A fencing tug-of-war with swords and worms
Nidhogg is a two-player fencing duel where the arena pulls back and forth like a tug-of-war. You fight with lunges, parries and thrown swords, and if you end up unarmed you switch to punches, sweep kicks, dive kicks, rolls and wall jumps. Killing an opponent only buys you ground. You need a series of kills to earn right-of-way, then run, fight or flee toward your own goal-zone. The whole arena stretches in both directions, so a win can turn into a scramble the other way at any moment. New opponents keep spawning in your path, so an advantage rarely lasts long. Each arena has its own formations and chokepoints worth learning, and the flying giant worms show up along the way.
Playing it with friends
This is a straight one-on-one showdown: two people, two swords, one shared screen. One of you pushes left, the other pushes right, and the match keeps swinging until someone reaches their goal-zone. It's built for sitting next to each other, and the game's own description warns that yelling and excitement may occur, so expect some noise. Online PvP is available if your group is spread out, and Remote Play Together lets someone join in over a connection while you play on your side.
Before you start
The fights are fast and the margins are thin — a single kill rarely decides anything, so don't relax after you take someone down. Learn which arenas give you a chokepoint to hold and which ones favor movement, and get comfortable fighting without a sword, since throwing yours is a real tactic and losing it is common. The skill gap comes from outwitting the other player rather than from landing one perfect hit. En Garde.