Viking Squad — Review
by Slick Entertainment
There’s something about the way we’ve evolved in our gaming habits. Something that has taken us from familiar faces, to creating longstanding friendships with strangers from all over the world; thanks to the internet. Which leads us to a 2016 where our interactions during games are abundantly skewed towards an online avenue.
This isn’t bad. It’s just different.
Couch co-op has been a major trend in the development of independent games of late. Probably because they tend to be made by designers whom have nostalgic daydreams about a time when couch-based game play was the norm.
That’s where Vancouver; BC’s Slick Entertainment steps in. A studio that consists of the who’s who of kick-ass local developers. Those “Life of the party” types. Epic in scale, and formidable in humbleness. Popular among the local West Coast dev scene.
Finally, after all of their hard work, Viking Squad was released to the masses back in October. To an undeserving fizzle of excitement. Which speaks volumes to the weight of decent publisher backing, and says almost nothing to the quality of the game they’ve managed to make.
VS (Viking Squad) is a VERY polished cooperative side-scroller that has you sets you asunder into a land of mystical treasures, treacherous enemies, and more jovial combat than you can shake an ax at.
There are large mechanics that revolve around collecting as much gold, or priceless things to sell, in order to buy equipment that boosts your vikings ability. But at the heart of VS is a classical feel; a hack n slash mentality.
Using lanes (instead of free roam) players must traverse a beautifully crafted artistic–dare I say–masterpiece, in order to solve small puzzles, and bring death to the conjured darkness.
There are four Vikings to choose from and they all differ in their approach to combat. With typical hit/block combos, some characters are faster, others are stronger. Choose wisely, or play them all to get a full-range of experiences. No two feel the same.
There is also a “rune” system that gives each Viking an amazing (and sometimes screen-clearing) ability to use after your bar has been filled by combat.
VS is funny, it’s sharp, it’s a treat on the eyes, and everything they do differently when it comes to mechanics are tiny breaths of fresh air as opposed to walls built to damage your calm, or shake your previously earned abilities in “beat-em-ups”.
You can see the character oozing from their devblog notes–which is another way that Slick Ent sticks out from the crowd–they’re very open with their process. These folks are not your average developers.
Back to the game!
To combat the growth of online multiplayer, VS lets you fill your living-room with helpful Viking pals–which I assume is why they added SQUAD to their name. Ever the hip internet kids (google Squad Goals, or Suicide Squad), Slick Ent is also well known on the live-streaming platform Twitch, where you can find them developing games, or see Viking Jesse slay with his digital art skills.
At the end of the day couch-based co-op isn’t your only option, as you can ALSO invite friends in via online platforms, or even invite strangers to fight alongside you via matchmaking!
If you’re looking for an amazingly stunning visual experience that provides you and some mates with a great adventure (with little to no hand-holding), then I’d be hard-pressed to suggest any game over Viking Squad.
