It's easy to suggest Nidhogg 2 on its own merits. It has expanded on the wonderful mechanics of the original and has one of the best soundtracks in recent memory. There isn't much content here for the solo player, but if you've got friends coming over for some friendly competition, the night would not be complete without Nidhogg 2.

It's like, how much more Nidhogg could this be? And the answer is none. None more Nidhogg.

Nidhogg 2 is a brutally bizarre tug of war with swords, an attractive grim spectacle of steel and blood that just so happens to be one of the most addictive experiences of the year. It’s a bigger take on the magnificent original game, while avoiding feature bloat as it retains its simple charm with its ghastly and delightful new art direction.

Though it doesn’t add much for players looking to play around with its improvements solo, Nidhogg 2 adds layers of depth to a simple formula without breaking what made it so appealing in the first place. The new weapons and maneuvers blend seamlessly into fights, making them more dynamic and tense. Its single-player offerings may be paper-thin, but for anyone looking to test themselves against their friends, Nidhogg 2 is hard to beat.

But when it's you and your friends, opening up each other's guts and smashing heads into paste, you'll remember why you play Nidhogg in the first place. It's the first game with a little more love, which is sometimes all a sequel needs to be.

If you put plenty of time into Nidhogg and you’re pining for something to freshen it up, Nidhogg 2 should do the trick. If you’re new to the series and on the look out for an excellent party game then I see no reason to look further than the budget-priced original. By making the original so fantastic, Messhof has fallen on its own sword in making a sequel.

I was pretty disappointed with Nidhogg 2. After a few hours of playing I don’t see myself going back to it any time soon. The weapon changes and graphic changes were enough to turn me off. Although the game can be fun to play for a few minutes at a time, all of the extra additions were just a little too much. I’ll stick to playing the original, I think.