When Vikings Attack!

Ever since the Vita hit the high street this February there’s been a persistent drone of criticism about the lack of available games.

Sony's handheld is finally hitting its stride thanks to the original and enjoyable indie games flooding the device. The latest title to take on the Vita naysayers is the delightfully chaotic When Vikings Attack! from Clever Beans.

Shark to the face

In a pleasingly chunky and colourful cartoon vision of Britain, those infamous Norse invaders have rocked up for some pillaging, plundering, and good ol' fashioned lootin'. The trouble is, they're 1,200 years too late.

But instead of sending in the armed forces to deal with these debaucherous invaders, the nation has come together to grab every object that isn't bolted down and throw it at the 9th century invaders.

It’s pleasingly simple to play, as you’ll automatically pick up whatever throwable object you waltz over, and by pressing the Square or Circle button you’ll toss it wherever you’re facing. You can also add some spin to it if you like.

As your crowd of devoted civilians grows you'll be able to pick up and hurl bigger and heavier objects than before. Unsurprisingly, this makes for some incredibly frantic fun alongside absolutely hilarious moments.

How often can you say you've thrown a shark at someone's face, or bowled a huge disco ball into a crowd?

It's key to use the environment to your advantage. Pushing Vikings into the path of passing cars or off the edge of a level makes a nice change from hurling Stonehenge at an unsuspecting horde or bouncing a bomb off a signpost.

Essentially, it's about creating mayhem and wiping out those beardy invaders any way you can.

Four heads are better than one

When Vikings Attack! really shines when you dive in and play with others. As you can play entirely online, you don't have to sit through all 16 levels alone if you don't want to. It transforms the title into something unbelievably mad.

It's frantic enough navigating through levels alone, but with a co-op partner to aid in the madness objects spin and fly everywhere. It's hard to not play this game without smiling now and again at the absurdity on show.

In terms of the competitive side of multiplayer, there are three modes on offer that snatch levels from the single-player so that you can battle it out in familiar territory.

Choosing between an all-out versus mode known as Last Man Standing, the team-based Vikings VS Vigilantes, or a mad-dash scramble in the form of Gold Rush, chaos is guaranteed.

Despite all the action happening on-screen, especially in multiplayer, When Vikings Attack! never seems to encounter issues of slowdown - even during multiplayer.

Clever Beans has done a great job of creating a game that never grows tiresome despite its simple and easy to grasp gameplay. It's enjoyable, addictive, and everything you could want from a portable multiplayer gem.

When Vikings Attack!

Packed full of collectibles, replay value, instantly accessible fun and oozing with charm and character, there really isn’t a better candidate for a PS Vita title that everyone must own
Score
Vaughn Highfield
Vaughn Highfield
Quite possibly the tallest man in games, Vaughn has been enamoured with video games from a young age. However, it wasn't until he spent some time writing for the student newspaper that he realised he had a knack for talking people's ears off about his favourite pastime. Since then, he's been forging a path to the career he loves... even if it doesn't love him back.