Screenshots & trailers
Review sentiment over time
Weekly positive-review rate (green) and review volume (bars). Dashed lines mark significant patches; the amber line is the start of the current scoring window. Hover the dots to see what drove a dip or a jump.
How this score was computed
The VGC Score is a weighted blend on a press-comparable 0-100 quality scale. Steam approval rates are first calibrated (95% positive on Steam ≈ 89.5 quality, since Steam approval skews high). Press and tracked creator reviews each count ~2x a player review and share one cap against player evidence (creator buy/skip calls pool into an approval rate, calibrated like Steam approval); all-time sentiment is capped and halved (it's context, not verdict); reviews of the current build carry the most weight when a fresh patch anchors the window; and a 'typical game' prior keeps small samples from pegging the scale. Because press reviews and Metacritic user aggregates describe the launch build, their weight decays as the game ages (3-year half-life after a 1-year grace). That's how a game that launched rough can outgrow its old reception once updates win players over. Reviews under 2h playtime (the refund window), non-Steam activations, and free copies are downweighted.
| Component | Positive | Quality (0-100) | Weight (pseudo-reviews) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Press reviews (OpenCritic) | – | 77 | 27 |
| Creator reviews (1 tracked) | – | 97 | 0 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 81% | 75 | 663 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | – | 0 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 94% | 89 | 3 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 9 reviews sampled · 4 total reviews in window · weighted 2 up / 0.1 down · computed 3h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (86)
Individual verdicts from outlets we track: scored reviews first, most trusted outlets first among them. The small badge is each outlet's trust score: how well its scoring history aligns with players.
- 70
“Nidhogg 2 is fun to play for a few rounds at a party, but it's not exactly the next EVO hit. It's a pick-up-and-play game with the potential for intense matches between friends, but that's about all it's good for. The game works, and none of its few weapons feel more powerful than its peer. The problem is that there's no reason to keep playing. Arcade mode isn't varied enough to make it worthy of more than a single playthrough. The base game doesn't have a ton of nuance either, so it's not really fun to go back and practice against the AI or online players. Nidhogg 2 is good, but I only recommend it for a party.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Mechanics was nicely updated by the developers, but unfortunately, they failed straighten out the network code. But even so, Nidhogg 2 is a very dynamic and exciting game with deep mechanics and incredibly emotional gameplay, which will be a real revelation for multiplayer action games' fans.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Nidhogg 2 is a prime example of how simplicity isn't always a bad thing; this is a deliciously compelling couch multiplayer experience that's both approachable and in-depth, potentially leading to dozens of hours of fun. The weak single-player offering and online lag are certainly low points, but the trippy visuals, chill soundtrack and frantic gameplay all combine to make this a recommendation for those of you looking for another great title for playing with friends; solo combatants may wish to exercise some caution, however.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“New maps and enough weapon variety to warrant more depth makes Nidhogg 2 one of the best when it comes to local competitive games.”
read full review ↗ - 75
“At its core, Nidhogg 2 is still Nidhogg. And you can turn off the new weapons and still fence your way across a castle stage if you so desire. But unless you're a hardline hater of Nidhogg 2's sludgy aesthetic, the sequel enhances the formula across the board. Don't be put-off by Nidhogg 2's rainbow slop, there's still a silly white-knuckle, slay-your-friends action game underneath the mess.”
read full review ↗ - 75
“Nidhogg 2 is a really tricky game to score because it seems like such a hit or miss, love it or hate it, kind of experience. If you don’t have anyone to play with I’d caution you on considering the purchase as there’s really no meaningful solo play and even if you do find online matches there’s something lost in the experience even if you’re able to get into some nice and tense matches. Even if you’ve got some friends to play with I’d say the odds are equal that you could really get a kick out of the experience or have it fall flat. Credit to the developer, it’s some of the very small touches like being able to reflect shots that give what seems to be a very shallow game surprising depth, it all comes down to the experience you’re looking for though.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Nidhogg 2 is a lot of fun when you're playing with other people, and not very much fun when playing in the single player mode. Graphically, some people may not find the game looks quite as hideous as others, but to those who do, know that you are not alone. Nidhogg 2 is, in short, a fun multiplayer release with some unnecessary components, and some lagging issues that sadly do it no favours.”
read full review ↗ - 95
“Messhof has crafted a sequel that manages to surpass their 2014 masterpiece. Offering more weapons and gameplay options, a fully featured singleplayer campaign, a new art style and an incredible soundtrack, Nidhogg 2 proves that sometimes, more is better.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“With a few caveats, Nidhogg 2 is the kind of sequel I had hoped developer Mark Essen and Messhoff Games would make. It’s an evolution of what made the original great that keeps most of its best elements, and doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel. It takes the series into more of a 16-bit style. It also mixes up the formula a little bit, with a host of lush new environments, new weapons, and silly-looking, customizable characters.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Nidhogg 2 doesn't change the core gameplay of its precursor in any Earth shattering ways, but it does introduce enough tweaks and refinements to make it well worth a second trip to the cosmic worm's hideous belly. While the single player component isn't especially interesting and the visuals might not be to everyone's taste, as a couch multiplayer experience its immediacy and depth is utterly infectious.”
read full review ↗ - 85
“Nidhogg 2 manages to improve over the feats of its predecessor by adding just the right amount of new ingredients to keep the experience intense and simple but, above all, fun. We're talking about competition on a very basic level but with a very polished and sophisticated execution. Simply put, Nidhogg is a game that you should try at least once.”
read full review ↗ - 85
“Overall, Nidhogg 2 is a successful follow-up to the dynamite original, instantly making this one of the must-have local multiplayer games on Switch. Not much is there for the solo player, though the online multiplayer is nice. The ideal setup is a slew of friends passing off controllers in the tournament mode, but even in less than ideal multiplayer scenarios, it's still a chaotic and wacky blast.”
read full review ↗
Pure Nintendo
GameMAG
Nintendo Life
Hu3br
Paste Magazine
Nindie Spotlight
Cubed3
Gaming on PC
Too Much Gaming
Push Square
LevelUp
NintendoWorldReport…and 74 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
- New Level: "PAX Place"Sep 8, 2017significant · resets scoring window
- Hotfix v2017082501Aug 26, 2017
- Hotfix v2017082501Aug 26, 2017