Jotun: Valhalla Edition Reviews
Beautiful animation and an authentic Nordic feel enhance an already impressively distinct 2D action adventure.
Jaw dropping beauty and a hefty challenge await you in in the hallowed realm of Jotun.
Jotun: Valhalla Edition is a throwback to retro gaming in terms of both art style and gameplay. While the minimalist design manages to offer quite a bit of variety, the lack of combat and exploration options becomes evident rather quickly. Still, anyone interested in Norse mythology mixed with retro gaming and old-school art design will enjoy Thora's ascent into Valhalla.
Jotun just falls short of receiving that higher recommendation. It’s enjoyable yet clearly inconsistent, despite its great use of setting and some terrific boss fights.
Jotun Valhalla Edition on Switch is the same game launched on PS4, Xbox One and PC almost two years ago. It will astound you with its visuals, narrative, gigantic final bosses... But under all that shinning beauty, lies a game with a simple mechanics and ideas, that in some levels seems to be a little bit empty in terms of content.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
A nice adventure, as it was originally on its PC versión. The new features on this Valhalla Edition are not worth the wait.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Jotun offers the exploration and storytelling of Bastion, and combines it with the epic battles of Shadow of the Colossus. What’s not to like?
Jotun: Valhalla Edition is a beautiful, but sometimes shallow, crash course in Norse mythology that shines in its boss fights’ designs and overall presentation. And while Valhalla Mode isn’t much of an incentive to jump back in for returning players, it adds tremendous challenge to the already difficult core experience.
For a game that deals with this large a scale it often feels small and lifeless outside of the boss fights. It is, though, a visual showpiece that offers a stiff challenge. And while playing it on the go probably won't make this worth a return trip to Ginnungagap, it is definitely a great game to add to your Switch library if you've not checked it out before.
Jotun: Valhalla Edition is an epic to experience, but more for its memorable destinations than the journeys to get to them. The gorgeous sceneries and animation combined with the amazing, authentic audio make its bosses something that should be hoarded like Fafnir's gold. Even though the gaps between bosses leave more to be desired with disappointing exploration, Thora's tale is one that manages to enter Valhalla's gates with an adequate amount of flying colors.
Supremely easy on the eyes and simple to pick up and play, Jotun’s depiction of Norse mythology is flamboyantly atmospheric. Somewhat less up to the task however, is the longevity of the game itself which leaves you craving for more beyond the relatively meagre playtime that the game offers. All the same, Jotun: Valhalla Edition manages to secure its place in the pantheon of action adventures with verve and aplomb on account of it's superb boss fights and varied mystical realms.
Jotun isn’t a long game by any means, but it packs in a lot. The diverse environments are beautiful, the boss fights are expertly designed, and Norse mythology is just cool. It also tells a personal story that makes the ride all the more enjoyable.
This gorgeous game has little to offer in the way of fun.
Jotun is a well-crafted experience made for anyone fond of great storytelling mixed with satisfying combat.
This game is great. If you like hand-drawn art in games like Muramasa and epic boss battles akin to Monster Hunter then this is the game for you. Overall the presentation, music, sound, and level design is just as epic as the story.
Jotun: Valhalla Edition is a fantastic game from cover to cover. From the Icelandic voice over that plays as you read the plight of Thora to the painterly vistas of Norse hell and the trials, tribulations and boss battle in between, it is an artful title that marries slick and simple game play with poignant storytelling in a way few games can. The less you know about it going in the more grandiose the experience will be; yet if you must know something, know that Jotun: Valhalla Edition is definitely worth your time.
Combat doesn’t feel like Jotun’s priority, even though it defines the most exciting parts of the game. It’s an experience that puts style before substance, and asks its players that they do the same.
There’s a lot going for Jotun, it’s Norse artistic nature permeating the very being of the game, but there are certain aspects of it that certainly focus more directly on the art side of things rather than the gameplay experience. That’s not always a bad thing, but in the case of Jotun, it can make the overall experience feel disjointed; going from a simplistic and art inspired level to a challenging boss battle is a paradigm shift that is difficult to properly balance. At the end of the day Jotun is a great game for everything it does right, including its art and overall styling, but misses a lot of the key aspects that could make it a perfect journey to the halls of Valhalla.
Rich, hand-drawn worlds inspired by the tapestry of Nordic legends and lore make Jotun a fantastical and breathtaking journey, although it sometimes feels barren between the big encounters.
Those that haven’t played Jotun before are in for a real treat.