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Jotun: Valhalla Edition (Wii U) – the legend of Thora. A mixture of Zelda and Shadow Of The Colossus make this beautifully animated indie adventure one to savour. Jotun: Valhalla Edition is a beautiful, but sometimes shallow, crash course in Norse mythology that shines in its boss fights’ designs and overall presentation. And while Valhalla Mode isn’t much of an incentive to jump back in for returning players, it adds tremendous challenge to.
As problematic as it could occasionally be, the God of War series has proven to be a successful example of integrating the education of ancient mythology within video games, providing players a crash course through numerous aspects of Greek mythology, with a generous dose of violence along the way. While the story aspects do provide a solid motivation for the player to continue, it was often the gameplay, with its button-mashing combat and large-scale puzzles and boss fights, that pushed them forward towards the completion of one of Kratos’ adventures. Unfortunately, Thunder Lotus Games’ title Jotun is only able to provide one of these key incentives, delivering an intriguing overview of Norse mythology, while falling flat in their attempts to provide engaging exploration or challenging boss encounters.Jotun’s development was largely supported over the past few years, with a $64 thousand Kickstarter in 2014 followed up by an impressively quick success on Steam Greenlight after being approved in under a week. The Norse-action game was released on PC the following year, and is now arriving on consoles with an all-new Valhalla Mode, featuring a boss rush of the game’s impressively large creatures known as jotun. Jotun follows the adventure of Norse warrior Thora, who, after suffering an inglorious death, must prove herself to the Gods by exploring the numerous worlds attached to the Ginnungagap, a purgatory-like hub world. After successfully completing one of these regions, Thora rewards the player with the telling of her life on Earth, and the family troubles that surrounded it.
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While this aspect of the plot rarely goes beyond the bare necessities for a story of tragedy and retribution, it is the worlds that Thora explores which provide the most compelling aspects of Jotun, the detailing of Norse mythology. As someone who has had very little interactions with Norse mythology beyond my experiences with Marvel movies, Jotun provided a deep, if somewhat overwhelming, dive into this complex mythos over the course of its 5 hour length, through a variety of interactions with Gods, set pieces, and details via narration.Most of the player’s time spent in Jotun will consist of walking, with brief interruptions for puzzles and boss fights. The movement is limited to eight directions, in a move that seems reflective of how the game played on PC, which takes some time to adjust to, and the environments players explore, while inspired, are often left mostly undiscovered, with little reason to fully seek out their mysteries beyond the completion of the main objective, or the optional ability to seek out new powers and health upgrades, which often requires repetitive backtracking. These pursuits are made unnecessarily difficult due to a map which does not highlight the player’s location, while simultaneously being too straightforward by providing overly simplistic traversal puzzles. The boss battles against the jotun are definitively more engaging, showcasing an impressive scale and a mixture of axe and power-based combat which attempts to reflect the Dark Souls series.
Attempting is unfortunately as close as it gets, as the battles often feel stilted and predictable, with luck often playing a greater factor to a player’s success than execution. Additionally, some of the powers only come in handy in certain situations, making the player’s already limited arsenal feel even smaller against specific foes. While there is some challenge to be found within these encounters, particularly with the final boss, the combat, as well as the exploration, never quite reaches the level of depth or complexity it aspires to, leading to a less memorable overall experience than intended. Even if the boss battles may not live up to their epic purpose, the soundtrack certainly does, providing listeners with grand pieces of music which often accurately reflect the action on screen. Jotun’s camera also deserves some praise, with each zoom-out granting an awe-inspiring glimpse at the area’s various set pieces. Featuring a smooth, mostly problem-free UI and presentation, the aspect of it which manages to shine the most is the incredible hand-drawn animations, particularly for Thora and the opening and closing sequences for the jotun. While they do occasionally stick out in some of the more empty environments, the animations have an incredible amount of detail within them, managing to impress throughout the length of Thora’s journey.
For PC owners who already had the opportunity to check out Jotun, there is little motivation to encourage a return visit beyond the game’s titular Valhalla Mode, which, as mentioned earlier, provides a more difficult boss rush mode, granting players access to all the powers and health upgrades for this challenging task. While it certainly adds some welcome adversity to these large foes, it’s still hard to recommend another full purchase of this product solely for this mode, particularly considering its other flaws.Closing Comments:For what it’s worth, Jotun has its audience cut out for it. Those looking to explore a lore-filled world heavily inspired by Norse mythology and packed with gorgeous hand-drawn animations will be hard-pressed to find better.
But with the limited scope for the interactive aspects of both the exploration and combat, Jotun never quite reaches the heights of Valhalla, instead providing a mediocre experience that inspires as often as it bores. While the genre Jotun falls in isn’t exactly jam-packed with other options, potential players who lack the right amount of Norse-based curiosity would most likely be able to find better experiences elsewhere.
Welcome to my review of Jotun: Valhalla EditionDeveloped and Published by: Thunder Lotus GamesRelease Date: 9th September 2016Price: £11.99Jotun is remarkable in terms of being an Indie game. In that it doesn't look like your typical Indie fare, what with some of the most beautiful hand drawn visuals I have personally ever seen. The first time I laid eyes upon Jotun was when I heard it was due for a release on Xbox One. I was captivated by the artwork first and foremost. The Norse mythology lore that is infused alongside the art, create what could well be one of the best Indie games to reach our beloved console in 2016.So what is Jotun all about, and why should you care? Well, a Jotun is a giant in Norse mythology, hence the name.
The whole game revolves around the protagonist Thora, who died a death unbefitting of a warrior. So it is now up to you to guide her through a selection of beautifully crafted levels in search of runes to open the way for that areas Jotun. These are the boss fights for each area, ad they are nothing short of gigantic. I have no idea what these Jotun eat to get this big, but I think they may have over done it a wee bit. But this is part of the fun.
You are a Viking warrior, and you have a seemingly impossible obstacle to overcome, in order to impress the Gods. A simple concept, but not one to be taken lightly.The game has a narrative spoken by Thora in her native Icelandic language, and whilst I'm not usually a fan of subtitled games, but in this instance it works, as the snipets are short and to the point and fill you in as you progress. Short and to the point, which doesn't leave you ignoring what is happening on screen for too long. Each of the 2 levels for the Jotun's sections are vastly different in theme, and you wont see re-used scenery anywhere, it is a totally unique experience in every sense of the word. The only downside that could be mentioned about the game is that there is no enemies in between boss fights, aside from Fe's dwarven brethren. Who have a tendency to run away at an alarmingly high speed until they have enough to swarm you like bees whose nest you just disturbed. But they are swiftly dispatched with your mighty axe.Along the way, you will find, if you look hard enough, Ithunn's Apples, which will extend your health bar, and I cannot stress enough how vital these are.
There are also God Powers bestowing, well God Powers. You can use them if you wish,or not.
Depends if you want the achievements. The game is a tough journey, and wont just step aside and let you pass with regards to boss fights, and it certainly does not show the way for you. Which given how bad the map is would have been a welcome addition.
The map shows the level layout, but doesn't show where your location is on said map. This can be tricky to get used to at first, but you can't really get lost, so it's not all a bad thing. Just keep an eye open for the subtle hints at what you should do next.The game length overall isn't the longest, but the components that make up Jotun are what is important.
The difficulty is hard, but not impossible, and you will almost beat Isa for example, and feel determined enough to keep coming back and finally leave victorious. The learning curve for tactics is just right, and the whole experience is one of the most enjoyable Indie games available right now. The lore surrounding the game is one that I have had conversations with friends who believe or follow the Norse Gods, and I know bits here and there, but to have a game dedicated to it is a big thumb up from me. The story telling is emotional and convincing and I have to be honest, I am having a hard time finding any negatives for my time with Jotun. Graphics: Hand drawn art, painstakingly applied to a tale of a female viking warrior named Thora whose journey through the Void and Ginnungagap across the realms to meet each Jotun in battle is filled with some of the most stunning views you will ever see. This is an Indie game, and I am still shocked by how much talent there is in this amazing studio.Music/FX: Top notch in this department.
Moody ambience, with Thora's voice narrating your journey, to the rumbling and booming voice informing you that the God's are impressed with you each time you defeat a Jotun. Not a single problem rearding this area of the game.Gameplay: Surprisingly simple, and an easy master set of controls allow you to dive right in to the story of Thora.
Light and heavy attacks, a roll button and the final face button reserved for your God Powers as and when you should unlock them. The less to distract you from the visuals, the better. And don't Thunder Lotus just know this.Longevity: Whilst there isn't much to do in terms of combat, you can search out each of Ithunn's Apples, and God Shrines as you search out both runes for each Jotun. The levels size are just right. This game wont take you 20+ hours, well, this depends how bad you are at fighting Jotun. I have met them all, but have not defeated them all.
I have taken my time to explore as much as I could. There is Valhalla Mode where everything is a little bit tougher, but I sadly have not made it to this portion of the game. I have had this game for long enough to publish a review, and once I find my way to this game mode, I will edit it in to the review.Achievements: The is 4-5 for each Jotun, requiring different means of defeating them, and taking no damage among other random requirements. Okay, good luck with with that. This will challenge you, but the challenge just makes you more determined to get through them. Not using God Powers is another which will make you change your tactics. The Apples need collecting, and Shrines will require discovery.
It's not going to be an easy ride, but don't buy or ignore this game because of the achievements. Jotun is simply stunning.Conclusion: Jotun: Valhalla Edition is, quite simply one of the most beautiful games to appear on the Indie scene for Xbox One, and is a game worthy of a place in your collection.
Lovingly crafted, and I cannot throw more praise in the direction of the developers if I tried. I had high hopes for this game, and was expecting a wonderous adventure, but didn't expect it to be this good. For the price you pay, I would happily say it is a bargain.A review key was supplied by Thunder Lotus for the purpose of review.I award Jotun: Valhalla Edition 4.5/5 stars.
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