These powers are delightfully tailored to reflect each Norse deity. While exploring, players may encounter God Shrines, where Thora receives a god’s blessing and a new ability. Each level offers its own challenge, and players would be wise to stay on their toes while navigating unfamiliar terrain.Įach region also conceals its own secrets. I had to accomplish this all while avoiding lethal lightning strikes and equally devastating charged storm clouds. I was especially enthralled by the Northern Sky stage, which called for me to reconstruct Norse constellations by igniting crystal pylons. Other areas are occupied by minor foes, such as dwarves and fire giants, who strive to cut Thora’s quest short. This task is complicated by falling debris, harsh winds, or even giant eagle assaults. Some levels, such as Yggdrasil’s roots, function as winding mazes which force players to choose the correct route. While aesthetics vary distinctly between stages, the design often follows a few repeating formats with few exceptions. These runes-along with other treasures-are hidden in regions modelled after Norse Mythology, and all regions are accessible from the game’s central hub Ginnungagap (or the Void). In order to face the jotun, players must guide Thora through exploration levels to find runes, which grant access to the boss fight arenas. I felt small each time Thora’s axe glanced off a jotun’s giant toenail.Īnd, when I finally defeated the giants, I felt larger than life. I wasn’t just disappointing the gods-I was disappointing myself. Jotun is fair but brutally unforgiving in its execution, and so I could pinpoint my shortcomings after each defeat. While I had a hard time keeping track of Thora among smaller enemies, this was due to my own negligence as much as the zoomed-out camera. I admit to losing a few times, both in earlier builds of the game and in the final version, but the clarity of my mistakes drove me to become a better fighter. Whittling away the jotun’s health only enrages them, resulting in an increasingly frantic and desperate fight. Even then, most players will fail at least once. Precision is key, as is visually interpreting-and understanding-the rhythm of each oncoming attack. Worse yet, a single blow obliterates much of the Viking’s already modest health. These five bosses tower over Thora in both height and health bar. The titular jotun are the game’s major draw and biggest challenge. This quest sends Thora to the heights of the Northern Sky and to the depths of the world tree Yggdrasil’s roots. In order to impress the gods and gain entry to Valhalla, she must defeat giant titans, called jotun, in combat. The game tells the story of Thora, a fiery, red-headed Viking who dies ingloriously. Despite these odds, Jotun stands as a testament of how great feats can come from humble beginnings. Developing a game with purely hand-drawn animation is no small task, and the promise of epic boss battles is equally large in ambition. Indeed, Thunder Lotus Games has big ideas in mind for their debut title. Size is a fitting focus for a game born out of a Kickstarter campaign and developed by a small team. Never before has a David and Goliath story been so bold…or so beautiful. It speaks of largeness and smallness it ruminates on the legends of gods, the tales of men, and the differences inbetween.
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