The Lost Vikings 2

Puzzle 1997 Dos Dosbox Interplay Lemmings variant Cartoon

Enjoyable sequel for fans of Lemmings and Gobliiins

The original Lost Vikings was an entertaining little Lemmings-style puzzler which was imitated by the likes of the equally enjoyable Gobliiins series so it's great to see that this sequel largely lives up the established standards. It retains the same general platform/puzzle gameplay of its predecessor but adds in a few new features to prevent the formula getting too stale. This time around, the plot sees out hapless heroes once again escaping from their nemesis Tomator on another epic journey through time. The basic goal remains to get your team of Vikings through a series of side-scrolling levels by making use of their individual abilities to solve the various puzzles that you encounter, but who must be used in concert if you are to be successful. The main addition this time around is two new characters, Scorch the dragon and Fang the wolf who can attack enemies, climb walls or fly, while the abilities for the established characters are also updated, including a new turbo-jump and a bionic arm. Apart from this, it's pretty much business as usual but that's no bad thing, as the puzzles and levels on display here are generally well designed and challenging. The graphics and sound have received a bit of an update with some slick cutscenes to convey the bonkers plot, while levels themselves are brimming with colour and personality, and which display some highly inventive environments to explore. While the lack of any major changes does make the game feel less innovative than the first game, it is still definitely worth checking out as it remains highly enjoyable. The new characters and abilities bring some variety to proceedings and provide plenty of opportunities for experimentation so if you are after a light-hearted puzzler, then check this out.

Less tight than the original but quite fun

The first installment of The Lost Vikings saw the poor, sweet Vikings battle with the unhinged Tomator, so that they could go back to their families. And, boy, was that a hell of a fight! They had to go through computer filled space ships, they had to go through candyland, through factory land, through all sort of challenging scenarios. But, while they did, indeed, manage to escape imprisonment, they were by no means done, as Tomator would soon reveal his real plan with the three mighty Vikings! What is that plan? Well, you'll have to play to find out1 All I'm going to say is that, overall, the game is still basically the same sidescroller platformer, where using the different skills of the characters is as important as it ever was. Naturally, the game doesn't feel as fresh as the original, so in that respect it's more of the same, with a tiny bit more graphical oomph, though not a lot more. What is indeed a bit more interesting is the story, which now is delivered through more advanced cutscenes which are a bit more engaging than the little dialogues in bubble form that the Vikings used to have, with one another, though that staple of the original is still present. So yeah, it's worth playing as well, though not as original as the first. A cool, much later alternative, would be Trine, which pays homage to the olden Sylicone and Synapse (later to be known as the might Blizzard!) development team.

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