The Lost Vikings

The Lost Vikings
The Lost Vikings Packaging for the Super NES version.
Developer(s)	Silicon & Synapse
Publisher(s)	Interplay Entertainment (1992), Blizzard Entertainment (2003)
Designer(s)	Ron Millar
Composer(s)	Allister Brimble (Amiga and Amiga CD32 conversion) Charles Deenen (original SNES music) Matt Furniss (Genesis music) Glenn Stafford (DOS conversion)
Platforms	Amiga, Amiga CD32, Game Boy Advance, MS-DOS, Mega Drive/Genesis, Super NES, PlayStation
Release date(s)	1992, 2003
Genre(s)	Puzzle, platformer
Mode(s)	Single-player, cooperative

The Lost Vikings is a puzzle-platform video game developed by Silicon & Synapse (now Blizzard Entertainment) and published by Interplay. It was originally released for the Super NES in 1992, then subsequently released for the Amiga, Amiga CD32, MS-DOS, and Mega Drive/Genesis systems the next year; the Mega Drive/Genesis version contains five stages not present in any other version of the game. Blizzard re-released the game for the Game Boy Advance in 2003. In 2014 the game was added to Battle.net as a free download emulated through DOSBox.

In The Lost Vikings, the player controls three separate vikings with different abilities. Together the three must try to complete levels. The game features infinite opportunities of retries in case the player loses one of the Vikings. A sequel, The Lost Vikings 2, was released in 1997.

Plot

File:TheLostVikings.png

In-game screenshot

In the game, the three Vikings get kidnapped by Tomator, emperor of the alien Croutonian empire, for an inter-galactic zoo and become lost in various periods of time. After escaping through the airlock of the spaceship, they must traverse various bizarre locations to find their way home.

Character abilities

All three Vikings (Erik, Baleog and Olaf) have three health points which they can lose by getting hurt by enemies or by falling from great heights, and the ability to carry and use items, mainly keys, bombs, and food (which restore health points). Each of the Vikings has a unique set of abilities:

• Erik can run faster than the other two, can jump, and can bash through some walls (and enemies) with his helmet.
• Baleog can kill enemies with his sword, or from a distance with his bow (and a "life-time supply of arrows"). The bow can also be used to hit switches from a distance.
• Olaf can block enemies and their projectiles with his shield, and use his shield as a hang glider. Olaf's shield can also be used as a stepping stone for Erik to enable him to reach higher ground, which would not be possible without the shield.

Reception

Computer Gaming World in 1993 called The 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". Electronic Gaming Monthly in 1994 gave the Genesis version a 6.8 out of 10, remarking that "The music doesn't have the kick of the [Super NES] version (or the truly colorful graphics)", but that it is generally a well done conversion of "a really good puzzle game". Mega placed the game at #22 in their Top Mega Drive Games of All Time.