Slaying Giants in JOTUN
IMPRESSS THEEE GOOODDDSSSS!
Yes, I have to be that vigorous to play this game.
JOTUN was also one of my Steam Summer Sale loot. I bought this because of the Developer, Thunder Lotus, whose Spiritfarer was my most anticipated game of the year. As usual, I fell in love first with the visual (I genuinely have a soft spot for 2D games and animations), and the game later on. Actually, this is my first time playing the boss slaying type game. Calculating from the trailer, I thought this might still be manageable.
So we play as Thora, a female Viking warrior whose name was after the God of Thunder himself. Thora got killed in an inglorious way — not because of battle — thus, she couldn’t enter the Valhalla. Apparently! The Gods have given her a second chance, but she has to prove herself to them by defeating the Jotnar (plural form of Jotun) in various elements and styles.
Loves
Of course, the hand-drawn art and 2D animation. The illustrations feel magical, and the movement feels smooth, balancing the HARD EDGES of the game. Sorry I got carried away. I also like the scale of Thora compared to the Jotuns. We’re incredibly smol! Imagine the Jotun’s hitbox!
The downside is, there are literal rough sketch-like edges that I didn’t quite fancy. Although it counts as the artistic style, I suppose it can still use some refinement because it looks blurry at some points.
As the story revolves around Norse mythology, there are a lot of terms and contexts that may be interesting for history and mythology enthusiasts out there. As for myself, I was first introduced to Norse mythology when I played Ragnarok Online back in the early 2000s. It may not be the best reference, but it coined my interest in the Norse universe. Until now I’m still unable to understand the whole mythology fully, and I hope I can play more games with stories revolving around it (I’m looking at God of War but sadly it’s console exclusive)
As an addition, the dialogues in JOTUN are voiced over by Icelandic actors and actress. Personally, it is such a valuable learning experience to be narrated by the people from the culture of origin; moreover, we are worlds apart.
Mechanics
Speaking of the fight as it is also the central element of the game, the mechanic is pretty simple. Too simple, perhaps? Thora either uses a quick bash, charged attacks, or uses the gods’ power as power-ups. There are no customizations as we only wield our giant ax as our loyal weapon throughout the game. I suppose the simplicity adds more to the difficulty, but I wish there were more interaction and/or customization for the sake of more fun.
The levels’ objective is pretty straightforward, which is to collect the particular Jotun rune, usually spread in two levels. Aside from rune collecting, there are also hidden power-ups and Norse lore scattered in every map. Given the simplicity, I consider the level design to be well done, it doesn’t feel too linear for they are rather short, the length is well-matched (exception for Kaunan’s). I feel like it could be boorish if it goes longer than this. Even for the giants, they have their puzzles and in-battle characteristics. Easy enough to solve if you have seen through the pattern.
Music plays a vital role in this game as well. While the in-levels background music is usually rather minimal as an ambiance, boss battles typically have a three-part composition that proportioned to their intensity. As the boss’ health bar goes lower, the music goes epic and more blood-pumping!
But holy — JOTUN is probably the hardest game I’ve ever played so far! But I suppose it’s a worth trying experience, although Kaunan’s stage was very looong and haaaard and slooow. Perseverance is a virtue. Fun fact: I didn’t know there was a correct order of slaying the Jotnar, so I went head-on and had to GITGUD for quite some time. Maybe I finally beat him in my 20th try. At that point, I’ve already lost track of attempts.
With the combination of the mechanics above, finishing JOTUN feels epically satisfying! I suppose the same goes for similar games. I cannot say it is rewarding since finishing the base story is only halfway to completing the game. If you are feeling like a true Viking warrior, you can proceed to the Valhalla Mode, which hits HARDER, or if you play for steam achievements, try to revisit each boss to complete another set of achievement badges.
But thank you, I’m good with what I have :-)
Another fun fact, at the last boss level, just before we are face-to-face with Odin, we can see the busts of the…dev team? It is a fun concept, and I feel welcomed here.
Play Jotun on PC: https://store.steampowered.com/app/323580/Jotun_Valhalla_Edition/
