However, the combat is genuinely immersive. Despite such bait for upgrades, Jotun feels like a sluggish tenth round of hide-and-seek and takes some time to get used to. There are also golden apples lying around that when consumed, extends your health bar. One of the major landmarks to locate are statues dedicated to different Norse gods, and when discovered, you gain a special ability or a ‘blessing’ to use in your brawls against the Jotuns. It made my exploration feel a little less repetitive, and if one zone felt too tedious, I could easily access another zone. Thankfully, you can explore each of the nine worlds in any order you choose, so I was able to leave and enter as I pleased. I spent most of Jotun aimlessly running around trying to find a landmark that would indicate some vague idea of my whereabouts. This could be due to a very obtuse map, which took me a couple of zones to figure out what each legend means and where my location corresponds with the map’s design. Yes, searching for the hidden runes are made known thanks to the early narration in the game, but even as I marvel at the world around me, each zone feels slow and unmotivating. She would create constellations.īut despite its attention to visual detail and its smooth animations, I struggled with Jotun‘s lack of clear level objectives. Plus, Jotun does a great job of adding the David versus Goliath element throughout your gameplay. It’s refreshing to be able to surrender your control to the forces of nature. This reminds me that there is a universe far bigger than ourselves. As you wander around, I notice that Thora is very small in scale in comparison to the rest of her world. Shadows are also cleverly used throughout Jotun to indicate safe zones or the size and width of the Jotun’s attack, making combat especially easier to plan. These subtle details also stress urgency when highly stressful situations arise like a shadow looming from the thin ice below and suddenly, a giant sea serpent smashes through the ice. There is always something new to discover in Jotun‘s rich world and is worth staring at with awe. I enjoyed running through lush twigs and giant mushrooms, or carefully tiptoeing around glowing red cracks that bubbled with lava underneath. Each of the nine worlds feels distinct and unique, able to hold its own beauty. Every detail is executed with finesse and is seamlessly attractive to watch like little screen shakes as Thora smashes her axe to the ground or subtle flashes when a Jotun receives damage. The hand-drawn animations are incredibly detailed, from Thora’s cloak waving behind as you run around, to the top-down view of the environment below. You enter Yggdrasil, the connector of the nine worlds, aka the nine zones, in which you spend your journey exploring. Navigating through Jotun is an absolutely gorgeous expedition. Voiceovers are spoken in Icelandic, allowing your experience as Thora to feel richly authentic and vibrant. If you enjoy Norse mythology or mediums that implement this rich history, then Jotun will feel like your childhood dream coming to life. In your quest to achieve the thumbs up from the gods, you search for hidden runes across the game to awaken the five Jotuns, giant Norse elementals, in which you battle for glory. You play as Thora, a Viking warrior who dies an inglorious death and gets a second chance to prove her might to the gods and enter Valhalla, the equivalent of Norse heaven. Set in Norse mythology, Jotun spans sprawling regions of various weather types, landscapes and architecture. However, after about six or seven hours of navigating through Jotun’s earthquakes, enduring winter blizzards and just overall trying to impress the gods, Jotun has some in-game mechanics that could use a little more tweaking. This indie goodie from developers Thunder Lotus Games will entice you to wield the weapons of war and experience the mythical treats of Norse mythology. Its idyllic paradises teem with natural perils and precious runes waiting for you to unlock and receive the formidable strength of the gods. Jotun: Valhalla Edition is a magnificent sight for sore eyes, showcasing the power and beauty of nature’s forces. Hurdles of rock and lava falling from the sky. Giant tree tentacles sprouting from the soil.
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