Do you like puzzles? Do you like boss fights? Do you like puzzles within puzzles and the option for crazily cool animated boss fights when you’re done with the puzzles? Well then my dear viewers, Jotun is the game for you.
Originally launched in September of 2015, Jotun has just received a major update called Jotun: The Valhalla Edition. Basically a new game mode in which you can tackle the boss fights, but with increased difficulty.
However, it occurs to me this means nothing to you if you’re not aware of what the initial version of Jotun is, especially since you have to finish it in order to unlock the Valhalla Edition game mode, so I take it upon myself to tell you about the initial release of Jotun.
Story
Jotun does a great job of both setting up the action, as well as setting you, the player, in the protagonist’s role: a double-axe wielding viking chick called Thora. Whilst it might not sounds like the most original name at first, there is a reason for it which is explained during the game. And I liked that the devs took the time to explain the name, beyond the fact that it would tap into the recent pop culture awareness around Marvel’s Thor.
Which segways me neatly into the fact that the story is the driving force of the game, much moreso than the puzzles or even the boss fights, because everything we do in the game is meant to ensure that Thora gains access into Valhalla. We’re not doing it for a high score or to find hidden treasure.
You find out what’s going on and why it is going on by exploring your surroundings, narrations popping up to explain one thing or another, usually related to some aspect of Norse mythology.
And the cinematic-style moving camera comes in to drive home the message that a story is actually being told. The camera angle will close-in and widen when you need to get a better idea of the scope and size of the environment around you.
Gameplay mechanics
There are several stages, each of them designed around certain themes - Norse god related ones - with different types of puzzle mechanics. You can choose to tackle whichever stage you wish, there is no imposed order but the one overarching characteristic that all stages have in common is that they will reward you exploring every nook and cranny of ‘em.
For instance, if you’re interesting in increasing your lifebar then you need to make sure to explore each stage and find the Tree of Ithuun in each of them and get its life-expanding golden apples. You don’t have to do this, it’s an optional thing that you can go for or simply ignore, although keeping in mind that a larger lifebar will allow you to better tackle the various challenges of the stages as well as the boss fights.
The map feature offers more of a general guideline regarding to the layout of the land rather than an exact representation of it. So you can’t totally rely on the maps for your navigating, you have to pay attention to where you are within the stage and then compare this to where you think you are on the map. It can be a bit confusing at first, and more than a bit more annoying but with a some time and attention you’ll get to learn how to use it to guide yourself through the various stages.
You complete a stage once you reach that stage’s god, or representation of the god, who will endow you with a thematic ability, i.e. Thor will give you the Thor’s Hammer ability, Loki the Decoy ability so on and so forth.
Art direction and style
Now everything I mentioned till now, sounds pretty cool, and it is, but it is only made that much cooler by the way in which Thunder Lotus Games approached it.
Jotun is illustrated in beautifully fluid hand-drawn animation, not as detailed as one might have wanted it, but certainly above average in terms of quality considering the sheer amount of diverse and different things that had to be illustrated.
It’s great to see more games starting to go back and use the classic frame-by-frame animation styles - like Gibbous - or simply implement hand-drawn art in their game like is the case with The Great Whale Road or Guild of Dungeoneering.
As for the soundtrack, it’s simple and subtle while at the same time atmospheric and powerful when it has to be.
The Valhalla Edition
So what about the Valhalla Edition then?
Well, like I mentioned earlier, you have to first finish the game in order to gain access to it, which unfortunately, I haven’t had time to do, but the general consensus seems to be that it is a great addition to the base game and it only means that by getting Jotun now, you’re getting more double-axe for your buck.
Thanks for watching this video and I hope you found it informative. Please like and share it with your friends and don’t forget to check out the rest of my channel for many other game and movie reviews, I make videos every week!