From the creators of Manual Samuel comes another gross yet charming narrative puzzle game in the form of Helheim Hassle. Players take the role of a young Viking named Bjorn who, unlike other Vikings, wishes to live a long boring life. When Bjorn dies an unheroic death, he is mistakenly whisked away to Valhalla by the Allfather before being resurrected and starting an unheroic journey to Helheim.
The road to Helheim is littered with unfinished puzzles. That's not a shot at the quality of the game but literally a part of the game's narrative. A puzzle construction company is in the middle of building puzzles for deceased adventurers to complete when Bjorn and his skeletal companion make their way to Helheim. Normally these puzzles would be impossible to complete, but thanks to Bjorn's newfound ability to detach his limbs these puzzles are made possible.
Helheim Hassle has some interesting and unique puzzles that are intelligently built around the game's core mechanics. The player has to traverse platforms and narrow corridors in order to press buttons and flip switches all while being able to detach and combine their body parts. Bjorn's arms, legs, head, and torso can be detached and combined with one another. Each limb has its own abilities, and these abilities can change depending on the combination of body parts. For instance, a player can jump higher if they detach body parts and lighten the player's load, but a player can only climb and throw things if they have access to their arms. This unique mechanic forces players to think through puzzles instead of randomly switching between body parts hoping to find a solution.
The levels in Helheim Hassle are well designed, and every location offers its own unique challenges. While the puzzles are usually solved without unintentional hitches, a few levels have the potential to soft-lock the player forcing them to restart the area by quitting to the main menu. This isn't a prevalent issue, but it is one that can occur without much effort. Other than this issue, levels are quite fun to maneuver through but do not offer much more for players who wish to explore. There are hidden items that can be found by following secret passageways, and some unique encounters that are rewarding in their own right, but for the most part, players will want to stay on the beaten path.
Above puzzles and mechanics, the dialogue and characters are by far the best parts of Helheim Hassle. The game is chocked full of hilarious encounters with characters who are designed around certain stereotypes, such as the DIY Dad persona and influencer elves who have exaggerated personalities that heavily play on their stereotypical behavior. These encounters happen frequently, and each character feels like a handcrafted personality. No two characters are alike, but all of them are equally loveable.
Helheim Hassle is an enjoyable experience, and the hilariously charming narrative is enough to encourage players to solve even the hardest of puzzles just so they can make it to the next encounter. The game lacks a little polish around the edges, but not enough to drastically affect the overall experience. If players are in the market for some tough puzzles, interesting storytelling, or a good laugh, Helheim Hassle may be the game they've been looking for - and, at the very least, it's certainly worth a shot for those fans.
Helheim Hassle releases on August 18 on PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. Screen Rant was provided a digital Steam code for the purposes of this review.