Jotun: Valhalla Edition

Developer: Thunder Lotus Games
Publisher: Thunder Lotus Games
Music: Max LL (Maxime Lacoste-Lebuis)
Platforms: PC, PS4, Wii U, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Released: September 29^th 2015
Genre: Action, Adventure

Narrative

The story follows Thora, a dead Viking woman who died by drowning on the freezing Nordic seas. Odin was disappointed in her inglorious death and she is granted a second chance to redeem herself. She must travel through the realms of the Gods and defeat a series of different Jotun who are giant, powerful, Norse elemental beings of nature and chaos. She must defeat these Jotun in order to impress Odin so she may enter Valhalla. Jotun starts in an incredible forest landscape where you are carefully guided to a mountainous peak where a gorgeous cinematic view of the world beneath Thora unfolds. Through Thora’s journey she must find runes that unleash the Jotun and fight for her right of passage to Valhalla. Through out her journey she battles massive bosses, showcasing extraordinary animations that as exquisitely hand drawn.

There are nine stunning levels to explore where you as the player are guided by beautiful Icelandic voice acted dialog that impart detailed lore of Viking mythology. This coupled with a phenomenal musical composition will have you totally engrossed with her fate. There is much to love and learn about this story which educates you on the historical relevance of Norse mythology and experiences that lead Thora through epic battles for honour and glory. There is a lot of environmental story telling where the camera pans out so you can see from a bird’s eye view the surrounding land and words of lore delivered to you by the protagonist herself.

Gameplay

Jotun is a single player game where you play as Thora. She carries a huge axe that is your primary weapon which you can swing repetitively at large groups of enemies or take a huge swing with a longer build up that deals greater amount of damage with a single blow. I did find that the movement felt a bit staggered and jarring, I couldn’t move smoothly in battle or dodge enemies I always felt there was a slight delay with each mechanic I played out. I found this especially frustrating during boss battles when I was grinding my way through the challenge. Throughout game play you gain extra abilities granted to you by the Gods that you can cycle through and select which ones to use for specific situations, some of these abilities heal you or create diversions allowing you to attack from behind.

At some points I found there to be an absence of enemies to engage with, sometimes being bored while traversing breathtaking landscapes, there was little to interact with while on my journey to each rune. In some cases, there was a lacking guidance about which areas are best to tackle first as there is no set order for each area and some of them can be much harder than others. In some instances, this can be good for the players that enjoy exploring and moving at their own pace however for me personally I do like a bit of hand holding and felt lost a times. In saying that the boss battles are outstanding both requiring patience and strategy to defeat which left victory feeling oh so sweet.

Music

The voice acting does a marvellous job of painting the harsh picture of the Viking world, setting wondrous atmospheric tension that transports you to the hostile and unforgiving universe of the Norse Gods. The music is cinematic and up roaring with intense orchestral builds that make you feel like you’re the centre piece of this legendary adventure. As you reach panicle moments of game play the music syncs perfectly which makes everything feel seamless and natural. All the sound effects are thick, chunky and appropriately wet when slicing giant vines which makes sense given that Thora is axe swinging Viking. This is an added extra for when you’re in a boss battle and the demonic like sounds of a Jotun come raging, then there’s the cranked-up bass for their attacks making every boss encounter feel tremendous.

The Experience

Jotun is a visually stunning game from the frozen waste lands to volcanic underground there is a unique design adding flavour with each endeavour. The music is epic, pairing nicely with the aesthetics of each realm and battle undertaken. I was truly mesmerised by this Viking world where the story transports you to a time when a bloody death was your path to eternal rest. The animations stole my heart and transfixed me, even when I had struggled to defeat a boss repeatedly, I still relished the moments I got to see them emerge from their place of slumber for the hundredth time. I highly recommend Jotun for those players that enjoy rich story and visual design these being my personal highlights. I was not disappointed playing my first Thunder Lotus game and it definitely won’t be my last.

Reviewed by Evie Gibbons @eviezgames on January 22nd 2020