Trial by Viking (v2018.04.06)

Odin’s agent is sent into a hostile Norse fantasy underworld where every tunnel promises treasure, a trap, or an axe-wielding kobold looking for blood. Trial by Viking plays like a rambunctious action-platformer with dungeon-crawling structure, mixing mythic atmosphere with deliberately goofy physical comedy. Its tone shifts easily from tense escapes through spike-filled ruins to chaotic brawls where enemies and objects tumble around under ragdoll physics. Beneath the cartoonish presentation sits a surprisingly large adventure across the nine worlds, packed with dangerous detours and escalating boss encounters.

Progress comes from pushing through interconnected areas, locating keys and useful gear, and returning to earlier routes once new movement tools open inaccessible paths. Combat centers on close-range axe fighting, but the hero gradually gains more imaginative options, including enemy-dashing, wall jumps, grappling-hook swings, polar bear transformation, and temporary forms such as a tiny or metal-clad Viking. Environmental challenges demand more than reflexes: switches, gears, ropes, vents, hidden rooms, and hazard mazes regularly break up the fighting. Some sequences change the rules entirely, letting players guide a Valkyrie through airborne obstacles, cling to an owl’s claws, or sail a longboat while trading blows with orcs.

What makes Trial by Viking memorable is its willingness to pile several classic platforming ideas into one sprawling campaign rather than committing to a single gimmick. The 130 areas and 27 boss fights give it more substance than its playful visuals initially suggest, while character points allow players to tailor statistics toward their preferred approach. Narrative choices also matter late in the adventure, steering the story toward one of two final confrontations. Fans of old-school, exploration-heavy platformers in the vein of Shovel Knight or Metroid-style action adventures should find plenty to enjoy, especially if they appreciate tough traps, oddball transformations, and a little chaos alongside their Viking heroics.