When comparing Nidhogg vs SpeedRunners, the Slant community recommends SpeedRunners for most people. In the question“What are the best couch multiplayer PC games?” SpeedRunners is ranked 5th while Nidhogg is ranked 22nd. The most important reason people chose SpeedRunners is:
The game is balances up in a way where it's naturally harder for the player in front to see upcoming obstacles, giving players behind great opportunities to get back ahead. This makes the game fun to keep playing in a group as you're unlikely to keep losing to the one over-competitive friend that tries too hard.
Specs
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Pros
Pro Despite simple graphics, there is quite a lot of depth to the gameplay
The gameplay consists of the player sword fighting an opponent in order to make it to the opposite side of the stage. Depth comes into play in that every move can be countered and so can evolve into a painstaking dual that can last quite a long time with players countering each other in a game of wits and will. There are also stances for each player where the sword can be held high or , which creates that many more moves that need to be predicted from their opponent.
Pro Surreal atmosphere that adds to the charm of the game
Even though the graphics are pretty basic each environment is different from the last which makes for a surreal experience due to how much the environments differ as well as how they are illustrated. In one moment you may be fighting in a cave the next you may be fighting by a giant colorful waterfall. All this and the end stage features a giant worm that eats the winner.
Pro Gives everyone a chance to win
The game is balances up in a way where it's naturally harder for the player in front to see upcoming obstacles, giving players behind great opportunities to get back ahead. This makes the game fun to keep playing in a group as you're unlikely to keep losing to the one over-competitive friend that tries too hard.
Pro Fun and intense races
SpeedRunners is an intense race around a 2d course. The camera follows the player in the lead, so if you get too far behind you will go off the screen and instantly die. To stay in the lead you will need to dodge obstacles, use a grappling hook to move faster and intelligently use power-ups.
Pro Easy to pick up and play but doesn't get boring
You can get up to speed in just a few minutes as the controls are very simple to learn, but the game still has plenty of depth, as mastering when to use different skills on different levels keeps it fresh.
Pro Interesting movement mechanics
The game has a freeing walljump mechanic as well as a grappling hook that can be used to swing across obstacles, pull towards ledges, etc. This makes for movements that are intuitive and fun as well as well controlled.
Pro Fun power-ups
The game includes powerups like homing rockets, freeze rays and magma balls that can quickly change the game and add a level of randomness to each match making for a unique experience every time.
Pro 4 Player simultaneous, combined local and online
There are 4 slots per game, and each slot can be filled with a local player, a bot, a friend over the internet, or a random internet stranger.
Pro Short matches
Matches are quick and only take a few minutes to play, so it's a great game to play on your lunch break, or when you just have a few minutes of free time. This also makes for a good game to play with friends that have limited time to play online.
Pro Level designer for extended gameplay
There is an included level designer so users can design their own levels making for endless playtime through inventing and playing ones own levels.
Cons
Con Learning gameplay is difficult
There is no tutorial in the game which makes learning all the ins and outs of Nidhogg difficult.
Con Difficult to play without a controller
Using a keyboard to play can be difficult as it is mainly designed around using a controller, so for those without a controller they may be handicapped playing against others that do.
Con Buggy
Like most Early Access games, bugs are to be expected. The game may crash to desktop and players may fall through the level, hopefully these get fixed before the full release.