"Hey you, Thor...little help for us vikings?"

Well, this is such a nice sleeper hit. I like it so much that I'd like to share my opinion on it. The Lost Vikings, released on the PC and numerous other platforms, is a game starring, well, vikings! This game is a clever title that is really fun to play, and I hope that if you ever play it, you will enjoy it as much as I have.

Visuals: Okay, they aren't really pretty or fantastic, but they get the job done. The vikings themselves are pretty well detailed and animated. They even have standing still animations, a somewhat rare thing back when this game was released. The enemies are also animated decently, and the surroundings are rather nice looking.

Sound/Music: Like the visuals, they don't stand out, but they're good enough. You can make out sounds like a fall from the vikings or a wall being destroyed, and the music is nicely preformed. There's not much else to say here.

Story: This one is a little different than your standard game plot. Three vikings, Erik the Swift, Olaf the Stout, and Baleog the Fierce, are enjoying their nice viking lives. However, they are abducted by an alien spacecraft in their sleep. They soon group back together and find out why they're there. It happens that a guy named Tomator has abducted them so the vikings can be exhibits in an intergalactic zoo of some kind. The vikings don't like this, obviously. Their only goal now is to find a way home.
The vikings will talk before and after the beginning of some of the levels, and a lot of their comments are actually a little humorous. In fact, if you die enough in this game, the vikings will complain that they've been trying to beat a certain level too much. It's actually pretty funny sometimes.

Gameplay: This is a very clever puzzle/platformer hybrid game of sorts. The goal of each level is to reach its exit, so you must find a way to get there. This is where the puzzle part of the game comes in. Each part of the level is different in many ways, and each viking must work together to finish each level alive.
With the exception of the first level, you start in a certain area, whether it be desert, spaceship, or many other different surroundings. You must use each viking to clear a certain part of the level to continue through it. It seems simple, but believe me, it isn't.
Each viking has certain abilities that the other vikings don't have. Erik is the quickest of the three, and he's the only one that can jump. He can also bash down certain walls with his head (don't worry, he doesn't get hurt doing that). He can also hurt enemies by doing this, but it isn't recommended.
Olaf is the only one to have to have a shield, and it has many uses. Olaf can, obviously, block enemy attacks and projectiles by putting the shield in front of him or above him. By putting the shield on above him, he can also glide slowly down to the ground without hurting himself. His shield can also give Erik a boost in jumping by having the shield in front of him.
Baleog is the attacker of the group. He has an arsenal of arrows, and he can use his trusty sword. Both can destroy enemies easily, and do other strange things. You'll see if you play the game. That's about all he can do, though.
By putting these abilities to use, you may uncover items for you to use. Some aren't 100 percent necessary to have(food to recover health, shields to stand one enemy attack, and ''smart bombs''), while others are necessary to beat the level (keys to open doors, and other such things).
Each level is different in structure, and you must do certain things to advance through it whether it be jumping onto a ledge with Erik and hitting a switch to let Olaf and Baleog walk through a gate, or using a shield to protect the vikings from fire while having Baleog attacking an advancing enemy. Some of the levels may be frustratingly hard, but all can be beaten. You may be so addicted to this game that you don't want to give up!

Replayability: Once you beat this game, you'll probably won't play it for a while. But while you work on the game, you will have a tricky time stopping the viking search for home.

In the end, this game is a very successful platformer/puzzle mix that is very addictive and very fun. If you can find it, enjoy this great game. I think you'll like it.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 01/08/02, Updated 01/08/02