Jotun is an adventure game based on the Norse mythology.


The graphics and visuals in this game are stunning, all high res hand made drawings that give a cartoonish and fairy tale atmosphere to the game. In some points during the gameplay, the camera will open wide and get far from your character so you can observe the amazing landscape.


This is kinda odd, but Jotun is not a hack and slash adventure about killing hordes of monsters coming to you. Most of the time you will be exploring the environment and just walking through the landscape. So, I would say that the game is usually very slow paced with peaks of action on the boss fights. Dont get into the game if you dont like to slow down and explore, cause thats what you will be doing most of the time.


The boss fights are the moments were the action peaks and the game gets intense and challenging. Mosts boss fights are a fight and a puzzle at the same time, were you have to learn and observe the bosses' moves and patterns before attacking. Also, the difficulty degree gets really high on the late bosses. It kinda reminds me of Dark Souls a bit.


My experience with this game was good, I enjoyed in the exploring parts and had a thrill during the boss fights. I just dont recommend you to play this game while you are sleepy, cause the slow paced walking parts and the backgroung music are going to get you down soon. But, overall its a very solid game.

I give it a 3.7/5.0

And now, some confessions:
Got this game through a piracy torrent... but felt in love with it so i saved some money to buy it legally.
I couldn't afford it at full price at first but now it's in my steam library.

IT'S WORTH IT.
BUY IT!

This game is legit in it's boss fights.

It shines in these moments so brightly that it hurts.
Even the quieter ones, where you are able to discover a huge hand-drawn
world based in norse mythology, give you enough breathing space
that you are only distracted by the art style, the enviroment design and
the smooth animation of the characters and enviroments.

Even still, this game is not perfect.
With a minimalistic storytelling and not that much collectibles or items per level,
for some players the game will feel empty and aimless.

But man...if you are in for some crazy boss fights,
stunning animated art style, amazing enviroments with
an effective and misterious soundtrack and visual/gameplay narrative
a la Shadow of the Colossus, you will love it.

Pros:
The artwork is AMAZING. The scenery, the music and the language create a unique atmosphere. The story unfolds in a nice pace. The vikings theme is interesting. Nice chance to learn a few things about norse mythology.
Cons:
The levels are rather unbalanced. The fields are kinda big and mostly empty; exploring peacefully isn't a bad thing, but the challenges there don't quite prepare you for the boss fights, that tend to be a lot more demanding. Also, some fields require a lot of effort while others are a walk in the park - well this is not essentially a bad thing, just a matter of personal taste, as I would have preferred them to be more even in terms of challenge.
Overall I had great fun playing this game, I enjoyed every minute of it, and I would recommend it.

Top-down Norse-themed exploration/boss rush game.

You are tasked with exploring fantastic locations and tracking down runes that unlock the game's bosses. Each location has a unique flair and hides a few secrets, but can lose its appeal if you get lost or die too often. Your character has a dodge roll and attacks with an axe - tools which you'll use against the location's obstacles as much as against opponents.

The exploration is complemented by tense duels with powerful giants, that reward fast reflexes and good tactics. Each Jotun has its own weaknesses, and it's possible to find health upgrades and limited-use spells to make the fights easier. There are achievements to encourage you to fight with self-imposed restrictions, but the mechanics aren't quite precise enough for those challenges to feel fair.

The game is visually striking, and dishes out tidbits of Norse mythology at various points, although the plot and characters are next to non-existant.

Basic, but good at what it does.

Great storytelling, fun combat, and epic boss fights. What more could you ask for for? Just get it!

Pretty, but it feels really sparse. It's like they planned to have an action game populated with all sorts of neat little baddies to hack your way through, but skimped out at the last minute and just left in puzzles and boss fights. The result is a bunch of large, pretty levels with nothing much in them.

I'd like to start by rebutting the claims that Jotun is a puzzle-platformer. It's an action adventure game in the same vein as Shadow of the Colossus in that, most of your time is spent travelling through different areas (the key difference is that there are minor enemies in this game).

Story:

The story is told by your character as a narrator throughout the game. It starts off confusing as all hell but by the end, you understand what's going on and why you're doing what you are. There's no big twist or anything and the story itself is somewhat mundane.

Gameplay:

It's fairly typical isometric gameplay which is well executed. You complete between one-three levels to unlock God Powers and the bosses which is where you will spend most of your time and, if you want the achievements, lose most of your patience. Throughout the levels, you're awarded for exploring every inch with Golden Fruit and God Powers (Extra Health and Extra Power Usage). There are five separate worlds which are vastly different in both appearance and the hazards they present.

Bosses:

The bosses themselves can be completed without too much trouble. When you're going for the kills without using powers it will get much more difficult. There are also challenges to get the bosses killed without getting hit and within very tight time frames.

Length:

The game itself for a first playthrough will probably take 2-4 hours depending on how much you explore but the achievements will add to that time considerably. I spent over three hours getting the last boss killed with no God Powers but I didn't feel bored doing it, extremely frustrated maybe but not bored.

Art & Sound:

The artwork is neatly presented and instantly represents the world that you're exploring. Music was fairly minimalistic throughout the game aside the bosses but this worked to the games benefit as it made the battles seem much more chaotic. Both A&S were fitting to the games setting and well executed throughout.


tl;dr - Good game, good artwork and sound, fairly easy unless you want all the achievements, in which case it's frustrating.

Jotun is mostly an EXPLORATION/ADVENTURE game with MINOR combat elements.

PROS:

+ visuals
+ music
+ boss battles
+ oozing Norse mythos atmosphere
+ Icelandic language

CONS:

- may be too slow-paced for some
- combat(hitboxes mostly) is sometimes frustrating
- THE FU@#$% LAVA ROCKLOBBERS

Jotun is a gorgeous and atmospheric adventure into the realms of Norse mythology.
People automatically assume that there's gonna be a lot of bloodshed, since the protagonist is a Viking(actually, it's a she- Thora); HOWEVER, the game is heavily focused on EXPLORATION.
I just want to clarify this, so potential players won't be upset once they get the game.
Fortunately, when combat happens, it's(mostly) glorious and intense.


Will you impress the gods?

I didn't like this as much as I thought I would, having killed 3 bosses and started on the path to the fourth. Here's what I didn't like:

- Plodding pace of exploration. Even running from area to area from the hub is a bit of a chore. Sometimes this lets you take in the sights that the game wants you to see, as the developers bring back the camera and reveal something spectacular in the distance. Moving slowly gives you time to appreciate what you're seeing. Most times however, the very basic of moving your character just isn't any fun.

- Combat isn't much to shout about. With only a couple of moves and an emphasis on your character's position rather than any skill in attacking, fighting enemies just isn't very fun.

- Bosses are a tad underwhelming. Okay, they were probably the the best parts of the game, but I think they could have been even better. Stop zooming all the way out when we're fighting the jotun - it doesn't make their scale more imposing, or awe us with their size. It just makes it harder to see. I don't get the sense that I'm fighting a titan when I'm controlling something absolutely tiny on-screen. I would love to have seen more reactive enemies as well. Fighting jotun felt more like they were just doing their thing. I could go off into a corner and they'd just run through their attack cycles.

- You don't have to give players problems in every stage. The constellation stage - I was wowed as I began, because I was doing something novel and unique, even beautiful. Then the developers had to make it difficult for the player somehow, with electricity travelling on the ground and lighting bolts coming out of seemingly nowhere to take away huge chunks of health, while still lighting up pylons in the shapes of constellations. What was serene and beautiful before became a complete chore and what I feel is emblematic of the game's failings. Another less egregious example is the ice level with the high points where you survey the entire stage. Why put in the blizzard that comes in intermittently and forces me to hide? It doesn't add anything interesting mechanically or thematically - all it does is make it an absolute chore to finish the stage. Don't manufacture problems for the player to face, and don't feel like you have to shoehorn something to make every stage difficult. You had something special with the constellation stage, but I think you blew it.

I enjoyed everything else - the Icelandic voiceover, the Norse mythology, the beautiful animation and backgrounds; they all give Jotun a mood and feel that is really unique.

I don't usually review games here but this was so, so close to being something special.

I cannot stress how much I enjoyed this game. The controls were easy to learn, but difficult to master, which made boss fights a bit frustrating, but that only made it that much more satisfying when I finally beat them. The art is hands-down my favorite thing about this game. Everything is absolutely beautiful, from the scenery to the character/ boss designs. This is without a doubt one the most aesthetically appealing game I've ever played, second only to Child of Light.