TYR: Chains of Valhalla is a 2D action platformer that plays on Norse mythology in a futuristic setting. Learn more about it in our TYR: Chains of Valhalla review!

 

 

TYR: Chains of Valhalla could be compared to, say, beloved 2D classic franchise Mega Man since it features similar gameplay mechanics on a 2D plane. This one from Mexican indie team Ennui Studio takes Norse mythology and presents it in a futuristic setting. You play as Tyr, the God of Courage, created by Professor O.Din, who must keep L.Oki from destroying the world order and creating a new realm of chaos as it tries to get the largest tech company and the world. You’ll need to make your way to the top of Valhalla to put a stop to L.Oki’s evil plans as you take on his group of Vikings and Titans.

In this one you’ll be running, jumping, dashing and shooting in various directions as you try to destroy anything that moves before it can get in your way. Platforming requires perfect timing, which makes this a platformer that is a bit on the more difficult side of the spectrum due to how you need to, say, jump and dash through narrow gaps with traps beneath like electrified flooring… in many of the game’s sections.

The enemies are color-coded, so you need to change your ammo color accordingly to be able to deal proper damage. This situation, along with the very precise platforming needed to stay alive, means that for any given stage you’ll need to continually change your ammo color as you jump over deadly hazards as you try to destroy enemies that can quickly overwhelm you if you don’t get into the groove, and fast.

 

The game has a hand-drawn and colorful cartoony look mixed with a bit of cyberpunk to bring the world of Tyr: Chains of Valhalla to life, with an upbeat soundtrack that will push you into action, but the gameplay is something that ends up getting in the way. Luckily the team is working on releasing a patch for the game that is said to improve on many of the game’s shortcomings while adding a dash cooldown indicator, as well as the overall rebalancing of the game, to mention a couple of improvements.

Along with the game’s story mode, there’s also a Boss Rush mode for you to take on so that you can try to beat all of the game’s bosses in one go. But before you can play this mode you’ll need to complete the main campaign, so you’ll need to practice a lot to be able to make it to the end.

The game has 15 trophies in total and no Platinum trophy, which was to be expected. You’ll get trophies for completing one, three, and five stages, for finishing a stage without dashing, for completing the game, for upgrading your speed, strength and defense stats to the max, for finding all collectibles, for beating Boss Rush mode, for speedrunning the game in 60 minutes or less, and more.

TYR: Chains of Valhalla is a good effort from Ennui Studio that shows some promise but that, right now, is held back by some design mistakes and an overall difficulty curve that is all over the place. The new patch that will be made available soon will hopefully improve this one to give us the game the team initially envisioned.

Disclaimer
This TYR: Chains of Valhalla review is based on a PlayStation 4 copy provided by Ennui Studio.