Jotun: Valhalla Edition Video Review
In Norse mythology, the place to be if you’re a warrior who has earned their glory from battle is Valhalla, among other warriors of the same stature. In Thunderlotus Studios’ title, Jotun: Valhalla Edition, you’ve got some time and some gods to slay before you can be with your kind in an eternal paradise.
Graphics
The graphics and art style in Jotun: Valhalla Edition really standout. Each and every little thing within Jotun: Valhalla Edition is hand drawn and colored piece by piece, from each stage to each boss level you step foot in. I personally enjoyed the colors popping out, throughout the stages. From soft lush colors within the forest, to jarring harsh deep abrasive colors within the cavern stages, the colors really do add to the experience of Jotun: Valhalla Edition.
However, while they are beautiful and the art style itself is down right impressive, the stages don’t have much going for them at times, unless you count the constant respawning enemy on the map.
Gameplay
The gameplay in Jotun: Valhalla Edition is a combination of Bastion & Dark Souls. It’s similar to Bastion with the way you get to explore the stages, solve certain puzzles to progress, and deal with enemies to clear the stages until you get to the rune that lets you know you’ve finished said stage. It’s like Dark Souls when you’re fighting bosses and your only movements consist of Light/Heavy attack, dodge roll, and some type of God buff that you’ve unlocked in the stages. Jotun: Valhalla Edition grasped the best of those two titles and gave a true challenge when confronting the stages, sub-bosses, and bosses.
Despite Jotun: Valhalla Edition‘s amazing fusion of gameplay, it does have moments where the gameplay can get a bit messy and hard to coordinate. From the human size of Thora (your main character) compared to the gigantic gods you’re fighting, Jotun: Valhalla Edition can have plenty of clutter on the screen from minions or even other bosses joining into certain fights which can make you lose your character mid combat.
Audio
The audio in Jotun: Valhalla Edition is fantastic. The orchestral music that plays throughout the stages really sets up the tone and mood. It practically makes you feel like you’re within Ginnugagap (the realm between the Real World and Valhalla) itself. On another note, there’s no English voice settings. You’ll have to set the in game subtitles in order to understand the dialogue. Thunderlotus studios fully immerses you with true and traditional Nordic tongue. Every aspect of the dialogue in the game is traditional, from Thora to the bosses themselves. It gives you quite the warrior’s experience.
Story
The story within in Jotun: Valhalla Edition is simple. You play as Thora and you fight the gods to prove yourself worthy enough be in Valhalla among other warriors of legend. As you progress through, slaying each god, you unlock a piece of Thora’s backstory. It’s a good technique in order to answer questions like, “Why is she here?” “Where is Thora from?” “What was her life like?” All the important details that you may ask as you play. It even goes into full detail explaining the backstory on certain gods: some that you’re meant to slay and some that you’re meant to meet within Valhalla. The story does a wonderful job of going into extensive detail in every aspect.
Verdict
Jotun: Valhalla Edition is one of those games where you think it’s going to be something completely easy after the first boss fight but completely amps up the challenge and brings something different to the table. It does have issues that you will notice and be annoyed by, such as your character being lost in the boss fights from bad camera angles and Thora’s character scale against the Gods. However, there’s a lot that Jotun: Valhalla Edition does well such as the beautiful art style, glorious soundtrack, traditional Nordic tongue, the awesome boss fights, and the unique story itself. I couldn’t prove every warrior redeemable to the halls of Valhalla, but you can take the test yourself within Jotun: Valhalla Edition.
