![]() The design of Jotun Valhalla Edition is very simple, and overall I think the lack of dynamic gameplay hindered the experience I had with it. Otherwise the game seemed to run fantastic, and I didn’t really experience any frame rate drops. Each level has a very simple design, so exploring for the sparse health power ups wasn’t very enjoyable - especially when highlighted by the up to 15 seconds long loading times in between maps. While traveling between areas, a relatively long loading screen consistently shows up, which was really one of the biggest problems I had with the game. The simple gameplay of using light and charged attacks mixed in with knowing when to use the strong powers obtained along the way, works well in creating a fair fight, and feels satisfying when downing a foe 100 times your size. These fights can get pretty intense, but never feel too hard to overcome after a few tries. The definite highlights are when facing the Jotun, for here is when some good ol’ fashioned Boss patterns show up. Playing sort of like a top-down Zelda, you will spend most of your time running through various environments, solving moderately easy puzzles, and occasionally having an enemy show up to attack. But all in all, the visuals stand out as one of the bigger pluses included in the game. Some artwork is more impressive than others however, and I felt that throughout the game everything felt a little inconsistent, partly due to the frequent amount of scaling characters and enemies that made some enemies look a bit goofy. When entering new areas I did feel a sense of wonder as the dynamic camera panned in and out, highlighting the depth and size of the areas I was journeying through. At journey’s end your character might not have much of an emotional arc, but there's variety here to keep you occupied without outstaying its welcome.The background scenery and character animation, for the most part, is sublime. ![]() There's little to bring you back once your quest is done, with only the extra hard Valhalla mode left to tax the most dedicated players. The final twist of the knife is the camera, which often zooms far far out, to Below -esque levels of distant appreciation, to show you the points of interest in the scene, but, again, often at the expense of your character's wellbeing.Īll in all then, the intrigue of Jotun will keep pulling you through, and, being a portable game on this particular platform, finds itself well suited for quick bursts while trundling along on a train. Other times, the beautiful hand-drawn art style and animations can prove to be a hazard, as enemies fall and catch you in their wake when you feel as though you should be free and clear. While keeping the challenge level high might goade some players on, this combined with the limited dodge range of your character (in fact the dodge itself is almost as slow as normal movement) can start to see frustration build. Unlike the other titan-toppler we played this week, Extinction, there's plenty of variety on offer here. All of them have a suite of attacks that after a few tries you learn the timings of, but the significance of the stages themselves, whether that's lightning rods or arena-supporting pillars, aren't explained at all, leaving you to fend for yourself. Taking out Jotun can be less than satisfying on occasion however, as the game doesn't do a great job of establishing the rules of an encounter through their behaviour. Loki, the coolest god in my humble opinion, gets the handiest power - dropping a decoy for foolish baddies to toil against for a few seconds before it engulfs them in an explosion. You might have the simple (and crucial) ability to get back some health or imbue your weapon with the power of Thor's lightning to deal more damage, and all such skills are invaluable as challenging Jotun battles push you to the limit. ![]() That's right, the gods are on your side as you try to rid the world of these lumbering embodiments of evil. ![]() From the range of environments, driven by exploration and puzzle-solving rather than combat, for the most part, to the Jotun themselves, each requiring different tactics and cunning employment of the powers of the gods to finally take down. The end-of-level bosses take the form of the titular Jotun, destructive colossi which often draw their strength from the elements, be that ice, wind or fire. Though they do traditionally come in nines, the realms on offer here are a mere five levels and a big bad final boss encounter. The Nine Realms, which you might be familiar with from the slightly unhinged work of Doctor Selvig, serve as the setting for Jotun: Valhalla Edition, the portable port of Thunder Lotus Games’ ( Sundered ) debut title.
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