Vikings aren’t really known for their acrobatic prowess but Owlboy developers D-Pad Studio are limbering up for their next indie game, Vikings On Trampolines. It’s based on an award-winning experimental game the team produced back in 2011. Witness the sheer Nordic bounciness in the trailer below.
Vikings On Trampolines lets up to four players team up in co-op to boing Scandinavians through the game’s story and versus modes, as well as minigames. It’s once again rendered in the pixel art style of D-Pad’s Simon S. Andersen. The story revolves around a bunch of Vikings who have to defeat the villainous Balloonie to rescue King VI. The whole game can be played on controller using just one thumbstick, which is nifty.
I was just reminiscing the other day about puzzle-platformer Lost Vikings but, despite the pixel art look and superficially similar colourful pillagers, Vikings On Trampolines isn’t a whole lot like that game. It’s way more bouncy, for one thing. I’m a sucker for both comedy Vikings and enormous sproingy leaps in games though, so this one has my interest. D-Pad say there are plenty of different continents to adventure across, and balloon-related bosses to take on.
John (RPS in peace) rather enjoyed Vikings On Trampolines’ predecessor when he took to the skies in 2016 for his Owlboy review. “What a treat,” he said. “And a surprisingly deep one, with compelling moments you’ll want to talk about. It’s a pleasure to control, it has impeccable difficulty balancing to keep you moving forward while always feeling like you’re being skillful, and all in the prettiest of pretty pixel graphics.”
Vikings On Trampolines doesn’t have a release date just yet, but it’ll be on Steam when it’s out. D-Pad are promising more info at next week’s Gamescom.