Play Lost Vikings, The (Europe) Online

Game Overview

Oh man, The Lost Vikings was such a weird little gem on the SNES. You get these three goofy Norse dudes—Erik the speedy jumper, Baleog the sword-swinging fighter, and Olaf with his ridiculous shield that can block attacks and double as a makeshift platform. At first, I kept forgetting who did what, but after a few levels, you start seeing how their skills click together.

The puzzles start simple—maybe you need Olaf to shield-jump so Erik can reach a higher ledge—but later levels get properly devious. There’s this one ice stage where timing Baleog’s arrows to hit switches while the other two hold positions nearly broke me. And the writing? Surprisingly funny for a ‘90s platformer. These idiots bicker the whole time like a Viking sitcom.

It’s one of those games where dying a lot is part of the charm, honestly. You’ll reset a level five times just to realize the solution was staring you in the face the whole time.