Jotun is an action-exploration game for PC and Mac that takes you on an epic journey through Viking purgatory. In Jotun, you play Thora, a Norse warrior who has died an inglorious death and must face the challenges of Viking purgatory to prove herself to the Gods and enter Vahalla. Imagine the mysteriously romantic mood of Journey mixed with the scale of the boss fights in Shadow of the Colossus in hand-drawn top-down 2D.
Video Review: Youtube.com
Engulfed in Norse mythology, Jotun is an action-adventure game with a hand-drawn visual style. This art style is something that makes Jotun feel more unique but the overall art in the game isn’t very coherent as the large characters look completely different from the small characters and backgrounds. That aside I really enjoyed Jotun’s visual take of these mythical Norse worlds. The sound design is very immersive, not only due to the quality of the sound effects or music, but because the team took a step further and delivered fantastic narration in Icelandic.
Jotun’s gameplay is divided between action and adventure, because in order to reach and fight each stage boss, the Jotun, you first need to explore the multiple levels. These levels do not only greatly reward you for exploring, due to the hidden God Powers and Golden Apples that are not required to finish the game but are highly recommended, but the levels also prepare you for your fight with the Jotun, introducing the new different mechanics and hazards that then will be used by the bosses. And even though most of the levels have a lot of enemies for you to fight, the Jotuns are where the action really takes place with these massive creatures having unique themes and attacks and truly taking a lot of effort and time to defeat. Sometimes the game can feel a little bit punishing as you can die from the simplest mistake, forcing you to replay the last five minutes, requiring the player to learn and master each Jotun and finally defeating him feels so rewarding.
In terms the plot there isn’t much to speak of. The story in Jotun is simple but it gains strength due to all of the mystery surrounding why the main character is in this strange place performing these godly tasks. I really enjoyed the sections of the game that explored more into the Norse mythology, for example when the game tells you the story of how the first gods and the first giants were born and how our world was created.
• Final thoughts
Take caution as Jotun is a very challenging game and demands a strong will from the player, exploring the levels requires patience and fighting the Jotuns proves to be a real feat. Dying for a bad dodge and being forced to replay this long fights from the start is a bit too punishing but of course without this challenge the game would be really simple. Jotun is an immersive and gorgeous game, a must play for all of those who like Norse mythology and a great challenge.
Gorgeous animation and graphics, fantastic music, great voice acting, very good gameplay.