![]() It’s a rare thing to find a developer who’s done their homework and to then see that same passion reflected in something as divisive as a video game. Thunder Lotus deserve a lot of credit for sticking to authenticity over a localised voiceover and it really does pay off for them and also the player. The driving force behind the narrative comes from the perfect Icelandic voice performance for Thora. The story is told impeccably well, which isn’t something that I am going to spoil, but let’s just say that Thora doesn’t have an easy time of it. Your only chance of reaching Valhalla and the warrior’s end that you deserve is to axe your way through an endless sea of foes and hope that you impress the Gods enough for passage. Playing as Thora, a female viking warrior who is killed after being cast off her boat, you must traverse dangerous limbo-esque lands to take on the Jotun, the Titans of Norse mythology. To give such a simple summary for such a simple game doesn’t do Jotun any justice, though: it’s infinitely more complex than what you see on its surface. If you want a simple review of Jotun, here it is: Dark Souls meet Shadow of the Colossus styled like your favourite eighties cartoon. Once I watched that trailer and found myself sucked into its world and all the mythos that came with it, I knew it would be one to watch out for. Before its Valhalla Edition was revealed at E3 2016 for consoles, Jotun was something that had completely slipped me by when it was initially released on PC. This review is based on the Xbox One version of the game, which we were provided with.It takes a lot to sell me on a game before I’ve even played it or read up on the critical consensus. A few more levels would have sealed the deal but even with the handful on offer, this is well worth checking out. ![]() The bosses are the main focus of the game of course and the developers have done a great job with the difficulty curve, making it so that most players will be challenged by each battle they take on, but not frustrated to the point of turning away. Aesthetically pleasing and utterly charming, it’s an interesting and compelling trek through Norse mythology that – despite a few frame rate drops and very minor bugs here and there – is a memorable experience. Those that haven’t played Jotun before though are in for a real treat. If you’re not into high score battles, there’s nothing new to see here over that PC release from a year ago, though, so that should be borne in mind if you’re weighing up a purchase and have played the game before. The jotun themselves are much more powerful in this mode, so the majority of people who will find the story mode’s boss fights to be challenging will be in for a treat and a great deal of extended playing time. Here, your collected god powers are carried through into straight up battles against the individual jotun from the main game, complete with high scores and leaderboards. While Jotun was originally released in 2015 for PC, the “Valhalla Edition” subtitle added to the console release is to mark the inclusion of a NG+ mode called, unsurprisingly, Valhalla. This means that you’ll need to keep checking the map, whilst constantly trying to remain aware of exactly where you are and where you’ve come from. You can see the starting point and the goal but other than that, you’re on your own. Runes are not necessarily all that easy to get to and while you can access a full map of the level you’re working through at any time, your position on the map isn’t indicated. In only a couple of them will you face anything like a threat to Thora’s life, which actually works quite well given the way the task at hand is laid out. The environments you traverse during the rune-finding phases are beautifully realized, though sparse in terms of peril. From here, she must head into each god’s realm, finding either one or two runes – which serve as keystones – in order to unlock the battle with the god itself. The story is presented via voiceovers in Icelandic (with English subtitles, of course) and gameplay is presented in a semi top-down style, seeing Thora starting off in the void of Ginnungagap, which serves as the main hub.
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