combined skills of three characters to overcome about 40 stages. There’s Erik the Swift, who can run, jump, and bash things with his head. There’s Baleog the Fierce, who can slash with a sword or shoot arrows, but has no defensive capabilities. And there’s Olaf the Stout, who can use his shield to deflect attacks, glide down from high places, and serve as a step up for Erik to reach tall platforms. Like Baleog's lack of defense, Olaf has no offensive skills.
Each character is tuned to his abilities. Olaf seems to lumber when he walks, while Erik moves swiftly and easily. Baleog can’t defend but can strike quickly with either weapon. And so on. The game’s early levels teach you how to use each Viking’s skills, building on previous lessons to show how they can work together.
Over the course of the game, you’ll travel on a spaceship, tour ancient Egypt, fumble through a factory, and more. Each world has its own set of hazards and puzzles; rather than palette-swap baddies, every new area introduces new challenges.
And to be sure, The Lost Vikings is a challenging game.
Early levels may seem like a cakewalk, but the stages become progressively longer and more complex. The game’s overall difficulty curve progresses logically, but some of the later levels are downright punishing, with no opportunity to save your game midlevel. This means that even a tiny misstep can result in you having to repeat the stage over and over and over again. That’s partially because all three Vikings have to reach the exit — completing the level with less than your whole party also counts as a failure.
The Lost Vikings follows this formula for every stage of the game, luring you in with the ease of the early levels before putting your patience and skills to the test with increasingly harder impediments.
Graphics & Sound
The Lost Vikings showcases some wonderful 16-bit graphics, with superb pixel art for both the characters and stages. Erik, Baleog, and Olaf all have their own unique movements and animations.
Likewise, each world that the Vikings visit has a unified design that is distinct from the other worlds. The spaceship levels are comprised of industrial grays and blues, while Egypt is full of bright sandstone blocks. Wacky World is the most unique of the bunch, seemingly constructed of peppermint sticks with smiley face obstacle blocks and air pumps that you can use to inflate the Vikings.
Charles Deenen composed the music for the original Super Nintendo version of the game, though different composers were called in to adapt his music for the various ports. Deenen, an industry veteran, created music that once again fits the personality of each level. Plus, the game’s opening and closing tracks have a distinctly 90s feel to them.
Story
The Lost Vikings has a fairly straight-forward story, but it’s full to the brim with humor. One night, Erik, Baleog, and Olaf are kidnapped from their village by an alien named Tomator, who wants the trio for his collection of unique life-forms. By escaping Tomator’s ship, the Vikings are cast through various portals as they try to find their way home.
Erik, Baleog, and Olaf engage in dialogue at the start of each world and at the end of every level. The player learns more about them and their friendship as they grouse and poke fun at each other. They also seem to know more about each era they visit than one would expect — even time periods that take place in their future.
Some of the game’s best humor comes when the Vikings break the fourth wall. If you fail a level too many times, the Vikings will reprimand you. If you keep doing this, you’ll get increasingly frustrated commentary. This kind of comedy was typical for games released by Blizzard at the time. (Think: The random life tips or exploding critters in Warcraft II.)
Final Thoughts & How to Play
The Lost Vikings is a fantastic looking puzzle game with a steadily increasing difficulty curve that can become quite frustrating by the end of the game. Some of the later levels require perfect execution to complete or have difficult traps near the ends of the stages that require you to repeat the entire level if you fail. Though a password system lets you continue where you left off, not being able to save mid-level in some of the longer, more difficult stages could be a turn-off for some players. Playing a version of The Lost Vikings with save states may make the game more enjoyable for those who grow frustrated. If nothing else, the game's humor should keep you entertained, even when you fail.
On consoles, the Sega Genesis port is considered one of the better versions of the game. It allows for up to three players with the official Sega multitap and has five more levels than most other versions of the game. Loose copies go for around $15 on the secondary market, while complete copies cost around $40. The Lost Vikings has been rereleased on multiple platforms. If you’re looking for a puzzle game to sink your teeth into, consider helping these Vikings find their way home.
