Bjorn, a young Viking coward, wants to die in peace, but in the time of Vikings, this is easier said than done. The Vikings are known for being brutal fighters who did whatever they could to battle. It might be because; heroes get to fight the gods forever, and to lovers of a good fight, this is perfect. Bjorn wants to go to Helheim and never fight again, but it’s not in the cards. Bjorn sneaks away from a battle with the giants and heads to his favorite spot. He wants peace, and with giants throwing boulders, there is no chance of that. As he heads to his favorite place, it just so happens the precarious tree bridge he uses breaks. The bridge breaks, killing him and a bear, which sets events into motion that change everything for young Bjorn.
Bjorn is now a hero who Odin, the King of the Gods, thinks killed a bear with his bare hands. This chain of events sends Bjorn to Valhalla, the last place he wanted to go too. Luckily for him, a millennium passes, and a reaper saves Bjorn. This Reaper uses a shred of life and restores Bjorn to life. No one had found his body after all these years, so luckily, he’s plucked from Valhalla and revived. When Bjorn died, his body broke apart, and his limbs flew off. When Pesto revives him, the player gains the ability to drop his limbs and control them separately. This zany, game takes place in the same universe, and at the same time as Manual Samuel, so hilarity ensues. This game is irreverent and magical because it mocks itself and the player at every turn.
The characters are usually not ready for Bjorn’s appearance and talk about the puzzles not being complete. Players will throw their body parts and combine them in different manners to complete fourteen crazy levels. Nothing is out of reach as they venture to the center of Helheim to pick up the Reaper’s new weapon. This game is a blast because it allows itself to be as weird as possible. Splitting off Bjorn’s body parts is easy, but the game can get challenging. There are moments where the player must be as speedy as possible. These moments are tricky to get through but always worth it in the end. It might take some practice, but Bjorn is immortal, so players don’t need to worry.
The game also has a fast travel system, which helps players get around quickly. Players don’t always have to complete the puzzles again, which is a good thing. Fast travel syncs the world together and is a worthwhile addition to this wild puzzle game. Plus, the game introduces it with a strange cab driver who wants to help people. There are plenty of collectibles for the player to find too. Players can find letters on ancient scrolls and berries. Berries have a use later in the game where a character can blend them into smoothies. These smoothies will help our hero in his adventures and players should collect as many berries as they can before getting to this point in the story.
There are also over Three Thousand lines of dialogue for the player to listen too. The voice acting is fantastic and makes the game even more humorous. The characters can be downright mean spirited, so I appreciate hearing the words come out of their mouths. The game itself is hilarious and whimsical. It jokes on itself and should make anyone who plays it chuckle. This game wants to be something remembered because it was humorous and I think that’s great. The dialogue is expertly voice acted and fits in with the world too. The developers worked hard to sync up the story with Viking myth, and that takes dedication.
Helheim Hassle is a fantastic game set in the ManualSamuel universe. I look forward to more zany entries in this universe because it is often so weird. There is something fun about being a man who can break off his body parts that is rather enchanting. I wasn’t sure what to make of it at first, but it is a delight. Bjorn wants to live in Helheim, will the player help him and Pesto get to its leader so he can stay there?
Disclaimer: A review key was provided