I do not recommend the game at this time. Id wait until the devs figure out what kind of game they want to make.

I am not saying the game is bad. I am saying that there is no game. This is all Art, and the Art is damn good. In fact, imho some of the best game Art I have seen.

Now, once they put in a game, then I hope it will be fun and interesting.

I don't know how this has so many good reviews. It's all style and no substance. The graphics are fantastic but the actual game is MIA.

Combat is literally just hold down attack until it's dead. Blocking when it even responds doesn't seem to do anything at all. The original Prince of Persia (1989), also an indie game, had better combat than Niffelheim (2016).

The rest of the game is just gathering resources to build something that will let you craft ingredients to build other things that let you craft other ingredients to build more things, etc. 90% of game time is spent clicking on trees or on rock walls to cut them or mine them respectively. Very dull and there is no decision making at all apart from what order to build things in, which makes literally no difference to anything at all anyway.

Maybe it will become more interesting as development continues, but for now avoid this game unless you want to stare vacantly at a very pretty rock wall as you chip away at it for half an hour to get enough gold ore to make your castle look a bit cooler and occasionally stop to click on some skeletons instead.

In summary this game is a beautiful and atmospheric grind with combat that's more a nuisance than a feature and zero decision making of any consequence. It might appeal to the kind of people who get a kick out of watching loading bars fill up.

If you come to this review, you must be interested already by the game nice visuals (very neat 2D art and animation) and very inspiring lost Viking theme; you must be wondering whether the "Terraria-like" gameplay would fit in this game and the way it is done.

Maybe the odd & slow movement and combat animation you saw in the gameplay vids left you wondering even more if you should purchase it.


So let's begin.
Despite these qualities, Niffelheim was a bad pick for me.

- Combat turns out to be slightly uninspiring.
- Movement is a chore (really).
- But the worst is much deeper.

The very worst part is the way you feel unattached to the game activities; something that would certainly stick even out of Early Access.

Constructions in this game and made as "set projects" on set places.
You must fulfill them in the place they have been set upon, and more or less in the given order.

There is a real separation between a Terraria-like game where you can build everything the way you see fit, and say, build a castle in the form of your friend's name; it is also a gamelpay like Don't Starve where you live your life the way you want and may set your camp about anywhere.

In Niffelheim, you just have projects to fulfill in set places, as if they were not even your own ideas.
This is not a freeform construction game but a restricted one.

This made me put this "Not Recommended".
I encourage the devs to follow a more opened route, and congratulate them for the nice art and setting of Niffelheim.

This is an EARLY ACCESS review, so expect this to evolve over time as bugs are fixed and features change, Copy was bought with my own funds.


Niffelheim is one of those rare creatures which seems to have turned up at just the right time, ever since the advent of Kingdom there's been a calling for a game which does Kingdom, but in a more meaningful and interesting way. One where you have a much more personal connection with the world you're involved with, and one where the lore is much more tightly woven with your character and their goals. Enter Niffelheim, one part Kingdom, one part Tormentum, one part Banner Saga. A world which judging by the areas you wander through, have had the kind of detail lavished upon them that you rarely see outside of games -like- Tormentum, which is high praise, this is genuinely good stuff here.

You play a recently deceased Viking on their way to Asgard, as you sail in your funeral boat, burning brightly in the pyre, your soul is captured and you are taken to Niffelheim, where you must fight your way to Asgard by showing that yes, you are indeed worthy of your rest in the halls of the hereafter. However, to begin with you start in a place which can be best summed up as bleak, yet beautiful. Wind and snow swept vistas combine with gorgeous hand painted scenery and a steady trudging viking complete with historically -accurate- (no horns!) armour, who must turn the little pittance of land he has found himself on into a defensible position, and then fight his way outwards, earning glory and fame before taking the fight to those that brought him to this forsaken land.


The current state of Niffelheim is best described as rough. There's very little guidance for the player, and you're more or less left to your own devices to figure out exactly what is going on. There's a few quests to kindof guide you, but at least at this point, you're entirely on your own. Understanding how to navigate the world can prove a bit of a challenge in itself, combat is most definitely not a finished article and feels clunky and unrefined, the control mappings are unreliable and feel like they could do with some visual UI and UX elements to help ensure the player knows what's going on on-screen when they press various buttons.

Even understanding how the character gains experience is going to be a real challenge to begin with, not to mention what items go in which slots, this is all stuff that will get fixed as time goes on, but make no mistake, on the Early Access scale, right now? This one is *Early*. Really Early. Having said that? I like it. I genuinely like it. There's a charm here that just grows on you, from the almost Tormentum like puzzle in the Workshop to open the safe to the various graphical indications to show how wounded the wildlife is, there's a lot of incidental detail that helps make the world feel *alive*. There's clearly a lot of will to make this game -great-, and if the execution can be brought up to the level of ambition, Niffelheim has the potential to be a genuine classic.


Niffelheim is a very specific recommendation. If you're not afraid of dealing with bugs, control mappings suddenly not working, more bugs, strange obscurities like "WHAT ON EARTH DOES WARRIOR LVL 2 MEAN?", yet more bugs. Under that very unfinished surface is the raw metal of an excellent game. Once it's been put through the fires and the forge, once it's been finished and polished, this could be an essential game. I truly hope the devs make it the game it deserves to be, because this is one I've got my eye on, and dearly hope it will come through on what it promises.

Verdict : If you're looking for an Early Access that offers something different and special, this might just be it.

TL;DR Kingdom and Terraria had a baby and it was a slow viking.

The game gets you going: you want to unlock new facilities, see more of crafting and explore the world. There's no freedom of digging like in Terraria, but there are tunnels 2 floors down of your starting location. Clearing tunnels is linear but quite satisfying. There's defense element about once an hour - you have skeleton waves which threaten destroying your home, that way you lose the whole game.

What I also like:
- every single icon of loot is well drawn, you want to have everything
- gold gets you home quickly! and buys you nice stuff from the shop (city)
- quests guide and teach you

My personal concerns, it may feel different for you:
- walking is slow, comparing to Terraria
- going back to your body after death is odd, although that way you will never lose your loot
- melee combat is sloppy, but it must be a subject of easy improvement
- I see no reasons to buy more lands, probably it's just backup bases
- skill system is disabled and looks shallow at the moment

What's making it Early Access:
- UI needs improvement
- balance issues
- some annoying bugs but nothing critical
- some content is locked

Feels like a few months away from full release.

Niffelheim is looking really good, i love the art style.
this is a 2D Action adventure RPG game, you start out at your base, and from here you start chopping down trees and mining for meterials.
Build and improve your base, explore dungeons, defend your land, Craft new weapons and gear.
Your Viking is a bit slow walking in my opinion, and i feel you need to chop down a lot of trees and mine a lot to even get started.
But if you enjoy crafting and what that brings with it, you have a hard time letting go playing this game once you start, ive had no issues gameplay wise or bugs in this early access so far.

Anyways heres a quick look at the start Gameplay
https://youtu.be/gwiBMZiz-Cs

Having read a few positive reviews I decided to delve into Niffelheim myself. I've not played Kingdoms, but I have put in my fair share of hours into Terraria. As one who has played many Early Access titles, I find this one to be more than satisfactory in terms of stability, bugs, and progress. I'm 2 or 3 hours into gameplay at the time of this First Impression.

In short: I'm having fun. The movement is slow, but the longer I've played the more I've come to accept it. This is not a fast-paced, adrenaline filled action packed ride. This is a plodding, lonely story of a Viking alone in the winter, building himself up as time allows. Once I accepted this and sat back to enjoy the ride, the pace became both bearable and understandable. I've not yet played co-op/multiplayer, but it intrigues me - the pace may well bother me more with others involved, we shall see.

What I have done is die. I've died to boars, I've died to bears. I've died to rock giants. And I've enjoyed it. In addition to that however, I've built a place for sheep I have yet to figure out how to catch, collected a stack of wolf pelts and a handful of bear and boar skins, crafted some better armor, built up a woodworking area and a small, level one smeltery. I've mine down a few levels below my hovel, slaying skeletons along the way and avoiding the rock giants as best I can. In doing this, I'm aware I'm only scratching the surface.

I see the direction this is headed, and the potential it holds. It is a solid Early Access entry, and I look forward to watching it evolve. Currently: It is slow. Combat is very basic. Chopping trees takes a long time compared to similar games. Food is odd, as I can apparently eat 7 or 8 entire bears before I'm fully healed. However, the game is unfinished - there is a lot of ground yet to cover, and despite the previous drawbacks, everything else provides for a very solid framework moving forward, and is already currently an enjoyable experience.

I'm a couple hours in and I have to say I really do enjoy the game, the fact I can play it with my husband makes it even better. Its the perfect match of crafting and fighting for us. He often get bored in crafting games because I want to venture out and find something to fight, while I'm usually content to mine and craft away. In this game we both get what we want, and the combat while a little wonky and in need of some fine tuning is still enjoyable. I would love to see them continue to work on this game. My only concern is I cant find anything but a facebook and a twitter account for the game, no website, no wiki in place. However even if the game was left as is, I'm fairly happy with this purchase and don't regret it. It's a very charming game.

I played this game for 2 hours straight and I barely touched the surface. The amount of hours you can get out of this game is insane. The beautiful art style combined with the RPG elements can make you forget about the time. There are always things to improve.

The best part is that this game is in early acces wich means that not even all features are inplemented yet. The game runs smooth and should be easy to handle on most systems. This game goes deeper than you might expect but that was fun about it. Getting suprised by the content this game offers.

A word of caution though. You should not buy this game if you hate collecting the same objects over and over again to use for bigger and bigger projects. Also this game can come over as confusing the first time you play it but learn of your mistakes, start another game and you are on your way.

If you are looking for a fresh unique 2d art style RPG game, look no further.


This is what to expect of your first playthrough:(please do not watch if you are looking to be suprised in this game)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSS5ZaAaHO0

https://youtu.be/zg4ZxCeBH_E
Game: Niffelheim
Genre: 2D Action Exploration
Developer: Ellada Games
Publisher: Ellada Games
Copy supplied by developer

Niffelheim is a 2D action exploration game developed and published by Ellada Games, and it is currently in Early Access.

The game is set in a Nordic fantasy setting. You play as a dead viking who is stopped by some demons from entering Valhalla, and instead they bring him to Niffelheim, which is a sort of limbo. Here, you will fight monsters, skeletons and other creatures of Norse mythology.
There is no story in the rest of the game, but I do appreciate the setting, which isn't used often in gaming, and it was a breath of fresh air from all the Greek mythology games.

The hand-drawn graphics are a beauty to look at: the backgrounds are full of detail and the character models are excellent. The only nitpick I have are the animations, which are a little bit too stiff and static.

This is going to make or break the game for you. If you are into Minecraft or any other game in which you collect resources to build houses and such, you are going to love this game. If you prefer a focus on action, you will be hugely disappointed.
The controls are very awkward, both with k/m and a controller. Chopping down trees and mining mines are really tedious, and the combat is very unresponsive: you keep mashing the attack button hoping that your opponent dies first, since trying to use the shield doesn't stop the attacks. Exploring the environments isn't even all that fun because your viking moves at a snail's pace.
These are all issues that those who enjoy this genre will look past, but other players will be hugely disappointed. Since it's in Early Access, I hope it gets fixed in the future to make the overall experience more enjoyable.

As stated before, the combat is very hard to grasp, and most encounters turn into a constant "attack-drink potion-attack" loop. Finding resources, while not necessarily hard, is very boring and long.

The voice acting is decent, and the soundtrack and ambient noises are very good.

There is definitely a lot of content in the game, and with more features being added over time, this has the potential of becoming one of the best games in the genre.

Overall, this is a great game for fans of this genre and one of the better Early Access releases in the last few months. But, if you are like me and prefer a more action-oriented game, I think you should give this a pass.


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