Line #44 VideoGame/TheLostVikings


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7	->'''Erik:''' If I bash one more wall right now, my head will explode!\
8	'''Olaf:''' I got dibs on his helmet.\
9	'''Baleog:''' Okay, but I get his boots.\
10	'''Erik:''' It's great to have such good friends.
11
12	In a frozen village in the far north, three Vikings of great skill and strength live quiet lives, spending their days hunting for meat in the surrounding woods. They are Erik the Swift, known far and wide for his great speed and incredible jumping ability; Baleog the Fierce, whose skill with a [[BowAndSwordInAccord bow and sword]] allows him to crush anything in his path; and Olaf the Stout, who [[LuckilyMyShieldWillProtectMe carries a shield]] and is [[StoutStrength strong enough to carry a full-grown man on top of it.]]
13
14	[[TemptingFate Life is good and they hope they don't ever have to leave their village.]]
15
16	One cold night, the trio finds themselves kidnapped by an evil green alien known as Tomator, who wants to use the Vikings as exhibits in his intergalactic freak show. The trio aren't about to take this lying down and immediately bust out. Their escape attempt goes a bit awry, however, resulting in them being hurled through time. It's up to you to lead them home.
17
18	''The Lost Vikings'', a 1992 video game developed by Silicon & Synapse (the team that would later become Creator/BlizzardEntertainment), is a hard one to classify. At first glance it looks like a simple {{platformer}}, but it's more complicated than that -- two of your characters can't even jump. Puzzles are definitely a big part of the gameplay, but it's not entirely cerebral -- in later levels it's a challenge just to stay alive. It's more accurately called a "puzzle-platformer", as the goal is to lead all three Vikings (who you can switch between at any time) safely through each level to the exit. [[TeamworkPuzzleGame Each character has his own set of abilities which he can use to help the team progress through the level]]: Erik can jump to higher ledges and use his helmet to bash through fragile walls; Baleog can use his weapons to defeat enemies and flip switches; and Olaf can use his shield to block enemy attacks and as a hang glider to slowly drop to lower levels.
19
20	The big draw to the series is how each character's abilities are used in unique ways and in combination with each other to allow for safe progress. For example, one early puzzle requires Olaf to use his shield as a platform for Erik to jump from, giving him the extra height he needs to vault a locked gate. On the other side, Erik can find a key to unlock the door and allow his companions to progress. Some of the puzzles are quite devious, and the game is ruled by TrialAndErrorGameplay. Lots of it. ''Lots'' of it.
21
22	In addition, the game has a quirky sense of humor of the type rarely seen in this era of video games (which were usually lucky to get any text at all). It's an absolute joy to guide the bumbling, bickering Vikings through each stage.
23
24	In 1997, a long-awaited sequel named ''Lost Vikings 2'' was released (initially for the SNES and later [[VideoGameRemake remade]] for the Playstation, Saturn and PC, under the title ''Norse by Norsewest: The Return of the Lost Vikings''). In this game, the Vikings are again ambushed by Tomator, but the Vikings respond by mugging Tomator's minions and taking their gear, giving them new abilities. Erik gains rocket boots (which allow him to DoubleJump) and a scuba helmet (which removes his SuperDrowningSkills); Baleog takes a lightsaber and a bionic arm (which allow him to attack in eight directions, [[Franchise/{{Castlevania}} Belmont]]-style, and swing off certain gems), and Olaf earns a new cybernetic shield which allows him to shrink and boosts his flatulence to frightening levels. On top of that, the Vikings pick up two new characters in their travels: Fang the werewolf, who can run, jump, attack enemies, and WallJump ([[RunningGag and comically be mistaken for every furry animal under the sun but a wolf]]); and Scorch the magic dragon (who has never seen the sea, but would evidently like to check it out), who can fly and breathe fire. To keep the gameplay simple, however, the two newbies would replace one or more of the Vikings every so often, allowing the player to control [[ArbitraryHeadcountLimit no more than three characters at a time]]. The packaging is different, but the game's the same -- use the Vikings' abilities to lead them safely through stages full of {{death trap}}s until you got to Tomator.
25
26	Fun and funny, but surprisingly deep; well worth a try.
27
28	The series also [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lostvikingswarcraftshoutout_5772.png contains]] a ShoutOut or two to Blizzard's more famous series, ''VideoGame/{{Warcraft}}'', which later returned the favor. Eventually, the trio made a comeback by being playable in ''VideoGame/HeroesOfTheStorm''.
29
30	Not to be confused with the ''VideoGame/StarcraftII'' MiniGame "Lost Viking", nor the [[WesternAnimation/{{Metalocalypse}} Dethklok song of the same name]].
31
32	----
33	!!This game provides examples of:
34
35	* AdaptationExpansion: The Genesis version of the first game has five levels that the other versions don't, and replaces the music from the demo in Wacky World with an awesomely bizarre remix of the SNES version of the Factory theme that suits the place perfectly, while also giving the Factory a new theme. It also allows three-player simultaneous co-op using the Sega Teamplayer multitap.
36	* AerithAndBob: While the names "Erik" and "Olaf" have always been common in Scandinavia, Baleog is the only person (real or fictional) to ever bear that name.
37	* AlienAbduction: As the starting plot, some alien collects unique aliens for a collection.
38	* AmbidextrousSprite: Played straight throughout both games, but curiously, Baleog's portrait in the first game shows his sword in the opposite hand from his sprites.
39	** In the second game, Baleog's robotic arm switches arms depending on which way he's facing. A bit more obvious when climbing ladders.
40	* AmbiguouslyRelated: The manual for the first game refers to the three vikings as brothers, but this is never mentioned anywhere else and several pieces of in-game dialogue imply that this isn't actually the case (the vikings refer to each other as friends rather than brothers and Erik refers to his father as ''his'' father rather than ''their'' father).
41	* AnachronismStew: Given the setting the vikings come from, this is often played for laughs. At the beginning of Candyland, Erik tries to quote ''The Wizard of Oz'':
42	-->'''Erik:''' I don't think we're in Kansas anymore, Toto.\
43	'''Baleog:''' Where's Kansas?\
44	'''Olaf:''' And who's Toto?
45	** Gets all mixed up and swapped between characters in ''2'' and ''Norse by Norsewest''. Considerably, Erik doesn't know what are donuts, and neither does the Transylvanian witch. Then there's one of the many retry messages in which the protagonists discuss (not in a preset order) whether they should build a rec room, relax and rent some videos, right until one of them asks: "What's a video?"
46	* AntiHero: The three leads are vikings who occasionally allude to [[RapePillageAndBurn engaging in typical viking behavior]] and regularly insult each other and the various people they encounter on their travels. That said, they are purely victims in the situations they find themselves in during the games themselves, and their sole motivation throughout them is simply to return home to their families.
47	* ArbitraryHeadcountLimit: 3 max in the sequel. [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] constantly.
48	** Justified in-universe by the teleportation magic/technology used by the various characters helping our heroes along being amateur or otherwise faulty; they all get where they're going eventually, but periodically a flub-up sends them off to the bean aisle.
49	** The sisters on the pirate ships aren't sending you straight to where you need to go because they wanna get rich. It takes a threat to convince them to get you there.
50	* ArmorPiercingAttack: Olaf's shield can block just about anything, but the buzz saw enemies in the factory will go right through him.
51	* ArrowsOnFire: One of the powerups for Baleog in the first game, with which he can kill an enemy in just one shot for the rest of the level.
52	* AWizardDidIt: Parodied. The Cave Girl in the first game helps you get into the volcano by... Using her psychic powers to stop it erupting.
53	* BalancePowerSkillGimmick: In the second game both Fang and Scorch qualify as the balance due to combining having an attack with some amount of vertical mobility, Baleog is the power for having the most versatile and effective forms of attack at the cost of minimal movement options, Erik is the skill for being a FragileSpeedster with plenty of maneuverability at the cost of having almost no offensive options, and Olaf is the gimmick for being a StoneWall whose shield offers him a host of situational abilities.
54	* BetterThanABareBulb: A sizable chunk of the game's dialogue consists of the cast mocking the level designs and game mechanics.
55	* BigThinShortTrio: Olaf is the big, Baleog is the thin, and Erik is the short. While Erik and Baleog are both pretty ripped, Erik is a full head and shoulders shorter than the other two and both look downright svelte in comparison to [[FatComicRelief Olaf]].
56	* BlatantItemPlacement: It's good that all the food being mid-air isn't taken by someone else.
57	-->'''Olaf:''' If Tomator is so evil, then why does he leave these... Bombs and machines for us to use?
58	-->'''Baleog:''' [[MediumAwareness No one else in videogames wonders about that stuff]].
59	* BoisterousBruiser: Baleog is the best (or rather the only) fighter of the vikings and is quick to brag about his strength and rush into any chance he gets to show it off.
60	* BottomlessMagazines: Quoting Baleog, "a lifetime supply of arrows".
61	* BottomlessPits: Averted, since you may clearly see what is situated on the bottom of these, and in just half of the cases, these are shock barriers, lava or spikes.
62	* BowAndSwordInAccord: Baleog in the first game. He switches the bow for an [[ExtendableArms extendable cyborg arm]] and the sword for a LaserBlade in the sequel.
63	* BrattyHalfPint: In the second game, the vikings come across one of these a few times. [[spoiler:He turns out to be [[BigBad Tomator]].]]
64	* ButtMonkey: In the second game, the vikings can't be bothered to even remember what species [[OurWerewolvesAreDifferent Fang]] is.
65	* CartoonBomb: One of the items you can collect.
66	* ChainmailBikini: The second game has the Valkyrie, appearing in the game over scene, [[ExposedToTheElements whose armor is hardly proper for the harsh Scandinavian climate.]]
67	* CharacterRosterGlobalWarming: Part one had only one ''clearly'' offensive guy, Baleog. The sequel adds Scorch and Fang, who are both able to attack as well as being more mobile than Baleog (with [[VideoGameFlight flight]] and [[WallJump wall-jumping]] respectively), leaving Baleog as the sole MightyGlacier of the 5. However, Scorch only has a ranged attack and Fang only has a melee attack, and neither is as fast as Erik nor able to defend. The balance tends to stick.
68	* CirclingBirdies: Or stars. They can be seen after a headbutt or fall from a great height. On Erik, specificially.
69	* ClassicCheatCode: On the second game, kill one of your vikings in the intro level. Every character will gain a new ability. [[spoiler:To pull it off, have Olaf stand on the highest part of the ground with his shield up. Have Erik double jump off of him and land on the lowest part. Repeat two more times.]]
70	** EasyModeMockery: Even though there's practically no way to do it by accident, the game treats it as though you're just ''that'' incompetent, and treats it like giving you the new abilities is taking pity on you.
71	* ColorCodedSpeech: The game gives each character colored speech boxes to clarify who's talking in the end of level banter:
72	** In the first game, Erik's speech is colored red, Baleog's is colored green, and Olaf's is colored brown.
73	** In the second game, Erik's speech remains red while Baleog's is changed to blue and Olaf's is changed to orange. Their old green and brown colors are instead taken by newcomers Scorch and Fang, respectively.
74	* ComicTrio: Erik is the leader, Baleog is the complainer, and Olaf just goes with the flow. A variant in that Erik generally defaults to being the most sensible of the three.
75	* ConspicuousElectricObstacle:
76	** Spaceship levels in the first game feature nodes that emit blue electricity that is deadly on touch. They either emit the electricity constantly, switch on/off on their own, or can be disabled by shooting a button.
77	** Similar electric emitters appear in the Future World in ''2''. However, there are laser detectors that temporarily disable some of the emitters when they detect the player.
78	* ConvectionSchmonvection:
79	** The lava pits and fireballs, as per video game law, only hurt if you touch them.
80	** Subverted by one instance in the factory level, where the Vikings have to light the pilot on a machine in front of the exit. Getting near it will burn them alive, and most of the level actually involves finding the FlamingArrows Baleog needs to shoot out the machine's gas supply.
81	* CoolButInefficient: Baleog's laser sword in the sequel; it looks cool, but his cyborg arm punch has a longer range and a faster attack speed at close range than the sword does. Or for that matter his sword in the first game. It's usually much better to shoot arrows at the enemy from a distance behind Olaf's shield, especially if you have flaming arrows (though there are some enemies, like mummies, immune to arrows but not to Baleog's sword).
82	* CripplingOverspecialization: Olaf can ward off any enemy's attack with his shield... but he has no way of actually disposing of them himself. Baleog can take out any enemy with his weapons... but he has no way of defending himself from ranged attacks. Neither of them can jump, leaving the bulk of the exploration up to the nimble Erik... who can kill some enemies by dashing into them but otherwise has no way of defending himself. Making use of each viking's strengths to cover the others' weaknesses is the main focus of the game.
83	* {{Crossover}}: With Creator/{{Interplay\|Entertainment}}'s ''VideoGame/ClayFighter'' series in the form of TheCameo:
84	** Olaf is mentioned in Helga's ending of the first ''Clayfighter'' as her boyfriend, but she dumped him in favor of the wrestler Tiny.
85	** Erik and Baleog's heads appear animated in Tiny's stage of the second game, ''C2: Judgment Clay''.
86	** When Interplay started to work in ''Clayfighter III'' (later ''63⅓''), producers hinted to some magazines the possibility of having one of them in the next game, which wasn't made in the end.
87	* CuteWitch: The sorceress-in-training from the second game is an attractive young woman with a curvy physique. Her bubbly and bumbling demeanor keeps her from qualifying as a HotWitch.
88	* DeadpanSnarker: Erik and Baleog constantly trade off cutting barbs at the expense of basically everything they came across.
89	* DeathTrap: Lots of 'em. In the first game a lot of them are {{One Hit Kill}}s, necessitating TrialAndErrorGameplay.
90	* DemBones: Common enemies in Transylvania in the second game.
91	* TheEndOrIsIt: [[spoiler: The ending of ''Norse by Norsewest'' shows the Vikings' nemesis isn't done with them yet...too bad no third game ever came out.]]
92	* EternalEngine: The Great Factory in the first game.
93	* EthnicMagician: The sisters offering teleportation service in the second game's Pirate chapter are stereotypical old Gypsy women.
94	* EverythingTryingToKillYou: Robots, blob things, slimes, mummies, scorpions, and odd creatures shooting musical notes. And balls which can bounce and throw themselves.
95	* EyeOfNewt: Most of the gameplay in the second game comes from [[PlotCoupon finding spell components]] and [[FetchQuest bringing them to some magical person]] to [[{{Teleportation}} teleport]] the party members closer to the time machine they need to get home. Averted in the pirate world; the gypsies don't actually ''need' diamonds for their version of the teleport spell, they just said that to get the vikings to bring them free treasure.
96	* EyesAreUnbreakable: When the vikings suffer death by burning, their bodies turn into ash in a cartoony fashion, leaving only the eyes.
97	* FakeUltimateMook: Tomator's robotic enforcer in ''2''. The robot is armed with a cutting edge sword, shield, extendable arms, and even rocket boosters installed on his feet (which would be ''very'' handy in handling the three Vikings). One blackout later, the trio of Vikings easily curb-stomp him into oblivion, looting the his gear for their own use.
98	* {{Fartillery}}: Olaf in the second game can use his gas for an aerial boost. He can also use it to destroy blocks!
99	* FatComicRelief: Olaf is the chubbiest of the trio, and so is naturally also the dimmest and most overtly comical.
100	* {{Fireballs}}: Some enemies and obstacles fire them, as well as Scorch.
101	* FlameSpewerObstacle:
102	** In one of the levels of the Great Factory, there are several flame emitters. Baleog must disable them using his arrows.
103	** Third ares in ''Lost Vikings 2'' occasionally has sections where flames are regularly emitted. Olaf can block the flames with his shield.
104	* FlamingArrows: A power-up in the first game is this, letting Baleog's arrows kill any enemy, even ones that his attacks don't normally work on, with one hit for the rest of the level.
105	* FloatingInABubble: One of the obstacles encountered in the first game.
106	* FragileSpeedster: Erik is the fastest of the trio and the only one among them who can jump, but has no way to defend himself. He does have an attack in the form of his charge, but it doesn't kill most enemies that aren't already damaged and leaves him vulnerable afterwards. Therefore, he must rely on the other two or his environment to overcome enemies.
107	* FreudianTrio: Impulsive and irritable Baleog is the id, lax and lackadaisical Olaf is the ego, and straight-laced and sensible Erik is the superego.
108	* FungusHumongous: Prehistoria features mushrooms that are larger than the characters.
109	* GameOver: The usual game over sequence the player gets when they choose to give up with at least one active Viking alive shows an animation of the dead Vikings being placed on a burning boat out to sea, a traditional Viking sea burial. The active Viking stands on a cliff overlooking the boat's journey. Of course, nobody will be there if you got all the Vikings killed. And if you choose to continue, the dead Vikings return to life via thunderbolt. Finally, if none of the Vikings died (such as if the level was made {{Unwinnable}} and the player chose to give up), all three would be on the cliff and no burning boat would be on the water. In the sequel, instead they are in a purgatory-like location and a valkyrie revives whoever is dead.
110	* GangplankGalleon: The third area in ''Lost Vikings 2''.
111	* {{Gasshole}}: Whenever someone uses a food item, a burping sound is heard. Also, Olaf periodically belches while in small form in the second game, not to mention his new {{Fartillery}} abilities.
112	* GentleGiant: Olaf is the largest of the trio, but also the most cheerful. Appropriately, his moveset is the most directly oriented toward teamwork of the three and involves using his shield to defend himself and his friends from obstacles and as a makeshift platform for the other two.
113	%%* GuestFighter: Olaf becomes this in ''VideoGame/RockNRollRacing''.
114	* HaveANiceDeath: Fail enough times on a single level and the vikings'll complain about their defeat, eventually resulting in Thor himself berating you for your failure.
115	-->'''Baleog:''' I'm so familiar with the beginning of this level, I could do my part blindfolded.\
116	'''Erik:''' Yeah, it's too bad the player keeps trying to prove the same thing.
117	* HereThereWereDragons: Notably absent in the first game, but all of the pre-modern settings the vikings visit in the second game contain supernatural elements that aren't present in any of the modern or future settings. These include werewolves, vampires, walking skeletons, wizards, magical shamans, and yes, dragons.
118	* HitboxDissonance: Those bubbles in prehistoric and wacky world. Many lives were lost when trying to get into/onto them. It helps if you think of them as simple moving platforms, the platform being at the bottom of the bubble.
119	* HollywoodPrehistory: Prehistoria in the first game, complete with dinosaurs and English-speaking cavemen.
120	* HyperactiveMetabolism: Because as we all know, food heals grievous bodily harm.
121	* IAmNotWeasel: Fang suffers through a lot of this.
122	* IdleAnimation: Each viking has one that conveys their role in the party:
123	** [[FragileSpeedster Erik]] laces his boots.
124	** [[BoisterousBruiser Baleog]] flexes his muscles.
125	** [[FatComicRelief Olaf]] picks his nose.
126	%%* IfYouDieICallYourStuff: Provides the page quote, even!
127	%%* InconvenientlyPlacedConveyorBelt: Wacky world and factory levels.
128	* IneptMage: The sorceress-in-training from the second game comes across as a bit of a ditz, and can't remember the chants for her magic spells to save her life.
129	* InexplicableTreasureChests: In the third chapter of the second game.
130	* JetPack: Erik gets a set of rocket boots in the 2nd game, increasing his dash speed and allowing him to DoubleJump and break certain ceilings.
131	* {{Jerkass}}: While none of the vikings seem like they'd be great company, Baleog is distinctly the most sullen and standoffish of the trio.
132	* KaizoTrap: A nasty one in the last level of the Factory in the first game. [[spoiler:Remember that furnace right by the stage exit? The one you had to light up to power a machine to build a part you needed to solve the puzzle? Did you shut it off again after it had served its purpose (by having Baleog shoot the gas tank)? If not then HaveANiceDeath as your vikings burn to ash when they try to run by it on their way to the exit.]]
133	* LampshadeHanging: The vast majority of the dialogue consists of the characters mocking the game mechanics.
134	* LanternJawOfJustice: Baleog's chin takes up a good half of his sprite and he is the most aggressive and physically powerful of the vikings.
135	* LastDayOfNormalcy: The first game begins with the three Vikings leaving their village to go on a hunting trip, with each being given the chance the display their particular expertise: Erik the Swift's [[FragileSpeedster talent for running and jumping]], Baleog the Fierce's [[BowAndSwordInAccord swordsmanship and archery]] and Olaf the Stout's [[LuckilyMyShieldWillProtectMe mastery of the shield]]. As the trio return home that afternoon, Erik declares [[TemptingFate how much he loves life in the village and hopes he never has to leave]]. That night, a FlyingSaucer appears over the village and [[AlienAbduction abducts the three heroes]]...
136	* Letters2Numbers: Some level passwords in both installments are written in this way, which makes it harder to guess them if you're an impatient (or just curious) player.
137	%%* LevelGoal: Clearly marked in the first installment.
138	* LuckilyMyShieldWillProtectMe: Most of Olaf's skill set revolves around the shield he carries with him.
139	* ManlyFacialHair: All three of the main characters sport impressive facial hair as a visual indicator of their skill and experience as vikings.
140	* TheManyDeathsOfYou: Every different way to die has its own animation. The vikings can turn into skeletons, get burned with only eyeballs being "untouched", turn into a pile of ashes after an unsuccessful falling, [[SquashedFlat get into the second dimension after being smashed by a crusher]]... you name it. The same type of death may also yield different animations from each of the vikings. For example: death by quicksand; Erik panics as he futilely tries to free himself, Olaf waves a meek "bye-bye" to the player, and Baleog just [[TranquilFury looks at the player with contempt]] and [[WhatTheHellPlayer shrugs]].
141	* {{Mayincatec}}: The jungle levels in the second installment, which include distinctive ruins riddled with traps and spear-throwing savages, and shaman brothers who need you to collect ingredients for teleportation.
142	* MediumAwareness: Very much so! The cast will discuss item placement, skill sets, and even the competence of the player (mostly, in cases where a level is repeated multiple times, the lack thereof).
143	* MightyGlacier: Baleog has powerful melee and ranged attacks that can take care of most every enemy, but is completely incapable of any kind of vertical movement without outside assistance.
144	* MisbegottenMultiplayerMode: The 16-bit games can be played with two human players, but the camera can only follow one player, and characters currently offscreen cannot be controlled.
145	* MisplacedWildlife: There isn't a whole lot of realistic wildlife to misplace, but the second game does contain gorillas in the Amazon. Like all apes, they are Old World animals.
146	* NamedAfterSomebodyFamous: Erik the red-haired viking is an obvious reference to Erik the Red.
147	* NewbieImmunity: If you somehow manage to die in the first level of the second game, which takes active effort, you are rewarded with superpowers being unlocked.
148	* NiceMeanAndInbetween: GentleGiant Olaf is the nice, irritable egomaniac Baleog is the mean, and short-tempered StraightMan Erik is the in-between.
149	* NinjaPirateZombieRobot: The cast of the second game. While in the first game they're just regular vikings outside their natural environment, in the sequel the vikings enhance themselves with stolen alien tech and are joined by a werewolf and a dragon in their quest.
150	%% * NintendoHard: Especially the first game. The sequel is slightly easier.
151	* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: In ''Norse By Norsewest'', Fang and Scorch's voices are impressions of Creator/GilbertGottfried and Creator/SeanConnery respectively, with the latter being a reference to ''Film/{{Dragonheart}}''.
152	* NoOneGetsLeftBehind: Even if you manage to make it to the exit from a level, it's considered a loss unless all three characters get out alive.
153	* ObstructiveForeground: In a few places. Most notably in factory levels in the original game.
154	* OneHitKill: Spikes, grinders, electricity, and mummies oh my!
155	* PaletteSwap: The Wacky world in the first game features enemies which look like Baleog but with a bizarre color scheme. They look more human (and by extention, less ObviouslyEvil) in the Genesis version, where they simply use Erik's palette.
156	* ParasolParachute: Olaf does this with his shield, somehow. It's actually possible for him to do so while another Viking is ''standing'' on it. Or even '''both.'''
157	* PasswordSave: Each level has a four-character password, shown on the start of each stage. These passwords were usually words that were abbreviated, or had Letters2Numbers applied to them.
158	* PingPongNaivete: The games constantly flip-flop on how aware the vikings are of modern day pop culture and conveniences. In fact, several of their conversations exploit this trope for comedic effect by punctuating them making an anachronistic pop culture reference by revealing that they have no idea what they're talking about.
159	* PlotCoupon: In the second game the party has to find three collectibles in each level to open the portal to the next one. They vary by time period, and in the last level of each one change to spare parts for the time machine.
160	* PlotDrivenBreakdown: This is how the boys escape ending up in a cell in the beginning of ''both'' games.
161	* PlotTailoredToTheParty: Every level can be overcome by coordinating the three vikings' respective abilities in a certain way. The astonishing convenience of this is frequently lampshaded.
162	* PopCulturedBadass: Overlaps with AnachronismStew. If the vikings aren't insulting each other or lampshading the game's design, they're probably making movie references.
163	* ThePowerOfFriendship: Done as a game mechanic.
164	* {{Prehistoria}}: A separate world in the first game.
165	* PunnyName: The shamans from the second game's jungle world have such names as Comonawannago, Kumonankikme and Dakindagaiyuluftahait.
166	* PuzzleBoss: Tomator, in both games.
167	* QuicksandSucks: There's only one pit of the stuff in the SNES game (more in the Genesis version, which has more levels), but other levels have different hazards that have the same death animation(s).
168	* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Delivered by Thor, if you fail on a level 16 times. Goes straight into comedy, however, when the trio starts questioning parts of it.
169	* RegionalRiff: "Egyptian Groove" starts with "Streets of Cairo" motif.
170	* RockBeatsLaser:
171	** The three Vikings have no problems taking on Tomator and his security forces, and [[InsufficientlyAdvancedAlien winning]] (despite being far more advanced than the medieval-level Vikings only armed with primitive swords, bow and arrows, and wooden shields, at least in the first game).
172	** Despite the Factory level being implied to be set in the modern times (at the time of the release), the robots present are easily thrashed by medieval swords, and arrows (which serve as a precursor to the "Spearman beats tank" meme).
173	* SchmuckBait: In one of the Egyptian levels, there's a sign that reads "(Skull and crossbones) ->, (Key) <-". True to form, smashing the wall on the right will [[spoiler: cause a boulder to roll out and insta-kill Erik]].
174	* SdrawkcabName: In ''Norse By Norsewest'', one of the items you must collect for a potion in the first level is an Oiramrepus mushroom. Not surprisingly, it looks not unlike something out of [[Franchise/SuperMarioBros that other video game]].
175	* SelectiveGravity: [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] at the end of one of the prehistoric levels in the original game.
176	* ShiftingSandLand: Levels set in Egypt, a country in the naturally desert regions in North Africa.
177	* ShorterMeansSmarter: Erik is the shortest of the trio and a skilled strategist, the de facto leader, and the game's most frequent StraightMan.
178	* ShoutOut: To Blizzard's other games and many more, with ''Lost Vikings II'' being ''loaded'' with them.
179	** The Transylvania stages have [[ComicBook/TheTick "CHA" written on the moon]].
180	** One of the items the time machine requires is a "[[Franchise/BackToTheFuture Flush Capacitor]]"
181	** In Smuggler's Cove, the "second" Gypsy says she's the first one's twin sister.
182	--->'''Baleog:''' [[Film/ReturnOfTheJedi Sister? So, you have a twin sister...]].
183	** At the beginning of the fourth Smuggler's Cove level, Baleog references the "it's dark and we're wearing sunglasses" quote from Film/TheBluesBrothers, replacing, among other things "sunglasses" with "armor".
184	--->'''Scorch:''' Hit it.
185	** The dialogue preceding the first Amazon level in the second game contains at least three.
186	--->'''Baleog:''' Arrrgh! Why did you say 'jungle,' Olaf? [[Film/FullMetalJacket What is your major malfunction?]]\
187	'''Olaf:''' Don't blame me. A time machine [[Film/ForrestGump is like a box of chocolates...]]\
188	'''Baleog:''' Yeah, your mouth gets going and no one else gets a chance. What are we going to do with him, Erik?\
189	'''Erik:''' Olaf is as Olaf does. [[Film/ThePrincessBride Get used to disappointment.]]
190	* SignpostTutorial: The game uses squares with question marks that show an instructional text box when pressed. They are scattered throughout the first few levels before introducing every new ability. The very first such block activates automatically to explain how to read the other blocks.
191	* SingleUseShield: Both games have a shield item that acts as a temporary extra hit point.
192	* SirCameosALot: The Lost Vikings haven't had a game since 1997, but are the most referenced characters across Blizzard's library. Every one of their games from 2004 onward has featured them or a reference to them in some capacity.
193	* SizeShifter: In the sequel, Olaf gains the ability to shrink himself in order to travel through small passageways.
194	* SmartBomb: One of the items you can collect.
195	* SmashingHallwayTrapsOfDoom: Crushers are present in some of the levels, most notably factory levels. Olaf's shield can stop small crushers but not the large ones.
196	* SpikeBallsOfDoom: In ''Lost Vikings 2'', there are some spinning around on chains in water.
197	* SpikesOfDoom: A common stage hazard.
198	* SpringsSpringsEverywhere: One of the methods for those who can't jump to go up.
199	* StoneWall: Olaf's shield can block most attacks, but he has to rely on either Baleog or his surroundings to actually dispose of enemies for him.
200	* StraightMan: Erik is the most sensible of the vikings, as well as the most focused on their goal of returning home.
201	* StrippedToTheBone: Happens in some death animations, but regardless of how they die, their portraits display their skeletons once you lose them.
202	* StoutStrength: Olaf seemingly possesses the strength to carry at least two other full-grown men on top of his shield. This runs into FridgeLogic when, in the second game, Olaf is still strong enough to hold at least two other characters on his shield, but somehow also lacks the strength to support ''his own'' weight when trying to hang from tightropes.
203	* SuperDrowningSkills: Everyone kicks the bucket as soon as they touch water. Exception is Erik in Lost Vikings 2.
204	** SuperNotDrowningSkills: Erik in Lost Vikings 2, thanks to his helmet.
205	* SweepingAshes: One of the ways the Vikings can die.
206	* TeamworkPuzzleGame: This is a primary gameplay mechanic, the key to beating the levels is to utilize the Vikings (and later, a werewolf and a dragon) strength's to cover their own weakness, working in concert as a team to solve puzzles, and to provide a defense against incoming foes.
207	* TemporaryPlatform: More prominent in the first game.
208	* TemptingFate: "Life is good. I hope I never have to leave my beloved village." Ten seconds later, they were abducted by aliens.
209	* ThreePlusTwo: The three vikings are joined by the non-humans Fang the werewolf and Scorch the dragon in the second game. The two diverge from the strict specialization of the main trio's abilities by each having a way of attacking and moving vertically.
210	* TrialAndErrorGameplay: Sometimes it can take a few playthroughs before you figure out which path which viking's supposed to take. More noticeable in the first game due to a higher prevalence of one-hit kills and Fang and Scorch in the second game.
211	* UnwinnableByDesign: Several levels are at the Polite point of the scale - while you can screw up such that you can't reach the exit (even with all party members alive), you can always restart the level an unlimited number of times, and there's never a need to backtrack to an earlier level.
212	* UseYourHead: Erik uses headbutts to attack and smash walls. Ceilings are added to the list in the sequel. The sequel inverts this with Olaf, who can break floors by farting.
213	* VideoGameFlight: Scorch can use his wings to glide as well as quadruple jump. [[spoiler:Scorch can actually fly (not get tired) if the ClassicCheatCode is activated.]]
214	* VikingFuneral: Featured on the game over screen of the first game.
215	* VitriolicBestBuds: Almost all of the vikings' dialogue consists of insulting each other, yet the central conceit of the games requires them to use ThePowerOfFriendship to overcome every obstacle they encounter by skillfully coordinating their respective strengths.
216	* {{Wackyland}}: The second to last set of levels is split between striped levels with balloons, spikes, and pumps to turn the Vikings into balloons (to impale themselves on spikes), and levels made of chocolate and sweeties. Even what appears to be moving checkered background mix [[QuicksandSucks becomes a hazard.]]
217	* WallJump: Fang's unique ability is to jump between walls to reach unreachable areas.
218	* WhatTheHellPlayer: PlayedForLaughs; one of the possible results of continuing after dying is a sequence where the Vikings complain about having to play the level again and admonish the player for their incompetence. There's another if the player quits a level 50 times, with the trio saying that there aren't any further funny lines upon repeating a level, and that the game's really fun and should be played through. [[spoiler: And one if the player quits the level one more time, noting the player is also bad at following directions.]]
219	* WhenIWasYourAge: Thor's rant after you die 16 times in a single level wanders into this. Humorously, the Vikings start questioning parts of the story, to Thor's irritation.
220	* YoungerThanTheyLook: With their ManlyFacialHair, wives, and children, you'd probably be surprised to learn that none of the vikings are even 30. The oldest of the three, Baleog, is only 25 in the first game while Erik, the youngest, is ''19''.
221	* XenomorphXerox: One of the enemies in the war-torn future era is an alien that bears a resemblance to a Xenomorph, protruding heads and a stinger tail and all.

Context VideoGame / TheLostVikings