<s>
Nidhogg	B-Application
is	O
a	O
side-scrolling	O
two-player	O
fighting	O
video	O
game	O
developed	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Messhof	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
released	O
for	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
on	O
January	O
13	O
,	O
2014	O
,	O
and	O
later	O
ported	O
to	O
OS	B-Operating_System
X	I-Operating_System
,	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
,	O
and	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Vita	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Messhof	O
released	O
a	B-Application
sequel	I-Application
in	O
2017	O
with	O
a	O
higher	O
resolution	O
art	O
style	O
and	O
additional	O
weapons	O
and	O
arenas	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nidhogg	B-Application
is	O
a	O
fast-paced	O
two-player	O
dueling	O
game	O
where	O
two	O
players	O
sword	O
fight	O
in	O
a	O
side-scrolling	O
environment	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nidhogg	B-Application
has	O
four	O
different	O
levels	O
and	O
single-player	O
,	O
local	O
multiplayer	O
,	O
and	O
online	B-Application
multiplayer	O
two-player	O
modes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
also	O
has	O
a	O
tournament	O
mode	O
and	O
game	O
variants	O
including	O
"	O
boomerang	B-General_Concept
swords	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Inspired	O
by	O
the	O
1984	O
fighting	O
game	O
Great	B-Application
Swordsman	I-Application
,	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
made	O
by	O
indie	O
developer	O
Mark	O
Essen	O
over	O
the	O
course	O
of	O
four	O
years	O
,	O
using	O
GameMaker	B-Operating_System
Studio	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
delayed	O
as	O
Messhof	O
planned	O
a	O
formal	O
release	O
and	O
later	O
renamed	O
Nidhogg	B-Application
,	O
after	O
the	O
mythological	O
Norse	O
serpent	O
who	O
appears	O
in-game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Messhof	O
also	O
asked	O
a	O
former	O
student	O
to	O
help	O
him	O
complete	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
netcode	B-Application
,	O
which	O
he	O
deemed	O
to	O
be	O
"	O
totally	O
essential	O
"	O
for	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
future	O
as	O
an	O
eSport	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
said	O
that	O
he	O
"	O
spent	O
a	O
lot	O
of	O
time	O
"	O
on	O
the	O
gameplay	O
's	O
feel	O
and	O
designed	O
it	O
to	O
play	O
slowly	O
,	O
where	O
players	O
wait	O
for	O
their	O
opponent	O
to	O
move	O
first	O
,	O
similar	O
to	O
Bushido	B-Application
Blade	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
also	O
spent	O
time	O
adding	O
divekicks	B-Application
and	O
cartwheels	O
while	O
improving	O
the	O
melee	O
attacks	O
and	O
spectator	O
experience	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
moves	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
a	O
Yoshi-style	O
"	O
ground	O
pound	O
"	O
and	O
the	O
Karate	O
Kid	O
crane	O
kick	O
,	O
were	O
attempted	O
and	O
removed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
testing	O
,	O
he	O
would	O
observe	O
players	O
and	O
their	O
strategies	O
before	O
attempting	O
to	O
write	O
an	O
artificial	B-Application
intelligence	I-Application
to	O
use	O
similar	O
strategies	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Messhof	O
considers	O
the	O
single-player	O
to	O
be	O
training	O
for	O
the	O
online	B-Application
multiplayer	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
online	B-Application
multiplayer	O
training	O
for	O
live	O
matches	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Gamasutras	O
Mike	B-Application
Rose	O
wrote	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
became	O
"	O
the	O
equivalent	O
of	O
a	O
video	O
game	O
fable	O
"	O
for	O
its	O
appearance	O
at	O
video	O
game	O
shows	O
but	O
lack	O
of	O
public	O
release	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nidhogg	B-Application
was	O
released	O
on	O
January	O
13	O
,	O
2014	O
,	O
for	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
via	O
Steam	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
release	O
includes	O
online	B-Application
competition	O
and	O
an	O
eight-person	O
tournament	O
mode	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
port	O
for	O
OS	B-Operating_System
X	I-Operating_System
was	O
later	O
released	O
on	O
May	O
19	O
,	O
2014	O
,	O
and	O
ports	O
for	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
and	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Vita	I-Device
,	O
developed	O
by	O
Code	O
Mystics	O
,	O
on	O
October	O
14	O
,	O
2014	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Fencer	O
later	O
went	O
on	O
to	O
appear	O
as	O
a	O
playable	O
character	O
in	O
the	O
indie	O
fighting	O
game	O
Divekick	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nidhogg	B-Application
received	O
"	O
generally	O
favorable	O
"	O
reviews	O
,	O
according	O
to	O
video	O
game	O
review	O
score	O
aggregator	O
Metacritic	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
critics	O
found	O
technical	O
issues	O
with	O
the	O
online	B-Application
multiplayer	O
code	O
,	O
while	O
others	O
only	O
had	O
issues	O
finding	O
other	O
players	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Brandon	O
Boyer	O
marked	O
the	O
game	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
a	O
"	O
multiplayer	O
renaissance	O
"	O
alongside	O
TowerFall	B-Application
and	O
Samurai	B-Device
Gunn	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Polygons	O
Russ	O
Frushtick	O
described	O
the	O
game	O
as	O
a	O
tug-of-war	O
closer	O
to	O
the	O
National	O
Football	O
League	O
than	O
to	O
Street	B-Application
Fighter	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Destructoid	O
summarised	O
the	O
game	O
as	O
"	O
Nidhogg	B-Application
stands	O
as	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
true	O
kings	O
of	O
competitive	O
gameplay	O
,	O
and	O
that	O
does	O
n't	O
need	O
to	O
be	O
patched	O
one	O
bit	O
"	O
,	O
while	O
GamesMaster	O
said	O
"	O
A	O
peculiar	O
,	O
thrilling	O
and	O
essential	O
addition	O
to	O
your	O
PC	O
games	O
collection	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Edge	O
put	O
the	O
game	O
alongside	O
Street	B-Application
Fighter	I-Application
II	I-Application
,	O
Super	O
Smash	O
Bros.	O
,	O
and	O
GoldenEye	B-Application
007	I-Application
as	O
games	O
"	O
written	O
into	O
history	O
indelibly	O
for	O
their	O
competitive	O
multiplayer	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
later	O
inspired	O
indie	O
games	O
such	O
as	O
TowerFall	B-Application
and	O
Samurai	B-Device
Gunn	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sean	O
Hollister	O
of	O
The	O
Verge	O
described	O
Nidhogg	B-Application
as	O
"	O
perfect	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Regarding	O
the	O
overall	O
proposition	O
,	O
GamesTM	O
said	O
"	O
It	O
's	O
a	O
small	O
package	O
but	O
there	O
's	O
a	O
wealth	O
of	O
value	O
to	O
be	O
found	O
in	O
the	O
creative	O
gameplay	O
that	O
'll	O
spur	O
you	O
through	O
many	O
hours	O
of	O
gaming	O
"	O
,	O
while	O
PC	O
Gamer	O
said	O
"	O
A	O
brilliant	O
marriage	O
of	O
mechanics	O
,	O
level	O
design	O
and	O
music	O
that	O
will	O
be	O
played	O
and	O
talked	O
about	O
for	O
years	O
to	O
come	O
"	O
,	O
a	O
sentiment	O
echoed	O
by	O
VideoGamer	O
,	O
who	O
said	O
"	O
Nidhogg	B-Application
is	O
a	O
game	O
to	O
be	O
enjoyed	O
with	O
friends	O
while	O
in	O
the	O
same	O
room	O
together	O
,	O
and	O
it	O
may	O
be	O
the	O
best	O
title	O
you	O
play	O
that	O
way	O
this	O
year.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
August	O
2017	O
,	O
Messhof	O
released	O
a	B-Application
sequel	I-Application
,	O
Nidhogg	B-Application
2	I-Application
,	O
for	O
macOS	B-Application
,	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
,	O
and	O
Windows	B-Application
platforms	O
.	O
</s>
