Hell, there isn’t even a training mode or tutorial. Why are these characters fighting each other to get to the end just to be eaten by a massive flying worm? That’s literally the entire point of the game and it is never explained.
Just a forewarning: I never played the first Nidhogg, but I’m starting to think maybe I should. Even after playing Nidhogg 2 for a while, conquering the arcade mode a handful of times and messing around with the local multiplayer.