I can remember one moment while playing through one level where I was swarmed by a three dozen enemies that did little damage alone, but collectively could very easily kill poor Thora. I was surprised when combat turned out to be more difficult than I thought it would be. Not that I minded this very much because it gave me something to look at while I played. For me the game consisted of wandering around until I found what I was looking for with a bit of combat sprinkled in to keep the player engaged. It’s a 2-D boss battler game filled with environmental puzzles, although I feel like puzzles is a bit of a stretch. Jotun doesn’t try to advertise itself as something it isn’t. Of the few that I have, Jotun ranks amongst the best in terms of pure aesthetic appeal and the team that worked on it certainly knows how to hold a pen - I certainly do enjoy looking at it. I can't say that I have played many games where every single frame was hand drawn. Until then, she is trapped in Norse purgatory and has to fight her way to those big pearly gates with nothing but her wits, some occasional divine support and the cliché massive two handed axe that every little Viking girl gets on her twelfth birthday. Thora has had the misfortune of dying an inglorious death which is a pretty big sin for a Viking warrior and as such must prove to the Gods that she is worthy of entering Valhalla. For Viking warrior Thora, Jotun’s protagonist, the future is pretty much all laid out before her. Overall, this is a fantastic, enjoyable and polished action game, whose story will quickly suck you in and wont let go.Jotun is an action game that is heavily based on the Scandinavian culture and religion of 700-odd AD’s. The only negative I can attribute to Jotun, is that once the story has played out you are left with little reason to return to the game, largely given the lack of combat throughout and the reliance upon the lore to pull you through to the end. Coupled with the narrator’s dialogue, with his snippets of facts and tales from the mythos that describes the history of the mythology revealed in either the fore or background, it’s an impressive and unique presentation. Jotun has a pretty distinct graphical style, a little bit like a cross between Odin Sphere, Valkyria Chronicles and Shadow of the Colossus, with its beautifully stylised artwork filled with little nuanced references to the Norse mythos pantheon throughout. It’s all a bit nostalgic, reminiscent of the boss fights of yore. These range from simple healing or increased speed, to the ability to create an illusion that will attract all enemies to it before exploding.īoss fights are impressive affairs, as the Jotun tower over your comparatively tiny character, and have attacks that can devastate your health in a few blows, you must deduce the pattern of attacks in order to fell these behemoths. To assist in your journey, you can pray at the shrine of one of the many gods you may come across, and they can bestow you with a new skill. It is to its merit that this lack of consistent combat does not in any way detract from the pacing of the game, but actually goes to empathise the engaging story and mythos involved in Thora’s attempt to redeem herself. With each swing of your giant axe being methodical and rhythmic, and ultimately taking considerable time to complete, each attack must be timed perfectly in its execution. These runes are secreted within areas of the nine realms, and will see you take your trusty battle axe from the roots of the world tree Yggdrasill, where Nidhogg eternally gnaws on its roots, to the forge of Brokkr where the god’s weapons were forged.Īlthough the combat is fluid and responsive, it is seldom used outside the fights with the towering Jotun. In order to do so she must overcome the Jotun inhabiting the many realms in the world.Įach Jotun is protected by a rune gate, and in order to face them in battle you must first collect a series of runes to unlock the seal holding the gate shut. You play as Thora, a Viking warrior maiden who, after dying an inglorious death at sea, is given a chance to ascend and join her ancestors in Valhalla by impressing the gods. Thunder Lotus Games’ first outing began life as a Kickstarter dream, like many indie titles in recent years, and after a successful run on the PC, the title has made its transition to console.
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