Jotun was originally created for PC, which is weird to me because it feels more at home on console. After facing the same foe over 30 times, learning the ins and outs of their attack patterns, finally landing that killing blow felt so satisfying – I felt like I earned each victory. It’s challenging, but you get so much out of it. I usually prefer narrative-based experiences but playing Jotun, a game that won’t hold your hand at any point, is refreshing. I don’t consider myself to be a good gamer, in fact, I’d say I’m bad at games. Games are getting easier and I’m not against that, but with the exception of a few select titles you’re never forced to actually be good at the game you’re playing. Fortunately, there are just enough for you to survive in the unforgiving world of Jotun, but the scarcity of resources force you to come up with a strong game plan before fighting any enemy or solving a dangerous puzzle. Finding God Powers grants you the ability to do things like control electricity or create an explosive clone of yourself, and Mimirs are these weird dudes that reside in wells that you can find once every level to replenish your health and charges for your God Powers. You have two main methods of support: “God Powers” and “Mimir”. Since you’re playing a game in a world where the scales are never tipped in your favour you’d think that there would be a lot of different weapons or health packs to help you on your journey.There aren’t – well, not really anyhow. It makes you feel minuscule and weak while you fight off plant roots, giant hawks, and other ridiculously large enemies (reminded me a lot of Honey I Shrunk the Kids but with Norse mythology). Every fight is an uphill battle that gets you wondering if it’s even possible to win, and with the unchangeable difficulty setting you can see why Jotun is a true underdog experience. Everything around you is giant and you’re almost unreasonably small in comparison. It gives you an overwhelming feeling of futileness throughout Jotun. You play as a warrior named Thora who died an inglorious death and is stuck in purgatory until you slay all of the Jotun (the really big guys) to impress the gods. A character has all of the odds stacked against them, fights enemies that outclass them in every way, ends up in the worst situations, yet somehow prevails in the end. It delves deep into a commonly used concept and uses its assets to emphasize it to the maximum level. Jotun isn’t just a breathtaking audio and visual adventure. It honestly feels like a treat to play such an endearing game. The way the snow fell slowly and gracefully down my screen was mesmerizing and soundtrack was perfectly composed to accompany it. There’s a world with a never-ending snowstorm and when I walked into it for the first time I took one look and I stopped moving my controller – it was stunning. No matter where I travelled in Jotun‘s mythological world, I always had a good time because each area is unique and teeming with personality. It’s rare to see a title so crisp and refined that it’s obvious how much effort was put into each moment of it, but Jotun is one of those games. The completely hand-drawn visuals make every aspect of it shine with a charming cartoon glow. That may seem like hyperbole, but it’s not. The game really is that pretty. Jotun: Valhalla Edition is hands down the most gorgeous game I’ve played this year.
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