Jotun: Valhalla Edition

Grade A drawing, grade B art direction, and grade C gameplay. My main gameplay critque: losing to bosses doesn't always feel like your fault, usually feel like a product of randomized aspects/wonky hitboxes. There are some well designed bosses, but I'd say the negatives on the fights stand out more than the highlights. For art direction, the number of frames per animation, visual difference between background and character art, and general lack of more than 1 enemy per level was the big drawback; I felt like I could count on one hand the number of animations/level.

Must say the game is really beautiful with its artistic style they have gone with. The story I find to be interesting and well done. It gives you a story about you in the game but also about norse lore. The levels are different but this is also where it lacks a bit. The running back the same way during some levels feels a bit boring. Wish they could have put some more of a shortcut there. I enjoyed the boss fights. Some easy and some more difficult. It took me 5 hours to play through it so it is a short game. Just don't expect a very difficult game as it is much an atmospheric game and enjoy the beautiful hand-drawn world.

A good looking but in the end boring experience.

Some folks claim this is a casual game. I suppose to an extent this is true. I am greatly enjoying this game. Solid puzzles. Strong narrative. Well-meshed graphics. It's fun, and appealing. If you're looking for a "americanized norse pantheon" product, this is not it. The game is not about empowerment and simplistic badassery. The game is action oriented, with a strong interactive puzzle orientation. THe combat is decently rounded, and tough if you are not experienced. The story drives the narrative, and while it has the nordic pantheon, it's focus is not on the nordic pantheon. Love the game. Beautiful piece.

Again like a previous reviewer said, "pause to view the map". Well there's no pause at all to even view the map in, and that didn't exist anyway! :D That sums the whole kit and caboodle up. It's just nothing but "eh?", "eh?", "don't geddit". Gameplay consisted of wandering around a forest type scenery, occasionally chopping away giant tree roots and smaller aggressive tentacle type roots. Finding the odd statue and shrine etc, but they either did nothing, or left you wondering "yes...... and....... what just happened?". Looked pretty and animations looked very professionally done. For that it gets one extra star. I got this on a free offer so can't complain about value for money. But full price it is £11 here in the UK. Robbery for just the ten minutes I persevered before uninstalling.