There are some games from the past that appear to be ripe for a comeback, aren’t there? Among these is the classic puzzle-platform romp called The Lost Vikings. This title was produced by Silicon & Synapse, which is now known as Blizzard Entertainment.
With a huge increase in interest levels for the Viking culture lately, the time seems right for a game like this to hit the headlines again.
The Story So Far
The Lost Vikings first appeared on our screens back in 1993. It was released in a variety of formats, for the likes of the SNES, the Mega Drive and the Amiga. If you missed it back then, it has since been re-released on the Game Boy Advance and through the DOSBox emulator.
What made this game so captivating was the fact that you controlled three different Vikings at the same time. They each had unique abilities and weaknesses, so you had to get them working together in harmony to stand a chance of finishing each level.
The success of this game saw a follow-up called The Lost Vikings 2 released in 1997. This time, the same three characters from the original were joined by a dragon and a werewolf that the player could control. The Vikings also got a range of updated abilities for this new challenge. The same characters also make an appearance in 2015’s Heroes of the Storm.
What Other Viking-Based Games Are There?
Do you crave more Viking-based games while waiting on a new instalment of The Lost Vikings? The action, adventure and brutality that we associate with Vikings make them ideal for many different types of game. While The Lost Vikings is all about strategy and solving increasingly difficult puzzles in the form of stages, others are based on fighting and exploring.
As well as action games such as God of War and For Honor, this culture is also explored extensively in many online slots games. These are often fun classic slots, meaning that they include 3 or 5 reels and a number of paylines spread across those reels. These slots focus on the unmistakable imagery of these warriors to stand out from the crowd. A good example is the Vikings Go Bezerk title from Yggdrasil, which features a rage-meter that shows how angry the Norse warriors are currently. Viking Runecraft, by Play’n Go, and Viking Quest from Microgaming are further examples of how this civilisation lends itself to action-packed slots.
Are There Any Signs of a Lost Vikings Sequel or Remake?
It isn’t clear why this addictive game never became the basis for a long-running franchise. The original and the sequel were both well received, with the sharp controls and the difficulty of the puzzles getting a lot of praise.
Since then, there have been few signs of another sequel, though. The lead designer at Blizzard, Matt Morris, however, did drop some subtle hints back at Blizzcon 2017. During an interview at the event, Morris said that they were interested in re-releasing some of their older games.
The Lost Vikings was mentioned in the interview but no specific details were given. Certainly, the original can still be downloaded for free online using the emulator mentioned earlier, but the developers appear to be too busy on other projects to update this classic just now.
It seems as though the wait for a new instalment of The Lost Vikings is destined to go on a bit longer. There are plenty of other games based on this culture, however, to keep us occupied until a sequel is finally released.