Norse By Norse West: The Lost Vikings Return Strategy Guide
Preface
For the record, this guide assumes that you’ve played the game a couple of times and know the ropes as far as controlling the characters is concerned (i.e., if it says “move Olaf left” and there is only a small space through which to move.) Further, it assumes that you know which items are needed to exit each level; a good way to avoid any confusion is to pick up everything you find.
Hints
Pick up everything! Anything that isn’t bolted to the ground should be in your inventory.
Don’t throw items away! If your health is low and you find some food, it might be tempting to ditch an item that doesn’t appear to be doing anything for you. Don’t do it!
Practice each Viking’s moves; Erik, Baleog, Olaf, Scorch, and Fang all have some obvious moves and not-so-obvious moves.
Character moves
Baleog
Bionic Punch: Perfect for getting those hard-to-reach flip switches, punching baddies, and swinging (via pegs) from platform to platform.
Sword Swipe: Nothing fancy, just Viking-style can o’ whup-ass.
Erik
Bull Charge: Great for breaking away walls of crates or stones that are one deep.
Rocket Boost Jump: You’ll find that this is indispensable when it comes to those not-so-easy-to-reach spots
Olaf
Shield Glide: Hold the big oaf’s shield over his head as he falls and he’ll glide as gracefully as a swan (almost).
Fart: This guy’s got class! The Fart is perfect for breaking away stone or crates in the ground and for getting just enough boost to glide across chasms.
Shrink: Perfect for getting into those tight spaces.
Scorch
Fire: Self-explanatory. Toasts anything in it’s path.
Flying/Gliding: Similar in usefulness to Erik’s Rocket Boost Jump.
Fang
Climb: Great for scaling walls when everyone else appears to be earthbound.
Attack: Werewolf-style can of whup-ass.
Level strategies
Level 1
No puzzle here. Move all of your Vikings to the right past the witch.
Level 2
Move Olaf to the right and block the fireballs while everyone else goes down the ladder Go down and hold the shield overhead so your teammates can get past the dripping fire.
Level 3
The key to solving this level is in utilizing Olaf’s shield correctly. To get the necessary key, you’ll have to place Erik on Olaf’s shield and Super Jump up. In addition, Olaf shield is the key in protecting members of the team from the onslaught of fireballs.
Level 4
Erik’s Bull Charge starts this one off and is followed by a series of Bionic Arm grabs by Baleog. Use Olaf to hunt around in hard-to-see places for the necessary items to escape the level.
Level 5
The key to this level is the proper usage of Baleog and Erik. Make sure you get the immediately accessible items in the water with Erik before you have Baleog swing over the chasm. After Baleog trips the door switch, dive in the water again with Erik to retrieve the items you’ll need to exit the level. Lastly, make sure you don’t overlook the small passageway near the end of the level; this is one through which Olaf needs to go and grab the necessary key.
Level 6
The stumper in this level is finding out how to get the first key. The answer is to move Olaf, with the shield over his head, to the bottom right of the ladder. Then, move Baleog on to of the shield and use his bionic arm to grab the key. Once you’ve freed Fang, there’s a small puzzle that involves him climbing the walls; you’ll need to use this ability to grab the elevator required to bring your teammates up and exit the level. As always, Baleog is the offensive choice for any and all encounters you might have.
Level 7
After Erik has grabbed the first key, you need to give it to Olaf if you want to open the door and survive. Use his shield to black the fireballs coming from the other side. Once you’ve made it to the elevator and on your way down, you need to watch for the fireballs; make sure Olaf is facing left with his shield in place to defend against them. At the bottom, quickly switch between Erik (who needs to smash the wall in order to exit) and Fang (who needs to kill all the baddies.
Level 8
Again, your ability to quickly switch between characters is tested here. After Olaf has returned with the gold key and Erik and Baleog go down the ladder, use Erik to smash the wall and quickly switch to Baleog to dispatch the enemies. If you’re too slow, both of them are dead. In addition, when you find the key that seems to be out of reach, you’ll need to use Olaf as a blocker while Baleog comes up from behind and throws a bionic arm diagonally upward. Once you’ve got the key, move everyone to the exit.
Level 9
Since Scorch is introduced in this level, a key part of exiting is the use of his unique abilities. Once you’ve freed him, use him to kill the red dragon and the baddie; then fly directly up and grab the dragon’s egg, which you’ll need in order to exit. When you go through the first portal, make sure Olaf goes first with his shield ready; follow quickly with Scorch to kill the attacking baddies. Perhaps the biggest challenge in this level is learning to use the balancing platforms. As a rule, use whoever can jump (Scorch or Eric) as the variables in the balance equation and place the other two, one at a time, on the platforms in order to bring them up.
Level 10
The key to this level is the masterful use of Scorch. After Baleog is in place and Erik has retrieved the scroll and gone through the teleporter, use Scorch to fly directly above the bridge that Erik dropped. Go directly up, kill the wizard and push the block off the platform. Continue all the way down, then go up, then go to the left. The necessary door switch is all the way to the left, past the red dragon. Once this is done, the key needed for exiting will be waiting for Erik near the starting point of the level.
Level 11
The first problem here is figuring out how to unlock the first lock. You need to place Olaf with his shield overhead just under the lock, then climb up onto the shield and hit the lock. After you’ve gone through that door, you might be wondering where the red key is. After the first bridge is dropped and Erik moves over it, look directly overhead; there it is! Use Erik to grab it and unlock the door while Fang and Olaf take care of the Wizard. The key to getting past the “three Rock” scenario is the following
the 1st and 3rd switches will provide safe passage for Erik if they are hit alternately. When you’ve made it through the rocks, swim up the other side of the canal with Erik and break the rocks blocking your path – don’t hit the switch directly above the rocks; simply jump up and to the right. Use Fang to hit the switch; the bridge will drop and Erik will have plenty of room to run and crush the wall to the right.
Level 12
As in Level 11, one of the biggest problems here is providing safe passage through the rock puzzle. Here’s the proper sequence: Hit the middle button 1st, the right switch 2nd, and the left switch 3rd. If you can’t find the magic wand, try taking a look to the left as you ride the series of air streams upward; after the switch at the top is flipped, Olaf can go down to the next platform, shrink, go in, and grab the wand.
Level 13
The balancing platforms come into play again. The best way to get Baleog and Olaf on the platform on the right is as follows: Using Erik, jump onto the platform on the right, bring it down, then move Erik of and use him to jump on the left-hand balancing platform. After you used Erik to clear a path for the air streams, use Baleog to continue up and kill all the baddies. Once he’s finished, Erik can come up and clear the way for Baleog; then bring Olaf up. Drop Olaf down first to corner the baddie, then send Baleog down to kill him and grab the items needed to exit.
Level 14
The most essential bit of strategy for this level involves placement of the bomb that Erik picks up under water. You can either place it on the crates directly across from the starting point, or on the crates to the right of the bottom of the elevator. DO NOT PUT THE BOMB AT THE BOTTOM OF THE ELEVATOR! Place it on the crates across from the starting point, move into the room, hit the switch and drop the block down. You’ll have to go down and push the block to the right onto the spikes so Baleog can go safely over. The next challenges here are the balancing platforms. In order to successfully use them, you’ll have to hang Baleog by the peg between two platforms, put Olaf on the left platform and Erik on the right platform. Then swing Baleog over to Erik’s platform; then, you can fart off the platform with Olaf, go left, down the ladder, and push the block off to the right so it blocks the fireballs.
Level 15
Another new item comes to play here: the see-saw. You’ll find that using this piece of equipment well is essential to beating the level. Getting Olaf to the top depends on your ability to place Olaf on the left side of the see-saw and use Baleog to swing and hit the right side of the see-saw, popping Olaf up into the air. Once airborne, all you need to do is guide Olaf to the left and grab onto the ladder. Once you’ve got everyone up there, you’ll have to decide what the heck to do with them. Assuming that you’ve already used Erik to swim all the way over to the left and break apart all the crates on that side of the ship, you’ll need everyone to move over there by jumping/farting/swinging across the chasm. Once, there, you’ll need to move left over another chasm (the bottom of which is lined with spikes!). Use Baleog to hit all the red door switches, then send Olaf off to the right, gliding down into the room to the right of the flaming rope. That’s where you’ll get the hardest-to-find key.
Level 16
There are a lot of little nuisances in this level; but one, huge puzzle stands as the biggest obstacle. How do you get the items out of the room where Erik steps on the pressure plate? First, you need to get Erik and Olaf over to that section of the level. Then you’ll have to get the bomb and the key that are kept in the small room to the right of the chasm (you’ll have to use Olaf to get them). Once you’ve gotten Olaf through the locked doors on the bottom right side of the chasm, take the elevator up, then bring Erik up out to the upper-left side of the chasm where the pressure plate is. Make sure he’s stepping on it before you proceed with Olaf. Switch to Olaf, shrink down, walk all the way to the left (in front of the cannon) and place the bomb. As soon as it goes off and the crate is destroyed, run directly across the line to the left, run into the room, grab the item and come back out. Glide down to the bottom right platform and follow with Erik before he gets killed by cannon balls.
Level 17
This is another level filled with brain teasers, but one in particular deserves some hard-core explaining; it involves the balancing platforms. In order to exit the level, you’ll need to get Baleog all the way to the top of the screen. Here’s a step-by-step on how to get there. Step #1: Position Olaf on the stationary platform on the right and Baleog to the bottom left of the balancing platform. Step #2: Use Scorch to bring the left balancing platform down, move Baleog onto it, move Scorch up. Step #3: Use Scorch to fly up to the right balancing platform down. Step #4: Move Olaf onto the platform with Scorch. Baleog should then be able to walk over to the left, hit the diving board and land right on top of the thick chain that Scorch can manipulate to bring him over to the pressure plate.
Level 18
As with the last, the key to this level is manipulating Baleog correctly. First, get him up to the mast level of the ship. How do you do this? Simple; all you have to do is manipulate the door switches so that (a) Fang can go up to the left and bring down the elevator and (b) Olaf can go up the same way and fart on the necessary crates to clear the way for Baleog. Once he’s up there, you simply need to put him on top of Olaf’s shield so he can hit the necessary door switch with his arm.
Level 19
There are a lot of puzzles in this level, but one deserves explanation because it’s deceptively easy. All you need to do in order to get that elusive key is the following
Move Erik to the upper-right corner of the level onto the pressure plate, move Scorch up to the left of Erik to activate the other pressure plate that drops a stone beneath the key. Then use Baleog to go up the elevator, walk over onto the stone and reach up to grab the key.
Level 20
There are two fundamental challenges here. The first is getting access to the bouncing platforms. To do this, you simply need to take Olaf to the second platform over from the starting screen and have him glide off and down to the left. Shrink him down, go into the teleporter, and you’ll be beamed up on top of some stones. Fart on them to come down and push the block off to the right. This opens up the bouncing platforms for all three. The second challenge is exiting the level with the balancing platforms. Once you reach this room, remember to keep Baleog from dropping down to the ground; if he falls, you won’t be able to counter- balance Olaf up on the left platform. Once Olaf is on the other side, standing on the pressure plate, bring Baleog down to the left platform, counterbalance him with Erik and you’re all set.
Level 21
In order to reach the final area of the game you’ve got to do the following
Take the air stream up with Erik and hit the switch. Switch to Olaf and take him up the air stream; fart on the bricks when you reach the top. Bring Baleog up to the switch to the far right. Switch to Olaf, shrink down, grab the bomb and give it to Erik. Next, bring Erik down and blow up the wall to the right; as this happens, be sure you’ve got Olaf pushing right on the block in front of him to block the obstacle coming down.
Level 22
The various moves needed to bring each character into this level’s later realms are sure to baffle even the most experienced player, so here are some sure-fire pointers. Once you’ve crossed the bed of spikes with Baleog and hit the necessary switches, you need to get back across the bed and back in the teleporter. The catch is that you’ll need Olaf’s help; he’ll have to shrink down and find his way to the balancing platforms where you’ll need to raise yourself up.
Level 23
After swinging across three consecutive pegs with Baleog, chances are that you’ve gone ahead with Fang and Erik and tried to finish the level to no avail. You’ve got to get Baleog up to the top of the screen and here’s how you do it: After you’ve gone past the three pegs (with the moving platform on the ground), you must take the air stream up (with Erik) to the next platform (below the teleporter skull). Move Erik left, over the poisonous plant and onto the elevator. Bring it down and pick Baleog up.
Level 24
So you’ve gone down the fiery cavern and made it to the balancing platforms but you don’t know what to do. Get Baleog on the left side and Erik and Olaf on the right; then use Baleog’s arm to reach up and grab the bomb. Give it to Olaf to use on the wall to the left. Then, using Olaf, go join Erik in the next room; bounce him up next to the bridge. Then hit the red switch that will lower the bridge, allowing Erik plenty of room to hit the wall on the right.
Level 25
Torch distribution is generally a problem; particularly in this level, since there are two very dark places and only one torch. I’ve found that the best thing to do is to give the torch to Erik first. Let fang climb the walls and go to the right until he goes into complete darkness. Let him walk for a second until you hear a “click”, then switch to Erik; you’ll find that you can go down into the water, come back up, kill the gorilla and let Scorch in through the passage that was opened by Fang. As you progress to the right, you’ll find Fang unharmed.
Level 26
As the game draws to a close, intricate timing becomes more and more important. Level 26 has two prime examples of this. The first occurs after Baleog and Erik come down the elevator and free Olaf. The see-saw like thing on the bottom requires perfect timing. The best thing is to put Olaf on the right side of the thing and drop Baleog down on the left. Once airborne, you’ll need to dodge the fireballs and guide yourself to the item-filled cavern. The second instance where precise timing is required comes after this, with the tea-cups surrounded by lightning. Unfortunately, the only sure-fire way to manage this is a gentle finger on the D-pad and an even gentler finger on the jump button.
Level 27
This time around, you not only have to control your guys with intricate timing, but you’ve also got to deal with what is the most brain-busting puzzle. Here’s the problem
You need to send two Vikings up the air shaft without getting shocked. At the same time, though, you need someone down below controlling the electricity flow near the balancing platforms. Send Erik and Olaf up the air shaft and use Fang (once he’s turned on the air shaft) to keep watch on the balancing platforms.
Level 28
All right, time to cut to the chase. You’re not getting anywhere unless you know how to get your guys down into the thick of this level. You’ve got to counterbalance Baleog so he can go off into the air shaft first (this is the only way he can go). Get him over to the right side, put him and Olaf in so they’re even, then jump in with Olaf. Walk Baleog immediately off to the right. Once everyone’s down, remember to use Olaf’s shield for a running surface so Erik can break that hard-to-reach wall.
Level 29
Yet another expansive and very demanding level. This demands perfect control of all your characters. And I mean PERFECT! To start off, you’ll need to get Scorch over to the right switch. Then use Erik to explore the area, have him get the goods and exit.
Level 30
Olaf takes the left, Scorch takes the center, and Fang takes the right. The next-to-last level is nothing if not big. The key to success in this one is the following
You need to take Scorch through the center portal and do battle with the (under?) boss. In order to beat him, you must kill the baddies at the bottom of the screen and collect the bombs they leave behind. Then go to the top of the screen, and drop the bombs on the boss as he rises to chase after you; you’ll have to do it so the bombs deflect his path into the electric current. Once he hits the current, he’ll give up the key which is absolutely vital to finishing the level.
Level 31
The perfect end for such a huge and complex game. Start it off with Olaf versus the Boss. Collect a bomb from him by hitting the fire switch on the left. Then quickly shrink down, walk across the blue platform and return to normal size. As he begins to ascend up the chasm to your right, quickly jump across and drop the bomb on his head; this will divert his path to the right. Quickly move to the right and hit the fire switch so he runs into it and collect the key he drops. The other boss encounter worthy of explanation is when Fang and Scorch are stuck underneath the two blocks and it appears that they’ll be crushed. You need to run up with Olaf, have him shrink down and hand something important to either of the two…