Nidhogg 2
Nidhogg 2
Game
Game2014
Nidhogg
Developer Messhof
Nidhogg is a side-scrolling two-player fighting video game developed and published by Messhof. Players duel with swords in a pixelated environment. The game was commissioned for the New York University Game Center's annual multiplayer show, and was revised and demoed at private events over the next four years before its final release. It won Indiecade 2013's Game Design award and the 2011 Independent Games… From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
303 reactions from 4 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Lemmy, Mastodon) · newest Nov 5, 2026 · last updated Nov 5, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
94
LovedLoved
175 positive · 12 negative
95% range 89–96%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 175 | 12 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 31 | 2 | 65 |
| Lemmy * | 2 | 0 | 14 |
| Mastodon * | 2 | 0 | 0 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Very Positive
5,142 of 5,679 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
93% recommend · 151 yes, 12 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 163 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Very Positive (7,143 of 7,928 positive).
Players praise Nidhogg as a simple, elegant, and highly fun 1v1 dueling game. [1][2][3] Many find it excellent for local multiplayer, creating hype and laughter with friends. [4][5][6] Some reviewers criticize the lack of good netcode and potential for frustrating matches. [7][8][9]
Liked
Representative posts
- [7]
shouldn't have to use fixhogg to get basic netcode standards, if a mod can add rollback you can too
- [4]
A fun party game to have with mates. Had two of my mates not long ago come around and played against each other. Funniest thing to watch.
- [2]
Still the best one on one dueling game after all these years -- gonna have people play it at my cat's birthday party to defend his honor. Without special moves or button combos like a typical fighting game, you can watch strategies rise and fall in real time, sometimes over the course of a single match. Arenas are all distinct. The second Nidhogg is a great and different beast (goopier art style, incredible …
- [3]
A beautifully simple duel: easy to learn, hard to master, and fun at any skill level.
- [1]
A simple, elegant, excellent fencing/platformer duelling game. Play it with your friends. Or be a degen like me, and play the single player mode as a stim for 300 hours until you're ranked 3rd in the world.
Summarised from 34 of the 255 public posts collected about this game; every point cites the posts behind it ([n] opens the post) and the split is counted from the posts’ own ratings. Updated Oct 11, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
93% of the 163 Steam reviewers we collected recommend Nidhogg. The complaint that keeps coming up: poor netcode requires third-party fix. Deal-breaker or nitpick?
Critics, per Wikipedia
Nidhogg received "generally favorable" reviews, according to video game review score aggregator Metacritic. Reviewers praised the feel of the gameplay and its balance, and thought the single-player mode to be unsatisfying. Some critics found technical issues with the online multiplayer code, while others only had issues finding other players. Brandon Boyer marked the game as part of a "multiplayer renaissance" alongside TowerFall and Samurai Gunn. Polygon's Russ Frushtick described the game as a tug-of-war closer to the National Football League than to Street Fighter. He commended the game's originality. Kyle Hilliard of Game Informer did not think the pixelated graphics were sufficiently…
From the “Reception” section of Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Critic context only — not part of the audience score.
Reactions
60 of 303 · most liked firstinternet is down, but Morsels, a funky creature collecting roguelite from Toby Dixon (Nidhogg 2 and Atomicrops artist) plus friends is out now. pretty cool game. I hear Northernlion is playing it at noon today. wow!
neutral · AI labelView post →IT'S SO FUCKED HOW THERE'S LIKE GENERALLY NOTHING WRONG WITH NIDHOGG 2 AS A GAME BUT IT'S SO UGLY THAT IT IS DEAD TO BASICALLY EVERYONE
negative · AI labelView post →Kill the Crows review. You know how Nidhogg is just one thing, and it's super simple and slightly just...nothing, but you can spend ages with it and it's got an incredibly high skill ceiling, and there's no flaws at all and they've just sort of achieved everything they set out to do without making a big deal out of it? It's that kind of game. Kill The Crows is such a pure, condensed *game*. So rare to find a gameplay loop so utterly on the mark. Every moment is a small crisis where you're…
positive · AI labelView post →The fine folks over at Messhof (of Nidhogg fame) are kicking off the show with an all new, bullet laden platformer called Blood Dungeon! This hand animated game lands later this summer.
neutral · AI labelView post →In case you missed it, added Blood Dungeon to my curator, the new game from the developer of Nidhogg
neutral · AI labelView post →(Completed) Some leftover steam keys. I have some keys leftover from bundles again. Comment with the name of the game you want, and I'll dm the key. - ~~Book of Hours~~ - ~~Knights in Tight Spaces (there's a free demo if you're not sure you'd like it)~~ - Occlude - ~~Nidhogg 2~~ - ~~Bright Memory: Infinite~~ - ~~Pocket Bravery~~ Optional: recommend me something interesting. Games, video channels, places to visit, whatever.
neutral · AI labelView post →realized a good example of the kind of thing i'm getting at/makes me feel i'm not the only one feeling that wavelength from 1989 PoP is Nidhogg. for those of who didn't get to it - and holy shit the game is 12 years old now?! - it's sorta like 'what if we made bushido blade for the apple II'
positive · AI labelView post →Wishlisted: The Steam Next Fest demo for Nidhogg creator's beautiful, new open-world biking game is slight, but I'm geared up for more www.eurogamer.net/the-steam-ne...
neutral · AI labelView post →My game is obviously inspired by: - Nidhogg - Street Fighter - Smash - Jet Set Radio
neutral · AI labelView post →PS Plus is Losing 10 Games in August 2023. - 8-Bit Armies - Borderlands 3 - Carmageddon: Max Damage - DCL - The Game - GRIP - Nidhogg - The Crew 2 - Yakuza 0 - Yakuza Kiwami - Yakuza Kiwami 2
neutral · AI labelView post →Looking for someone to help with a Nidhogg console update. Anyone out there like using Game Maker and console networking?
neutral · AI labelView post →Thanks for tuning in for the mystery game tournament at FGC Colosseum! Had fun putting it together for our contestants. The games we played were: Footsies Divekick Subscribe and Punch! Combo Babies Rounds Move or Die Stick Fight: The Game Nidhogg All available on steam, each for less than $15!
neutral · AI labelView post →Ive been doing New Game+ on Theodis - Seeing him walk up to Nidhogg like this still gives me chills. The Dragonsong War destroyed his family inside-out and left him broken and alone at just 16. He was ready to see it end and more than determined to see it through. 💙 #PeachyWoLs | #PeachyLore
neutral · AI labelView post →It's that time of year again, where I get thralled by an npc in game and pass it along to you via sexy gpose! This year it's Nidhogg. It's been a hell of a lot of fun the last two years, and I'm doing it again! All details are in my ffxiv club's discord. (I added dialog in the alt text)
neutral · AI labelView post →Final Steps of Faith. It was my first on content patch, I stayed up all night to play it as soon as it went live. The walk down the Steps towards Nidhogg is still like coolest moment in the game to me. It was The Main Character moment.
neutral · AI labelView post →That's TOO MANY I'm gonna do, like, generations?? And I'm using underrated and overlooked interchangeably. PS1/N64 - TOMBA! PS2/Xbox/GC - Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks 360/PS3/Wii - Driver: San Francisco PS4/Switch - Nidhogg 2 PS5 - Potionomics
neutral · AI labelView post →Wheel World Unsurprisingly, the latest game from the Nidhogg team is nothing but gold. Playing a "simcade" bike racing game that implores some semi-realistic bike physics with the Forza style open world is a real delight. Looks gorgeous too! store.steampowered.com/app/1497460/...
positive · AI labelView post →⚔️🐛The challenge is to choose 20 games that greatly influenced you. One game per day, for 20 days. No explanations, no reviews, no particular order. #GameChallenge #Games #GameDev #indiedev #vndev Day 7 (still one behind): Nidhogg
neutral · AI labelView post →game developers don't want you to know this but Bushido Blade was Nidhogg before Nidhogg
neutral · AI labelView post →Games leaving PS+ in September 2023. > Chicory: A Colorful Tale > Death end re;Quest 2 > Deathloop > Nidhogg 2 > Steep (August 31) > Through the Darkest of Times > Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Wildlands > Watch Dogs > Watch Dogs 2 Leaving on September 19. I am going to play Chicory: A Colorful Tale, and Deathloop. Also wanted to play Watch Dogs and Watch Dogs 2, but can't finish all these in a month, so going to leave those two. What about you guys? Any game you want to play before it leaves?
neutral · AI labelView post →A fun party game to have with mates. Had two of my mates not long ago come around and played against each other. Funniest thing to watch.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥. In this ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ of a game, my grandma killed me, in the end I would call it a good experience, but my grandma would disagree. I killed that old ♥♥♥♥♥ like 30 times, she never stood a chance, she flatlined after that, like dead, in real life, not in a video game. If I had to give this video game a rating, I would give my grandma 5 stars, out of 10 to be clear. My grandpa, well "was." beat the ever living ♥♥♥♥ out of me after I killed his wife in this game, perchance. For a video game…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →playable once every year for 10 min
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →shouldn't have to use fixhogg to get basic netcode standards, if a mod can add rollback you can too
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Wheel World is a whimsical open-world cycle racing game from Messhof, developer of arcade gems like Nidhogg and Flywrench. A bit outside his wheelhouse (heh) but looks charming as heck.
neutral · AI labelView post →This man is humble I got like 4-0'd in Nidhogg (but, perhaps more truly than has ever been before, it was close tho) If you follow me from the fighting game sphere and haven't watched That's Right We're Gonna Cheat yet, follow Tie and give that a look. It's about mystery game! You love this!
neutral · AI labelView post →I used to be part of a YouTube channel that specialized in local multiplayer games, so I'm about to unload a healthy list on you. I'll start with Speed Runners. It might be if interest. Little different, but same local multi player competitive vibe. I'm stoked for the upcoming sequel. See also (in no apparent order): Samurai Gunn (1 and 2). Nidhogg (1 and 2). Roof Rage. Lethal League {1 and 2). Gang Beasts Stick Fight; The Game. Starwhal. Sportsfriends Stikbold!…
neutral · AI labelView post →I’ve been spending time with Wheel World over break. Likely a victim of Anna Purna imploding earlier this year. It doesn’t knock my socks off, but it’s impressive that the Nidhogg studio’s first 3D game can be “Zelda Meets Burnout Paradise On Bikes.” Currently 30% off. youtu.be/JmL15GGO1SA?...
neutral · AI labelView post →That walk towards Nidhogg before his Trial. That's when the game fully had me in its grip and has not let me go since.
neutral · AI labelView post →🔴LIVE FROM 6PM BST🔴 We'll be having a bloody Bank Holiday on Platform32 this evening as I find out what in the Gamepass Blood Dungeon even is! Is the new game from the creators of Nidhogg worth a download? Find out here: youtube.com/live/agA598E... or on twitch.tv/platform32
neutral · AI labelView post →A simple, elegant, excellent fencing/platformer duelling game. Play it with your friends. Or be a degen like me, and play the single player mode as a stim for 300 hours until you're ranked 3rd in the world.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →i hc most of the scions as older (like y'shtola & krile should be in their 30s like thandred & urianger) same with like. Erenville and Wuk'Lamat as well hrhshfhse also Estinien should have some draconic features after Nidhogg but I've been too lazy to actually mod those into the game tbh
neutral · AI labelView post →Stardew Valley will probably be the game that looms largest in my kid’s nostalgia. They have both played the life out of that thing. Other things that come to mind: Minecraft, phasmaphobia, fnaf, Skyrim, duck game, BOTW, and Nidhogg 2. There is no guiding aesthetic driven by the technology, just whatever is available and cool. Re: loot boxes, there is no denying that fortnight is(was?) a huge deal in this gen of kids. I’m sure at least some kids are going to have fond memories of getting v…
neutral · AI labelView post →It's annoying how good of a fencing game Nidhogg actually is given that it's pretty much the only sword game that engages with how fencing actually works. Like there are other games that have Epee, Sabers and Rapiers but Nidhogg feels like real swordplay.
positive · AI labelView post →Resistance 204X by @resistance204x.bsky.social combines simplified fighting game fundamentals with Nidhogg inspired platforming elements. Steam (pre-release Demo): store.steampowered.com/app/1829140/...
neutral · AI labelView post →Fafnir or Nidhogg is also featured it seems given the location its fought in. This is one of FFXI's original end game menaces! youtu.be/JBy5Twb66-4
neutral · AI labelView post →Here's another Nidhogg 1 patch, adds voice chat and a waiting game store.steampowered.com/news/app/944... get NIdhogg for 65% off right now on Steam!
neutral · AI labelView post →This game is elite ball. the sequel can gtfo though.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is so fun and has a charming art style. It's too bad they never made a sequel.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →'Hear me out'? I know the game well, and often the knights all would reply with one of three answers: Nidhogg (Agreeable, understandable) Thordan (disgusting) The snow (?)
neutral · AI labelView post →Came third in a five person Magic game with some FF and LotR commander decks tonight. At one point Frodo merged with the Eye of Nidhogg, and it was great! Also my friend got me the beginner pack, I cri
neutral · AI labelView post →When i think of the best 1v1 multiplayer games or modes on the market, this lil gem will always make the list. I own it on 2 platforms and have spilled the guts of many friends and family. I cant recommend it enough
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Still the best one on one dueling game after all these years -- gonna have people play it at my cat's birthday party to defend his honor. Without special moves or button combos like a typical fighting game, you can watch strategies rise and fall in real time, sometimes over the course of a single match. Arenas are all distinct. The second Nidhogg is a great and different beast (goopier art style, incredible soundtrack, rotating weapons), but here in Nidhogg 1 the streamlining works like a…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I once put my ♥♥♥♥ in a vagina once, it was tight, but not as tight as this game, and not as fun as this game.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →3.3. I ways already enjoying the game up until that point but, standing on the bridge across from Nidhogg before The Final Steps of Faith, the claws of this game sunk in and haven't let go since.
positive · AI labelView post →Open-world biking adventure game Wheel World by Messhof (Nidhogg) is coming PS5, Xbox Series, Game Pass, and Steam this Summer. New demo live now on Steam: (Support it by wishlisting on Steam)
neutral · AI labelView post →NEW GAME from my dear friends and the creators of NIDHOGG!!! Goes hard.
neutral · AI labelView post →Nidhogg is a very fun game. I really enjoy it, and... hell... I think YOU might too. Give it a whirl, a twirl, might be as valuable-as-a-pearl, call your buddy Earl and he'll give your tools...... a good knurl? Good game.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Nidhogg-ZX -- proof-of-concept tech demo inspired by an indie game #retrodev #retrocomputing #zxspectrum #demoscene #retrogaming
neutral · AI labelView post →GO! -> Nidhogg is a game about fencing, tug of war, interesting fights, and of course, a giant flying worm. NO STORY. GAMEPLAY Nidhogg's core loop can be distilled down to 'get past your enemy and then R U N'. Kill your foe, bypass them, or otherwise work your way into the furthest corner in your direction so you can be consumed by the titular Nidhogg and "win". If you're wondering why the quotation marks, you don't survive that experience. Both of you have unlimited lives, so it's not a…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →As a local multiplayer/couch coop fan, I really like Gang Beasts, Stick Fight The Game, Untitled Goose Game, Nidhogg (2)
neutral · AI labelView post →This is how gentlemen settle their differences.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Nidhogg is such a perfect game. WHY as a developer would you put in SUCH riDICulous achievements man. 9.9/10
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Appleseed's Indie Game Of The Day! Day 211) Nidhogg by Messhof A simple little fighting game that has you and a friend duking it out in a fencing match. It's a simple concept, simple pixel artwork, but a ton of fun to throw down against your friends within.
positive · AI labelView post →skill. this game takes skill.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I've never actually tried playing this game online, so if that's how you intend to play, I dunno what to tell you. But offline, this game has been mad fun. We whip it out at our fighting game locals on occasion just for fun, and it always gets mad hype for seemingly no reason. I've been surprised by how deep some of the mindgames and mixups can get, though they're not apparent at first. But also ... it's Nidhogg, so it's not *that* deep ... I think? Very fun, do recommend.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Omg, heavensward is so full of awesome moments, Thordan looking at you like you're a monster definitely sticks, but the walk to Nidhogg is probably one of my favourite moments in the whole game. The animations of Nidhogg and Hraesvlgr fighing in the sky were also awesome. #FFXIV
positive · AI labelView post →13. Nidhogg I wish I could play this with people, I have so much fun with this simple game.
positive · AI labelView post →Nidhogg 2 - I love the first game and the second game is fun, but I honestly hate the art.
neutral · AI labelView post →On top of Castlevania being confirmed hype and good, NIDHOGG just got a ROLLBACK NETCODE update out of nowhere TODAY - one of my favorite retro arcade indie games. 🤺 This day has been very targeted at me for whatever reason...
positive · AI labelView post →
Posts are quoted from public profiles with links to the original. Want yours removed? Contact us.
