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| The Lost Vikings | |
|---|---|
 North American SNES cover art | |
| Developer | Silicon & Synapse |
| Publishers | Interplay Productions Blizzard Entertainment (GBA) |
| Designer | Ron Millar |
| Composers | Charles Deenen Allister Brimble (Amiga) Matt Furniss (Genesis) |
| Platforms | Super Nintendo,Genesis,Amiga,MS-DOS,Amiga CD32,Game Boy Advance,Nintendo Switch,PlayStation 4,Windows,Xbox One |
| Release | |
| Genre | Puzzle-platform |
| Modes | Single-player,multiplayer |
The Lost Vikings is a 1993puzzle-platform game developed by Silicon & Synapse (nowBlizzard Entertainment) and published byInterplay Productions. In the game, the player controls three separatevikings with different abilities. The three vikings must work together to finish each level and find their way back home.
The game was initially released for theSuper NES,[4] then subsequently released for theAmiga,Amiga CD32,MS-DOS, andMega Drive/Genesis. A sequel,The Lost Vikings 2, was released in 1997.
Blizzard re-releasedThe Lost Vikings for theGame Boy Advance in 2003 and forBattle.net in 2014. In 2021, the game was re-released forNintendo Switch,PlayStation 4,Windows, andXbox One as part of theBlizzard Arcade Collection.
Three Vikings—Erik the Swift, Baleog the Fierce, and Olaf the Stout—get kidnapped by Tomator, emperor of the alien Croutonian empire, for an inter-galactic zoo. They are able to escape the ship, but get lost in various periods of time. They must traverse various bizarre locations, and eventually confront and defeat Tomator, to find their way home.
The Lost Vikings is aside-scrollingplatform adventure where the player alternates control of the three Viking characters, guiding each of them one at a time (though control may be swapped from character to character at any point) from a designated start point to the exit. The Mega Drive/Genesis version of the game offers a two-playercooperative mode in which each player simultaneously controls one Viking and is allowed to change control to the third, unused Viking at any point. Every level is designed so that each Viking must contribute his unique skills to help the other two through to the end. Similarly, to finish the level, all three characters must reach the exit point. Every Viking has three health points that can be lost by getting hurt by enemies or by falling from great heights. Any Viking that runs out of health points will die. Gameplay will then continue with the remaining Vikings, but the level becomesunwinnable, and the player will eventually have to restart and try again. However, the game offers unlimitedcontinues.
Each Viking has the ability to carry and use items such as keys, bombs, and food (that restores health points). These items can also be swapped between characters as long as they are close to each other. Each Viking also has a unique set of skills:
The game consists of 37 levels and 42 levels in Mega Drive/Genesis version.
The Lost Vikings was initially influenced by the popular puzzle-based game,Lemmings. The original concept for the title had players managing hundreds of tiny onscreen vikings with different skills to defeat enemies and conquer enemy territory. However, as the game was to be developed primarily for consoles, developers realized that larger characters would work better for television screens and that players liked having direct control of the game characters. So they decreased the number of vikings down to five, then to three. Console limits on the number of onscreen colors also influenced the game's color palette, with the game's artists favoring more vibrant colors to stand out on a television screen.[5]
The Lost Vikings was initially released by Interplay for theSuper NES in 1993.[6] Later in the year Interplay released versions of the game for theAmiga andMS-DOS. The following year, the company released versions for theAmiga CD32 andMega Drive/Genesis. The Mega Drive/Genesis version contains five stages not present in any other version of the game, and can also be played by three players simultaneously. Blizzard re-released the game for theGame Boy Advance in 2003 and in 2014, the game was added toBattle.net, emulated throughDOSBox.[7]In celebration of Blizzard's 30th anniversary,The Lost Vikings was re-released forNintendo Switch,PlayStation 4,Windows, andXbox One as part of theBlizzard Arcade Collection in February 2021.[8] The package includes both the SNES and Genesis versions, as well as a "Definitive" version which combines features from both versions such as the 3-player co-op mode and extra levels from the Genesis version.[5]
Both Olaf and Baleog make an appearance in the 1993 gameRock n' Roll Racing; Olaf can be unlocked as a hidden character, while Baleog appears on several billboards advertising "Viking Cola" on the planet Bogmire.
In the32X version ofBlackthorne, all three Vikings appear in a secret area in the second snow level.
The Lost Vikings have also had cameo appearances in Interplay'sClayFighter games: Olaf appeared in Helga's ending in the firstClayFighter, Helga being his girlfriend, but she later dumped him for Tiny; Erik and Baleog's faces appear as animated sculptures in the stage "Clay Keep" (Tiny's stage) inClayFighter 2: Judgment Clay; in some interviews, Interplay designers hinted one of them would have appeared in the then upcomingClayFighter III, but that never happened.
They have also appeared asNPCs inMMORPGWorld of Warcraft in the dungeon Uldaman. One of the quests in Uldaman also requires the player to collect the Shaft of Tsol and Amulet of Gni'Kiv, which spell out "Lost" and "Vik'ing" when read backwards. The shaft and amulet are combined to form the Staff of Prehistoria, which fits the theme of Uldaman and also is an area inThe Lost Vikings. In theWorld of Warcraft: Cataclysm expansion, they feature prominently in a quest line for the Alliance faction in the Badlands area of Eastern Kingdoms. InWorld of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor, Olaf can appear as one of the random daily quest NPCs if the players have the Frostwolf Tavern/Lunarfall Inn as a building in their Garrison. InWorld of Warcraft: Dragonflight, the three brothers come back to a new version of the Uldaman dungon: "Uldaman: Legacy of Tyr". This time, they are the first enemy boss to defeat, as their prolonged stay in the Titan underground complex maddened them.
In theWarcraft III: The Frozen Throne's "Monolith" scenario, the names for the Dark Troll Commando hero are the same as those for the Lost Vikings: Erik the Swift, Baleog the Fierce and Olaf the Stout.
A flying unit inStarCraft II is called the Viking, and there is a picture of the unit on their website, subtitledThe Lost Vikings. In addition, repeatedly selecting the Viking unit inStarCraft II makes the Viking pilot mention Erik, Baleog, and Olaf getting lost, as he tries to contact them. He also sets in coordinates forNorse by Norse-west. There is also an arcade console in the Cantina of Battleship Hyperion inStarCraft II calledThe Lost Viking, which is a mini playable vertically scrolling shooter game featuring the Viking unit inStarCraft II.
The Lost Vikings reprised their role asplayable characters in the crossovermultiplayer online battle arena video gameHeroes of the Storm.[9][10] Unlike other heroes in the game, who are played as a single unit, selecting the Lost Vikings as a hero gives the player control over all three Vikings. This allows the player to control them as individuals or issue commands to all three at once. Erik is faster than most other heroes, and attacks from range with a slingshot. Baleog has the greatest attack power of the three, and throws swords from a medium range, dealing area damage to enemies near his target. Olaf has the highest health pool, and recovers quickly when he is not in combat.
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| AllGame | 4/5 (SNES)[11] 3.5/5 (SMD)[12] |
| Aktueller Software Markt | 11/12[17][18] 10/12 (CD32)[19] |
| Amiga Computing | 84%[13] |
| Amiga Format | 79%[14] 72% (CD32)[15] |
| Amiga Power | 87%[16] |
| Computer and Video Games | 88/100 (SMD)[20] 90/100 (SNES)[21] |
| Electronic Gaming Monthly | 8/10, 6/10, 6/10, 7/10, 7/10 (SMD)[22] 30/40 (SNES)[23] |
| GamePro | 17/20[2] |
| GamesMaster | 90%[24] |
| GameSpot | 7.1/10[25] |
| GameZone | 7.9/10[27] |
| IGN | 8.5/10[28][29] |
| Jeuxvideo.com | 16/20[30] |
| Mean Machines Sega | 84/100[33] |
| Mega Fun | 83/100[31][32] |
| Nintendo Power | 14.2/20[34] |
| Total! | 87%[35] |
| Video Games (DE) | 80% (SMD)[36] 78% (SNES)[37] |
| VideoGames & Computer Entertainment | 9/10 (SNES)[38] |
| The One | 90%[39] |
Computer Gaming World in 1993 calledThe Lost Vikings "a clever blend of comedy and role playing". The magazine concluded that "the game is a unique puzzle solving adventure, great for people who enjoy using their cerebral cortex along with their eye to hand coordination".[40] Zach Meston ofVideoGames & Computer Entertainment praised the difficult puzzles, humor, distinctive visual style, personable character animation, and upbeat music. He summarized the game as "funny, fresh and challenging enough to keep you playing for hours on end".[38]
Electronic Gaming Monthly in 1994 remarked of the Genesis version that "the music doesn't have the kick of theSuper NES version (or the truly colorful graphics)", but it is generally a well done conversion of "a really good puzzle game".[22]AllGame stated it was "methodically paced and intelligently designed" and that "the nice graphics combined with the funny (and sometimes helpful) dialogue givesThe Lost Vikings more personality than most other video games. To top it off, the controls are sharp, and the level of challenge is high without being frustrating".[11]Super Gamer magazine gave the SNES version a score of 92%, writing: "A huge variety of puzzles to this Lemmings game. Funny, fun and completely addictive".[41]
Nintendo Power rankedThe Lost Vikings the seventh-best SNES game of 1993. They lauded the gameplay, calling it "deep and compelling" and praised the graphics and sound.[42]Mega placed the game at number 22 in their Top Mega Drive Games of All Time.[43] In 1995, Total! placed the game 52nd on its Top 100 SNES Games.[44] In 1996,Super Play awarded the game 94th in its Top 100 SNES Games of All Time.[45] IGN listed The Lost Vikings 30th in their "Top 100 SNES Games of All Time. They praised the game calling it a "Masterpiece" and praised the "nearly perfect" puzzle dynamics.[46] In 2018,Complex ratedThe Lost Vikings 93rd on their "The Best Super Nintendo Games of All Time".[47]