Image: Messhof

Well, here's a pleasant surprise! Nidhogg - the arcade fencing game and old indie classic from Blood Dungeon developer Messhof - got a major update yesterday, almost thirteen years after its original release. And would you believe that it adds full rollback netcode, the magical process that has elevated online fighting games from 'tolerable' to 'great' over the past decade? Better yet, it's going cheap right now.

You can see the full patch notes here, but they're not too extensive. As well as the new netcode (ensuring that it feels almost as responsive as offline local play), matchmaking with strangers now prioritizes low-ping connections. There's also new online lobbies for larger groups to hang out in between matches, a training mode, and an in-game invite system allowing you to drag your friends into a match quicker than ever.

So why play an old indie platform fighter that looks like it's from the Atari 2600? Because Nidhogg is still exceptionally good fun. Two continually respawning fencers enter, and their goal is not to kill the other player, but to get past their opponent - lethally or otherwise - and race as far as they can in order to sacrifice themselves to a massive flying worm-god at the furthest edge of the multi-arena level. And thus it becomes a fantastic exercise in mind-games played at breakneck pace, and despite the simple digital controls, it manages to feel like a very involved swordfighting game.

Do you go for a decisive stab, adjusting your stance high or low to bypass the other player's sword? Do you try to somersault over them, trying to evade combat entirely? Knock the sword from their hand and then kick them flat with a dropkick, creating an opening? It's beautifully dynamic, and each arena presents some interesting environmental challenges.

The breakneck pace also meant that online play was always a liability until now, with every bit of latency (the time it takes your data to bounce to the other player and back) making the game feel sludgier and less responsive. Rollback uses some fancy technical smoke and mirrors to make it feel like you're playing offline and intelligently filling in the blanks with game-state predictions and corrections. I'd probably embarrass myself if I tried to explain it in detail, but I'll let Dual-Wielding Dad on YouTube explain how it works, if you want to know how the worm sausage is made.

The final cherry on top of all this is that Nidhogg is currently on sale until October 20th. While normally £8.50/$10, you can slice 65% off the price. While not the cheapest the game has been, it's still a great excuse to bully your friends into playing with you. Peer pressure works.