When comparing EVE Online vs Nidhogg, the Slant community recommends Nidhogg for most people. In the question“What are the best PvP games on Steam?” Nidhogg is ranked 30th while EVE Online is ranked 34th. The most important reason people chose Nidhogg is:
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.
Specs
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro Real freedom
You can do anything. literally anything. You can become a massive entrepreneur and deal with billions of ISK, set up a pirate base in wormhole space, explore anomalies, build massive ships, become CEO of a player-run industrial corporation. There's tons and tons and tons of stuff. This is likely the most sandboxy of MMO sandboxes.
Pro 360' freedom of movement
Up, down, left and right simply stop having a meaning when it comes to space. Making for a true space simulator in that the controls mimic how objects would behave in a real space environment.
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.
Cons
Con Spreadsheets in space
At the very core, that's what it is. You'll be looking at tons of stats, calculating % resistances and DPS. It's a paradise for math savants and economics geeks, but not so much if you just want to blow things up quickly.
The graphics are there, but combat takes place at a few kilometers at least, so you won't be ever seeing your ship and the enemys' at the same time (unless as tiny silhouettes). Which only enhances the feeling that combat is a set of dynamic spreadsheets rather than a real visceral thing.
Con On the decline
The player number is about half of what it used to be and continues to decline. The game has been around for 10 years so it's hardly a surprise.
Con Requires lots of time invested
Because of the open market thing even going out on a quick mission may require you to gear up your ship first, which takes ages as you jump across multiple stations to get the two dozen different modules required to outfit your ship.
EVE feels a lot like a second job sometimes.
Con Learning gameplay is difficult
There is no tutorial in the game which makes learning all the ins and outs of Nidhogg difficult.