If you were a fan of the first Nidhogg, you might have been surprised when Nidhogg 2 debuted with a far more gruesome (if vibrant) art style. We were too, and today we were lucky enough to ask Nidhogg 2 creative director Mark Essen about that change and discuss other major updates to the local multiplayer fighting game. 

It turns out, talking about changes to Nidhogg’s art and animation meant talking about other key changes too. The success of Nidhogg helped Essen build a larger team for Nidhogg 2, which meant stepping away from some of the responsibilities he has as an indie designer and working to incorporate other input from other team members.

That input, as well as decisions about the broader strategy of Nidhogg, led to some of the key changes seen in Nidhogg 2. And you can learn more about those decisions by watching our full conversation up above. 

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