The Lost Vikings
| Developer: Silicon and Synapse | Graphics: |
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| Publisher: Interplay | Sound: |
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| Year: 1993 | Difficulty: |
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| Genre: Puzzle-platformer | Lastability: |
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| Number of players: 1 | Rating: |
8/10 | |
Three Vikings have been abducted by aliens, and it looks like it’s up to us to help them get home!
The introductions:
Erik the speedster: he runs fast, jumps high, and smashes through walls with his head.
Olaf the strongman: his massive shield can block projectiles. He can also double as a parachute or a stepping stool.
Baleog the terrible: his thing is weapons. When Erik’s head or Olaf’s shield aren’t enough to handle a situation, he’s the one who negotiates.
What we have here is a rather cerebral platform game, despite the cast. You control our three heroes in turn, making use of their abilities to overcome all the obstacles in their way. Various items are sometimes required, like keys or bombs. Their wild escape takes them to rather unexpected locations (the inside of a spaceship, a jungle, ancient Egypt … the land of sweets…). The enemies and puzzles are fairly inventive and varied, the cartoony animations come complete with amusing comic-book-style dialogue bubbles. The only complaints I’d have are the long loading times and the rather unimpressive scenery. I’d also like to know why the background is pitch-black, when it doesn’t seem to be on the consoles. I’d recommend the Sega Genesis version, which contains five additional levels, and, more importantly, a multiplayer mode (up to three)!
The Lost Vikings remains the flagship title from Silicon and Synapse, later known as Blizzard.
A sequel was released on Super Nintendo in 1997, and the concept was revisited in 2009 by Trine.
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