Collection essentials #211 and #212: The Lost Vikings (SNES and Genesis)

The second game I’m covering developed by Blizzard, who later went on to be famous for their PC titles like World of Warcraft. The first game of theirs I wrote about was Blackthorne.


The Lost Vikings is a super cool game that really stands out in the early ‘90s crowd. You could sort of call it an action puzzle game, I suppose. The basic premise is that there are three Viking heroes, each with their own special abilities, which you can switch between to try and get through the levels using these unique abilities in specific ways. One of them is really fast and can jump, one of them has a huge shield which he can also use as a platform for another Viking, and the other is able to attack and defeat enemies. It’s impossible to get through each level without utilizing each of the three, and they also must all reach the exit. And while puzzle-solving is a huge part of the game, the action itself can get challenging at times too. You can definitely get through this game playing alone, but friends can also join in to control the other vikings to speed the game up a bit. The Super Nintendo version lets two players play, while on Genesis you can play with three.


The game’s graphics, audio and humor are all great. The dialogue in this game is pretty zany in a way that’s not typical for games of this area, and I love it. 


The Super Nintendo version came out first, and the game was ported to other consoles later, including the Sega Genesis one also shown here. The Genesis version even has a few new levels. However, I think the music sounds far better in the Super Nintendo original. Either way, you might be best off playing this game on modern platforms as part of the “Blizzard Arcade Collection” which boasts a “Definitive Edition” of the game.


I played through this game co-op with my friend Nick several years back and we had a blast. If you think this game sounds cool from this short little write-up, you’re bound to enjoy it all, so go get on that. It’s a game good enough to be a multi-console essential!

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