Heroes of Yggdrasil

If RPGs are to be believed, legendary heroes can be found in almost every tavern, where they patiently wait for someone to ask them if they feel like slaying dragons. Video games borrowed many elements from actual cultures from around the world, which is especially visible in RPGs. It’s not unusual for them to be based on actual mythology as well, such is the case with the game at hand.

Heroes of Yggdrasil is a platformer/RPG mashup that allows you to dabble in the frozen waters of the Norse mythology, as well as fight against all sorts of Nordic creatures. Although it plays a lot like Castlevania and the like, there are some interesting elements floating around, such as the fact that you can change between heroes in an instant, visit towns to buy items and rest, or combine different attack types against enemies.

The story is pretty straightforward, with not much drama involved. You are allowed to choose up to three different heroes, in order to band together and try to stop Fenrir from returning to wreak havoc around the realm. There’s not much emphasis on the characters from a narrative point of view, but there are major differences when it comes to how they behave in battle.

The gameplay is actually much more intricate than it appears at first, because you cannot just keep swinging an axe until everything that moves is dead. Certain weapons cannot damage some of the enemies, not to mention the fact that it can be difficult to get close for melee attacks. Hence, it is mandatory that you switch between the heroes at all times, in order to make proper use of their range and damage type.

You also have to keep gathering gold and various other valuable items that drop from the fallen enemies, because the cash can be used in towns to purchase better gear. Food is vital as well, otherwise you cannot regard the lost hit points between the missions. As far as the platforming elements are concerned, the controls are pretty tight and responsive, but you are much better of with a controller, that’s for sure.

With all this being said, it must be concluded that Heroes of Yggdrasil is a must-play for every platformer fan out there, and even more so for those who like platformer/RPG mashups like Castlevania. The retro graphics are bad either, although they might not appeal to everyone the same.