Jotun: Valhalla Edition

I got this for free, or I otherwise wouldn't have played it, which would've been a shame, because it's quite good. It's a lot like the first Zelda meets Mega Man; the game is split into several different stages, and you can tackle them in almost any order you like. You can create a linear progression for yourself, fighting bosses as soon as you're able; or you could opt to finish all of the stages, maxing out your lifebar and gathering up all of the special attacks, before tangling with most of them. There isn't a lot of combat; some stages have no enemies at all, but challenge you with environmental hazards, instead. You explore these areas, trying to find everything hidden within them, but most of all, the rune at the end. Some of these challenges are poorly designed, leaving you to wonder just how to avoid the hazards, but for the most part, they're pretty reasonable. Boss fights are similarly a mixed bag, and for the same reasons. The visuals are beautiful, and impressive, considering that they're all hand-drawn, and animation is very fluid. The main character is great, too; she's a stout Viking warrior with an axe! The story is told via narration in a Scandanavian language with subtitles, and my favorite thing about this is that the pronunciations are actually correct. A pet peeve of mine is hearing the same terrible mispronunciations of Yggdrasil, Bifrost, and myriad others again and again. If you're going to use these elements, take the 5 minutes needed to at least research them! Anyway, as a mythology buff, I was impressed, learning a few tales that even I hadn't known. It's woven very well into the story, too. Tone is also impressively consistent; it's not so full of itself that it's corny, but it doesn't make any unnecessary attempts at humor, either; it's just a nice, serious story. The music is so-so, but it at least lets you know it's there, and the voice acting suits the experience very well; I love the way that Thora speaks.

This is game beautiful, fun, and interesting. The graphics, while cartoony, are pretty. The action is fun, and can be challenging at times (I've still to beat the final level personally, though I think fans of hack 'n' slash games will find it too easy). The story, while not exactly original, does give an insight into Norse mythology, which I though was very nice. There are also secrets to find, and special powers to obtain, which, in my book, is always a good thing. My only complaint is that the game is somewhat short overall.

You probably noticed a good amount of 4 and 2 star reviews. Jotun is a mixed bag. It is obvious that the creators poured their hearts into this game. It is atmospheric, beautiful, and the combat system is well designed. The game is set into worlds that each contain about two stages and a boss fight. There are few enemies and each level/maze contains environmental traps that you must navigate. The pacing is slow, but I never felt bored as some reviewers mentioned. I did; however, feel a little disappointed when most wrong-turns in the game were simply dead-ends. Most boss battles are not very difficult as each boss follows a predictable path and there are multiple ways to defeat them and the power-up items are a little too powerful. Jotun is worth the play through, but I am not sure there is enough for a return visit. I am happy with the game, though I must mention, I received a free copy on GOG. Having experienced the game, I think I would feel comfortable paying the $15.

This is more an aesthetic experience than a game, but AN AWESOME EXPERIENCE. Only 2 problems: slow walking, given that scenarios are huge and map is minimalistic; and despite native 21:9 (something that big developers ignore), some effects are displayed in 16:9. For example, one scenario with snow storm. The snow animation does not cover all the screen.

I loved it cause I very much enjoy Norse everything. So it was a very pleasant theme. Found the artwork also quite pleasing, beautiful in many ways. The audio great as well, especially the voice actingas little of it as there was of it. Gameplay is simple, just have to expore the little maps that are meant to be a bit puzzling and challenging and have fights with dfferent Jotnar from different worlds of Yggdrasil.