You've played Volgarr the Viking before. It is Contra. It is Battletoads. It is Ghosts 'n Goblins.
Most appropriately, it is Rastan, a 1987 Taito arcade game infamous for its unrelenting nature.
From the types of hazards and enemies to the general play style and progression, the parallels
are so numerous that it wouldn't be wrong to call Volgarr a spiritual sequel with a Nordic flavor.
Even the stage layout on the first few screens of the first level mirrors that of Rastan's opening moments.
Like its forebears, the greatest achievement in Volgarr is survival. Even if you never come close to completion,
being able to squeeze out a few extra seconds of life is its own reward.
Volgarr was designed with the mind that just because a game isn't immediately accessible to all players
doesn't mean that it can't be enjoyable. The trick is to balance the sheer brutality with a simple control
scheme and obstacles that can be overcome with enough patient observation. Knowing what needs to be
done doesn't guarantee victory, but it goes a long way towards keeping hope alive, even if barely.
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