Jotun: Valhalla Edition
Nintendo Switch

Reviewed by Brett

Publisher – Thunder Lotus Games
Developer – Thunder Lotus Games
Music – Maxime Lacoste Lebuis
Category – Action, Adventure
Release Date – Apr 27, 2018

Jotun features some truly beautiful landscapes

Jotun is one of the most uniquely beautiful games i have ever had the pleasure to play. Hand drawn/painted style artwork make Jotun stand out form any other game i have experienced. Besides the awe inducing vistas Jotun is a joy to play from front to back.

Story

You play Thora, a Norse viking warrior who died an inglorious death while on the open sea sailing to battle. She is given a second chance to restore her glory and prove herself to the Gods by defeating five Jotun to enter Valhalla. You traverse beautifully animated regions of Norse Purgatory and discover runes runes to unleash and fight the Jotun, giant Norse elemental’s. You learn about Norse mythology and Thora’s past while redeeming yourself in the eyes of the gods.

One of the numerous lovingly paint backdrops that fill the game

Gameplay

Your task in Jotun is to defeat the five titular Jotun who guard one of their respective corners of Ginnungagap, the void that exists between worlds, to impress the gods and gain entrance to Valhalla using only your double headed axe and your skills. Each realm is unique and themed towards the Jotun to whom it belongs with detailed Norse lore and beautiful visuals to match. Every realm is separated into three areas, two of which you must explore and occasionally fight enemies and solve mild puzzles to find runes which unlock the gate to the Jotun that resides there.

Most levels don’t have all that many enemies besides one section where you battle swarms of dwarfs and so danger is never really all that present. Instead of constant combat, most areas are strictly about navigating through the gorgeous landscape to find the runes you must collect, you will also uncover new abilities and life extending golden apples that will aid you greatly on your path to Valhalla.

While i very greatly enjoyed every second of wandering the picturesque levels, the real joy of the game lies in fighting the colossal Jotun themselves.

Each Jotun fight is nothing short of amazing. The scale of each battle really makes you feel like your fighting against a god. Here is where you will be really using all the powers you have acquired, from Thors hammer to a spectral spear to great speed, you will need to combine and smartly use them all to topple these giants . The more you collected the better off you are going to be. Especially your ever important healing spell. While all the Jotun ‘Boss fights” are a challenge and can be chaotic, they are not so difficult that you will be frustrated. You only need learn each Jotun’s complex patterns to figure out how to fell them.

I stand on the center column overlooking half of a level

Presentation

This game is absolutely gorgeous.

Even if this is not the genre of game you typically prefer you owe it to yourself to take in every visual this game has to offer.

Everything in the game is hand painted/drawn. It almost looks like your playing through a sequel to the movie Heavy Metal, only animated better.

Suitably epic sounding score by Maxime Lacoste Lebuis. His sweeping melodies tie everything together for an amazingly cohesive experience.

Verdict

I can not stress enough how much i love Jotun. It is such a pure joy to just take your time walking through this game taking in every beautiful thing on display. There may not be a ton of combat, but its not important that there is and when you do fight the Jotun, it feels amazing to bring them down. The masterful score ties everything together wonderfully and helps create an immersive outstanding game. Don’t even think about it. Just go play it as soon as you can.