Jotun

When it comes down to it, Jotun: Valhalla Edition is a perfect fit for the Nintendo Switch, offering players an easy to digest action adventure title that visually takes full advantage of the Switch's large screen real-estate.

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Jotun is a single-player Fantasy Action game set in Norse mythology, where you play as a Viking warrior named Thora, seeking to prove herself to the Gods and enter Valhalla. Explore nine levels filled with Viking mythology, fight enormouselementals , and summon powers bestowed by the Gods. With stunning hand-drawn animation, authentic Icelandic voice-overs, and an original soundtrack, Jotun offers a rich and immersive atmosphere.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Reviews

76%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,985 reviews

graphics488 positive mentions

grinding74 negative mentions

Stunning hand-drawn art style that creates a beautiful atmosphere.
Engaging boss battles that require learning patterns and strategies.
Rich Norse mythology woven into the narrative and gameplay.

Slow character movement and combat can feel tedious and unresponsive.
Exploration levels are often empty and lack meaningful content.
Limited replay value and short overall gameplay length.

graphics
768 mentions
64 % positive mentions
35 % neutral mentions
1 % negative mentions
The graphics of Jotun are widely praised for their stunning hand-drawn art style, which beautifully captures Norse mythology and creates an immersive atmosphere. While many players appreciate the vibrant visuals and unique aesthetic, some feel that the graphics alone cannot compensate for the game's slower pacing and clunky gameplay mechanics. Overall, the visuals are considered the standout feature, making the game a visual treat despite its gameplay shortcomings.
- “Jotun is a gorgeously drawn game with intriguing presentation and occasional moments of breathtaking visuals.”
- “The graphics are absolutely gorgeous and it's fairly intuitive, though I wish I'd clued in a bit sooner about the god boon abilities.”
- “The hand-drawn art style brings the world to life, set to a lovely soundtrack, with an absolutely amazing sense of scale.”
- “Graphics fail to deliver a convincing sense of depth, and its shadows—which are completely static—are inconsistently applied throughout the game.”
- “Sadly, my experience with this game is simply viewing someone's portfolio of graphic works and animations.”
- “Don't be fooled by the characteristic art style of this game; everything besides that is among the most dull, boring things I've ever played in my life. The combat is extremely repetitive, the bosses are predictable, and even something as simple as exploration is a tedious chore.”
gameplay
745 mentions
29 % positive mentions
61 % neutral mentions
10 % negative mentions
The gameplay of Jotun has received mixed reviews, with many praising its beautiful art and engaging boss battles, while criticizing the slow pacing and repetitive mechanics during exploration. Players noted that the combat can feel clunky and simplistic, often leading to frustration, especially in the absence of varied enemy encounters. Overall, while the game offers a visually stunning experience and challenging boss fights, its gameplay mechanics may not satisfy those seeking a more dynamic and engaging action experience.
- “The gameplay is straightforward and fun; I have played with an Xbox controller and it feels very good.”
- “The mechanics feel smooth and allow some decent difference in play styles and problem solving for different approaches to beating the bosses.”
- “The gameplay, art style, and score are resonant and powerful, and the difficulty and learning curve are just right, meaning Jotun feels something like the perfect mix of Dark Souls, Shadow of the Colossus, and Transistor.”
- “For me, the gameplay kills the game.”
- “This is just someone's art portfolio that they make you walk through ever so slowly without much actual gameplay, be it enemies, collectibles, or secrets.”
- “The cons: the gameplay is dull as dishwater for 90% of each level.”
story
652 mentions
38 % positive mentions
60 % neutral mentions
2 % negative mentions
The story of the game is centered around Norse mythology, following Thora, a deceased Viking woman seeking redemption by defeating giants to earn her place in Valhalla. While the narrative is simple and often predictable, it is enriched by beautiful art, immersive voice acting in Icelandic, and engaging storytelling elements that resonate with fans of mythology. However, some players feel the story lacks depth and character development, making it less compelling for those seeking a more intricate plot.
- “The story is amazing and literally carries you into the Norse pantheon, telling about its creation and the gods and creatures that inhabit it.”
- “The art is really pleasing and the way the story is told is engaging.”
- “Jotun tells the story of Thora, a viking woman disgraced in death who travels through the afterlife to prove herself to the gods and earn a place in Valhalla.”
- “If these figures do not contribute to the plot or make any impact on the game itself, then their presence is absolutely pointless and meaningless.”
- “Not to mention it wasn't clear who the story was about; if it was the main character's story or a story from each individual boss in the beginning.”
- “The story is rather simplistic so far, but the more you play, the more you'll learn about Thora and her life.”
music
451 mentions
68 % positive mentions
31 % neutral mentions
1 % negative mentions
The music in the game has been widely praised for its beauty and effectiveness, enhancing the overall atmosphere and immersion. Reviewers highlight the soundtrack as a standout feature, noting its orchestral quality and ability to complement the game's stunning hand-drawn visuals and Norse mythology theme. Many describe the music as both captivating and evocative, contributing significantly to the emotional experience during gameplay, particularly in boss battles.
- “The music is beautiful.”
- “The soundtrack is also excellent.”
- “The audio and music is top tier, really enjoyed it.”
- “The music is appropriate to the scene, though nothing is exceedingly memorable.”
- “I just don't recommend you to play this game while you are sleepy, because the slow-paced walking parts and the background music are going to get you down soon.”
- “Although the music and effects are just fine, turning them up will result in a lot of static noise.”
atmosphere
211 mentions
72 % positive mentions
27 % neutral mentions
1 % negative mentions
The atmosphere in Jotun is widely praised for its stunning hand-drawn visuals, immersive Norse mythology themes, and captivating sound design, creating a unique and enchanting experience. Players appreciate the combination of beautiful artwork, atmospheric music, and Icelandic voiceovers, which together enhance the game's overall mood and sense of wonder. However, some reviewers note that the slower pacing and occasional monotony between boss fights can detract from the experience, making exploration feel tedious at times.
- “The visuals are gorgeous, the music lovely, the voiceovers excellent, and in general the atmosphere is fantastic.”
- “Jotun is an atmospheric masterpiece and a fantastic example of taking hand-drawn visual design to its highest potential.”
- “This is a game that oozes atmosphere and is first and foremost about exploring and experiencing the Norse mythology in game form.”
- “Jotun has a huge discrepancy between the atmosphere of wonder it tries to invoke and the actual gameplay it presents you with.”
- “The atmosphere simply doesn't fit.”
- “If you're not interested in art and atmosphere, I can imagine the levels between boss fights would be quite boring; they have only one type of thing that can hurt you and don't require much thought (good for exploration, debatably bad for gameplay).”
grinding
78 mentions
3 % positive mentions
3 % neutral mentions
95 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game is widely criticized for being excessively tedious, with players often feeling frustrated by slow character movement and repetitive exploration. Many reviews highlight the lack of engaging content between boss fights, leading to a monotonous experience that detracts from the overall enjoyment, despite some appreciation for the game's art and boss mechanics. Overall, the grinding is seen as a significant drawback, making the gameplay feel more like a chore than a rewarding adventure.
- “You are rewarded with cool scenes and upgrades for exploring every nook and cranny of each level, but I appreciated that the process wasn't tedious.”
- “You're dropped into massive places with little to no instructions on what to do, leading you to aimlessly wander through empty spaces with barely anything to interact with aside from some lackluster exploration rewards, with incredibly limited and slow movement options that further get the pacing down to a tedious crawl until you find a trivial landmark, do this a couple more times and you'll finally be able to battle one of the jotuns themselves, which are admittedly quite fun and challenging, yet they feel so few and far between that they're just not worth the effort.”
- “This game suffers from being little more than a tedious trudge around boring environments 75% of the time.”
- “Don't be fooled by the characteristic art style of this game, everything besides that, it's among the most dull, boring things I've ever played in my life. I had more fun playing Homefront than this; this is one of those games that only has to offer its distinctive art style, nothing more, nothing less. The combat is extremely repetitive, the bosses are predictable, and even something as simple as the exploration is a tedious chore, given that your character moves so slowly that there's even a power-up which increases your speed.”
replayability
41 mentions
24 % positive mentions
56 % neutral mentions
20 % negative mentions
Overall, the game has been criticized for its low replayability, with many reviewers noting that it offers minimal content beyond the main storyline and a few challenging achievements. While some players appreciate the polished experience and engaging gameplay, the short length (around 6 hours) and limited modes, such as the boss rush, contribute to a lack of incentive for repeated playthroughs. Despite this, a few players find enjoyment in attempting speed runs or tackling hardcore achievements, but these elements are not enough to significantly enhance replay value for the majority.
- “The game is a good length for what it is that offers replay value.”
- “Souls combat or close enough, fun puzzle-ish maps with skill and stat buffing collectibles, and some replayability for the challenging achievements.”
- “A slight complaint is that the power-ups feel a little underwhelming and don't seem to particularly help with the boss battles too much; however, it also means that the boss battles are essentially always challenging, and my guess is that you can probably go for speed runs with enough practice against the bosses without any power-ups, which might add for some interesting replay value.”
- “I have to say it's a short game, and the bulk of the gameplay and replayability (the boss rush mode) could get old fast.”
- “Sadly there isn't much replayability to Jotun.”
- “The game is about 6 hours long and there isn't much replay value after you beat it.”
character development
16 mentions
38 % positive mentions
44 % neutral mentions
19 % negative mentions
Overall, the character designs in the game are praised for their beauty and creativity, particularly the jotun bosses, which enhance the visual experience of the environments. However, many reviewers note that the storyline and character development are lacking in depth, suggesting that players seeking a rich narrative may be disappointed.
- “The character designs and overall art are interesting, beautiful, and the theme is pretty great.”
- “The character designs and art are absolutely gorgeous, making the environments a joy to explore.”
- “I really like all of the character designs in this game, specifically the Jotun (the main bosses).”
- “But for 15 bucks that's totally fine, so if you enjoy big epic fights, in which you will die often and don't care much about story, character development, etc. go for it.”
- “The storyline lacks depth and character development.”
- “The storyline lacks depth and character development.”
emotional
13 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of "Jotun: Valhalla Edition" is characterized by its impressive environments that evoke a range of feelings, from beauty to tragedy. However, some players feel a lack of emotional connection to the main character due to insufficient backstory and limited vocal expression. Overall, the game is seen as a heartfelt journey that reflects a deep passion for its mythological themes.
- “Each level is highly impressionistic and made me feel a different emotion through the environment.”
- “Jotun is everything from beautiful to terrifying to heartbreakingly tragic.”
- “The journey Jotun: Valhalla Edition takes players on is heartfelt and was clearly a labor of love.”
optimization
9 mentions
44 % positive mentions
22 % neutral mentions
33 % negative mentions
The game is highly optimized, running smoothly on older hardware, such as a 2013 MacBook Air, with minimal bugs reported. Players appreciate the easy key remapping and the overall performance, making it accessible for users with weaker machines.
- “The keys are easy to re-map to whatever you want them to be, and it runs smoothly with no frame rate drop even on my old MacBook Air circa 2013.”
- “Jotun is very well optimized with little to no bugs so far and should run even on weaker and/or older machines.”
- “Jotun: Valhalla Edition contains a boss rush mode at the completion of the adventure, which allows for a greater challenge at defeating these bosses, while Thora's journey to reach Valhalla is a satisfying one thanks to a strong acting performance given by the Viking warrior.”
- “Optimized controls are lacking.”
- “The optimization of the game feels incomplete.”
- “The performance issues significantly detract from the overall experience.”
stability
6 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The game suffers from significant stability issues, including a buggy control scheme that disrupts attack bindings and a dodge mechanic that freezes the player, making gameplay frustrating and often unplayable. Users find the overall experience hindered by these persistent bugs and slow performance.
- “The concept seemed interesting and unique, but the game itself is so buggy and slow that it's unplayable.”
- “That is if I can overlook the buggy control scheme which seems to get screwed every now and then with the attack bindings no longer working.”
- “The dodge is the same speed as running, but also freezes you at the end of the roll.”
humor
4 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is a mixed bag; while some players appreciate the clever and amusing nods to the developers, others find the challenging gameplay frustrating, suggesting that the humor may not always alleviate the difficulty.
- “Hilarious way of 'honoring' the developers!”
monetization
2 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The reviews do not provide any specific insights into the monetization aspect of the game, focusing instead on the quality of the bosses. Therefore, no information regarding monetization can be summarized from the provided texts.