QCF: Helheim Hassle (Xbox One)

The word hassle is a good way to describe what Bjørn Hammerparty has to overcome; a pacifist Viking that refuses to die in battle and go to Valhalla, only to accidentally die in battle and go to Valhalla. Now after centuries of not quite fitting in, Bjørn has the chance to gain a permanent spot in the peaceful underworld of Helheim. All he needs to do is help an inexplicable but laid-back skeleton named Pesto retrieve a magical item for their master and survive a multitude of puzzles constructed by undisciplined goblin cobblers.  But maybe the real hassle was the friends they made along the way. Hmm, that last part doesn’t really land like I thought it would. Anyways the game was fun, but not without its frustrations. Sort of like this intro. Okay, moving on then.  

 The characters are what make this game worthwhile

Helheim Hassle is from developer Perfectly Paranormal, the creators of Manual Samuel and is the second entry of a trilogy of titles. I missed out on playing the aforementioned premier so hopefully not much was missed by playing the follow up entry, however I feel like each title can be played independently and fans of the series will be treated to additional callbacks. Bjørn is removed from Valhalla as he is resurrected by Pesto in order to find a way into Helheim, which is the Viking variant of Hell. In doing so, our protagonist is not only immortal but also has the ability to separate and control each of his appendages. This trick comes in handy as various contraptions of machination are laid out to ensure getting to safe haven is a difficult road to travel. It takes some getting used to controlling each limb and combining them together to traverse the terrain and proceed to the next location. There are also specific triggers that must be activated through the game, including voice activated releases, scales that depend on a certain heaviness and most commonly switches that require a particular body part.  

Using your head (and other body parts) is the key to success 

Several puzzles were the equivalent of patting your head and rubbing your stomach; multitasking and quickly changing to the appropriate extremity takes plenty of trial and error and lead to several moments for me of walking away from an objective and attempting it without having such a death grip on the controller. There were also moments where a body part would go rogue or become lost in the map, and trying to rejoin its fleshy kinfolk could feel like an unnecessary chore. An option to reset or disintegrate a part of Bjørn’s body to where the rest of him was located would have been a much-needed command, but with some work getting back to a checkpoint was possible. There were also several instances of an arm grabbing onto an invisible row of brush that would allow the player to swing to unseen locations and some hidden spots. I’m not entirely sure if the brush was meant to be invisible and it was a way to get to parts of the map that were seemingly unobtainable, or if certain textures were not popping into view. A post-release patch to correct some of these isolated issues may be necessary, but nothing was announced at the time of this review.  

 Combinations of limbs are required for some of the puzzles

Where some of the game’s shortcomings were from a mechanical and control standpoint (as well as the chase segments, which were very frustrating and gave me some real anxiety throughout the playthrough) it shines in its characters and voice acting. I felt that the world the game creates and the uniqueness of its inhabitants was plenty of fun to discover and the game’s jokes and breaking of its axiomatical fourth wall was light hearted and free of feeling forced or cringe-inducing. From our main character and Pesto to personalities like Anthony the hipster taxi driver, Balder the Beautiful and the Allfather turned FPS bro, Odin, each performance was fun and gave levity to the roughly six to eight-hour campaign. Reaching credits could take longer, as there are numerous puzzles to solve that are not part of the main story. Cosmetic rewards are available for taking on side missions as well as several collectibles such as berries and soul coins can be discovered. Taking the time to complete these side quests will provide branching story options that can assist in achieving tasks quicker. I appreciate the time put into making a story around the puzzle platforming, blending its world into the larger Perfectly Paranormal universe that will make experiencing its trilogy of games a worthwhile investment I would love to be a part of.  

 Timing and patience are both important to progress through the world

This game, just like an unwanted resurrection and the gambit of goblin-made mazes can be frustrating at times. However, the charm and easy-going demeanor of its Viking world is worth some of the struggle and is meaningful to explore. I look forward to going back into the developer’s catalogue to see more, complete some of the side quests that were left behind after completing the game and hope that the next release delivers the same type of humor.