The Lost Vikings 2

The Lost Vikings 2
Packaging for the Super NES version
Developer(s)	Blizzard Entertainment (SNES) Beam Software (Saturn, PS, PC)
Publisher(s)	Interplay Entertainment
Designer(s)	Ron Millar, Chris Metzen (additional design)
Composer(s)	Glenn Stafford (Super NES), Brian Luzietti and Johann Langlie (Saturn, PS and PC music)
Platform(s)	Super NES, Sega Saturn, PlayStation, PC
Release	February 27, 1997 SNES PC'Saturn'PlayStation
Genre(s)	Side-scrolling puzzle, platformer
Mode(s)	Single-player, 2 player cooperative

The Lost Vikings 2 is a puzzle platform video game developed by Blizzard Entertainment and published by Interplay. The sequel to The Lost Vikings, it features the original three characters plus two new playable characters, Fang the wolf and Scorch the dragon. However, to avoid becoming too complex, the game only lets the player control three of the five characters in each level. The gameplay remains largely the same, though the pre-existing characters all have new or modified abilities.

Plot

After escaping from Tomator in The Lost Vikings, Erik, Olaf, and Baleog have lived joyous and fruitful Viking lives. Then one day, after returning home from a fishing trip, the Vikings get captured by Tomator again. Tomator then calls upon a robotic guard to send them into the Arena, which unfortunately falls short when a system failure happens. During the blackout, the three Vikings dismantle the robot piece by piece and wear its parts on their body, thus granting them new abilities. The three Vikings are then sent through time once again when Olaf pulls the switch on the time machine that says "Do Not Touch", which he mistakes for donuts. Equipped with the new robotic gear from the robot guard they destroyed earlier, Erik, Olaf, and Baleog must fight their way through time once again in order to find their way back home. Along the way, they befriend a wolf named Fang (whom they continuously humorously mistake for a different animal) and a dragon named Scorch.

Title

All versions of the second game, except the original SNES release, were titled Lost Vikings 2: Norse by Norsewest (Norse by Norse West: The Return Of Lost Vikings in the U.S.). The SNES version, being produced and released earlier, did not feature the secondary title and was called simply The Lost Vikings 2. The SNES version is highly rare in the PAL region while the PlayStation version is quite common. The Sega Saturn version is borderline on rare. Norse by Norsewest versions were done by a different company from the SNES release, commissioned by the original company who wanted The Lost Vikings 2 modernised and on modern platforms to evolve from the aging SNES.

Character abilities

• Erik now has turbo boots which allow him to jump much higher than before and can smash certain overhead walls with his turbo jump. The helmet also allows him to swim (he is the only one of the five characters with this ability).
• Baleog's bow and arrow has been replaced with a bionic arm which can smash enemies from distance. The range is somewhat limited compared to his arrows from the first game, but the bionic arm also allows Baleog to swing in the air using special hooks and to grab some items inaccessible to others.
• Olaf can release gas that propels him upward, giving him limited aerial range, as well as the power to destroy certain floors. In addition to his hang-gliding abilities, he can also shrink and squeeze through tiny gaps.
• Fang can jump, climb walls by clinging to them with his claws, and slash enemies with the claws from close range.
• Scorch has a fireball attack which damages enemies and can trigger certain switches. He can also fly until he gets exhausted, at which point he can glide softly down, like Olaf.

Graphics and sound

The sequel was originally developed for the SNES in 1995, three years after the first game. The SNES version used technology very similar to the original installment, with similar, cartoonish graphics and 16-bit sound and music. Later releases (PC, PlayStation, Saturn) featured pre-rendered 3D graphics, CD music and extensive voice acting provided by Rob Paulsen (Erik), Jeff Bennett (Baleog & Fang), Jim Cummings (Olaf, Tomator), and Frank Welker (Scorch).