14 DAY TRIAL // 
Zombie Vikings understands that the side-scrolling brawler genre has been underrepresented for the past few years and delivers a relatively classic take on the formula, with a variety of heroes, some imaginative enemies and a story that does not always make sense but is enough to keep gamers fighting to make progress.
I remember spending a lot of my pocket money when I was young to play Golden Axe in my local arcade, often enjoying the combat mechanics of the title, but I was often frustrated by the fact that my coop often failed to coordinate enough to beat big mobs of enemies or bosses.
Zombie Vikings feels more forgiving than the classic SEGA experience and is equally suited for solo and cooperative play, and the title needs to be praised for its easy-to-pick-up mechanics and for the wide number of options that the combat system offers.
Unfortunately, there's little in the way of innovation in the game, and my sessions with it put me in the mood to find an arcade and play some more Golden Axe rather than recruit friends to enjoy this more modern take on the genre.
Zombie Vikings is created by Zoink Games and can be played on the PlayStation 4 as well as on the PC.
Story
Zombie Vikings starts off with Odin, who seems to be already somewhere near the limits of his sanity, losing his remaining eye to Loki, who seems a little too interested in creating chaos, and choosing to summon undead Norse warriors in order to get it back.
The initial choices, later joined by a fifth, are Gunborg, Seagurd, Hedgy and Caw-kaa, each with a distinct personality, special moves and with a backstory detailing their undead origins and the way they interact with the world and the quest they are on.
The narrative that Zoink creates for Zombie Vikings is interesting and delivers riffs on Norse culture as we perceive it via the lens of modern TV shows and movies linked to it and mixes in some pop references for good measure, although not all the dialogue is guaranteed to deliver an actual smile or laugh.
A mysterious fifth character is introduced deep into the game, which opens up some new opportunities for the stages that take place before, mainly because he comes complete with a play style that's very different from that of the original four.
Gameplay
Zombie Vikings is a side-scrolling brawler with some good combat mechanics and a variety of enemies that require a good grasp of a character's skills to take out and can create some big and exciting brawls.
Each of the characters can deliver a classic attack, two versions of a special one and can create more impressive moves by mixing them both with jumps and sprints, with a block offered to stop enemy projectiles when enemy numbers are overwhelming.
Enemies can also be thrown but the move feels a little unnecessary in the middle of a big fight, and I only used it when the game asked me to progress or deal with a particular boss.
The first few levels feel a little too easy, and most enemies fail to pose a challenge on their own, but as the campaign progresses, the developers at Zoink introduce bigger groups and create situations where death is a possibility for the player who fails to dodge as many attacks as possible while taking our isolated enemies quickly.
There are smaller bosses in the middle of most levels and more unique and powerful ones at the end, with patterns that gamers will have to figure out, although a brute approach, focused on dealing damage and using speed bursts to avoid incoming strikes also works most of the time.
Before most levels gamers can choose from the cast of four (later five) and then use both weapons and runes, unlocked using gathered gold and via side-quests, to add certain capabilities to the chosen character, which creates some variety but does not significantly contribute to replay value.
I play mostly as Seagurd, a pirate who has mixed body parts with a sea monster, mostly because of his hilarious special attack and because he mixes speed with good damage dealing potential.
Gungborg is more focused on brute strength, Caw-Kaa is good for players who want more aerial action while Hedgy vomits skulls and moves very fast across levels.
Zombie Vikings breaks up the levels with cutscenes and with side-quests, which are entirely optional, but they cannot keep the game from becoming repetitive relatively quickly, even if the brawls themselves continue to be engaging.
“When playing solo, it's a good idea to constantly switch between characters to alleviate the issue, and this also serves as a good argument for players to try and recruit friends for longer sessions.”
It's a little unfortunate that Zoink Games has not tried to introduce bolder game mechanics to make Zombie Vikings a more varied experience, one that can replace classics in a player's library rather than only offer a new take on familiar ideas.
In one year, it's unlikely that I will come back to the title to once again enjoy its mechanics and story, but I might spend the time to get to an actual arcade that features a Golden Axe machine.
Graphics and audio
Zombie Vikings uses a very cartoon-driven look that does not use too many elements linked to the Norse mythology but delivers plenty of content that's linked to the undead nature of the core characters and plenty of their enemies.
The levels themselves are well-crafted, with plenty of options for players to find secrets and explore side-quests, and I appreciate the way simple touches, like brains replenishing health, manage to make the universe feel coherent and interesting.
There are moments when details get a little lost during big brawls when I found my attention focusing on the signs that I was dealing damage and the health bars of characters and enemies, but there are plenty of cutscenes that show off the unique world.
The soundtrack of Zombie Vikings is pretty impressive, with a mix of ska and funk that has little connection with Norse culture but manages to make playing the levels very enjoyable.
The voice acting is also of high-quality and the lines, even the cheesing of the lot, make sense when the characters speak them.
Multiplayer
Zombie Vikings can be engaging on its own, but the game reveals its full ability to engage players when a few friends get together to cooperate in the brawling, each choosing his favorite character as they explore the levels and find ways to improve each other's performance.
Good teamwork is required for progress and makes the process of taking out enemies more enjoyable, but the game also encourages players to compete with each other, with mini-games and direct combat used to determine who gets a certain reward.
The Good
- Combat system
- Narrative and humor mix
- Cooperative system
The Bad
- Can become repetitive
- Some hit and miss story moments
Conclusion
The entire campaign is also interesting when played solo, especially because Zoink forces players to try out all the protagonists, but there's a lot of extra value for those who choose to engage with other humans as they play.
The biggest problem with the title is that it lacks any innovation when it comes to the core brawling mechanics, and there's a point, about four hours in when it's hard to justify playing because the game has already shown everything it has to offer other than the narrative.
Zombie Vikings is a solid title for those who love the core concepts that power it and have good memories of Streets of Rage or Golden Axe and also offers a good entry point for those who want to see what a modern take on the brawler looks and plays like.
