Nidhogg is a fast-paced two-player dueling game where two players sword fight in a side-scrolling environment.

[4] The player to reach the end of their opponent's side first wins[5] and is eaten by the mythological Norse serpent Níðhöggr.

[7] It can be played via a shared keyboard,[4] and its art style has a pixelated aesthetic similar to games of the 1980s, with vivid colors and simple graphics.

[10] It was commissioned for the New York University Game Center's first No Quarter annual multiplayer show[7] and first exhibited in April 2010 as Raging Hadron.

The game was delayed as Messhof planned a formal release[11] and later renamed Nidhogg, after the mythological Norse serpent who appears in-game.

[6] Messhof worked as the game's only programmer and his time was divided between development and his other freelance and personal projects, graduate school, and a job teaching at University of Southern California.

The game languished until Kristina "Kristy" Norindr assisted Essen in founding Messhof LLC, a legally incorporated indie studio, joining as a co-founder and working in a business development role.

[7] Their list of desired styles always included Daedelus, who they were able to contact through a mutual friend who attended high school with the musician.

Messhof described their process as wanting to "enhance the action" while letting players control the game's tension.

He said that he "spent a lot of time" on the gameplay's feel and designed it to play slowly, where players wait for their opponent to move first, similar to Bushido Blade.

[11] It won several awards within a year of its first showing and appeared at "hyper-local indie group" meetups such as the Hand Eye Society of Toronto and Juegos Rancheros.

[5][24] Brandon Boyer marked the game as part of a "multiplayer renaissance" alongside TowerFall and Samurai Gunn.

[7] Polygon's Russ Frushtick described the game as a tug-of-war closer to the National Football League than to Street Fighter.

[2] Regarding the overall proposition, GamesTM said "It's a small package but there's a wealth of value to be found in the creative gameplay that'll spur you through many hours of gaming", while PC Gamer said "A brilliant marriage of mechanics, level design and music that will be played and talked about for years to come", a sentiment echoed by VideoGamer, who said "Nidhogg is a game to be enjoyed with friends while in the same room together, and it may be the best title you play that way this year."