We re living in a fighting game renaissance. There are fighting games for almost every taste, whether that s epic family feuds involving demons and bear bodyguards, slapstick platformer shenanigans, Tetris anime crossovers, or cutesy horses kicking each other across the screen. But with so much choice one problem remains: fighting games are an intimidating genre to learn. Even with games like Skullgirls, Guilty Gear Xrd and Under Night giving you in depth step-by-step tutorials, there s an overwhelming number of options to learn and keep in mind. So keeping that in mind, I d like to suggest a very different alternative to learning the genre s core concepts: Nidhogg 2.

Nidhogg 2 might not seem like the obvious choice; in fact, some might not even consider it a proper fighting game. It lacks the flashy combos, technical skills, and diverse rosters that help give fighting games their depth. But look closer and you ll see that the fundamental skills needed to succeed at Nidhogg 2 are the same as those you ll use in other fighting games, just at a smaller scale.

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The original Nidhogg was a tense, terse swordfighting game best played in local multiplayer. Nidhogg 2 changes the art style, adds an array of new weapons, and in the process makes it less tense and less fun. (more…)

Abstract multiplayer fencing game Nidhogg didn’t need its minimalist style to be buried under a splatter of aggressively grotesque paint and gore. It didn’t need extra weapons to upset the perfect balance and precision of its two-button combat. It certainly didn’t need its titular wurms to chew the air with stumpy rotten teeth.

All a Nidhogg sequel really needs, to justify its existence entirely, is better netcode and maybe a couple of new modes to play with. By messing with the original formula, particularly with that divisive visual switch, Nidhogg 2 [official site] risks proving that more can sometimes be less. Here’s wot I think.

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We recently found out that the frantic and melodramatic fencing of Nidhogg would be making a return thanks to the sequel plans of developers Messhof. Nidhogg 2 [official site] is set to include new weapons, levels and a surreal new art style. We talked to co-founders Mark Essen and Kristy Norindr about what can be expected when we roll up our sleeves for the next duel.

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And not just axes. Bows and arrows, throwing knives and good old-fashioned fisticuffs will all feature in the sequel to the hectic fencing and neck-snapping game Nidhogg [official site]. Messhof s original foray into poking people with sharp objects first appeared in the dark ages of 2010 and then vanished for approximately one thousand years before finally being released to euphoric applause. Now, Nidhogg 2 [same official site] is in the works, the developer has announced. It looks both wildly different and comfortably familiar. Come watch the trailer.

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