Jotun: Valhalla Edition

Jaw dropping beauty and a hefty challenge await you in in the hallowed realm of Jotun.

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.

Graphically, it's a masterpiece, but Jotun's action is too imbalanced to allow the same to be said about the game as a whole. Exploring its environments will be a treat for some players and getting stuck into its difficult boss battles will be a treat for others: if your tastes are wide-ranging enough to appreciate both scenarios, this is a winner.

For what it’s worth, Jotun has its audience cut out for it.

I was looking for a good way of explaining what this game was and I decided on “One-Dimensional”. For me, it was a rush to the end and left me with a shrug of the shoulders. There is something missing in this title and it comes from the dull exploration portions that I talked about earlier. If you are interested in this title wait for a sale but some may enjoy it more than others depending on what your tastes are.

Jotun: Valhalla Edition is a game of moments. It's like an album with a handful of brilliant songs surrounded by filler material you'd rather just skip. That's not to say it's not worth playing, especially at the attractive price of $14.99. The great moments make it worth it, but the gameplay between those moments can try your patience. As such, it'll just take some serious dedication to play it all the way through.

The mechanics are simple but solid. While the game ostensibly operates like a hack-and-slash, the actual beats of combat and of Thora's axe make it feel like anything but. This is a heavy weapon, one she has to shift back to a solid starting place after she swings it, or take a moment to lift it overhead to slam down. Rolling can get you quickly out of harm's way, but Thora needs a moment after just to reorient herself and get back on her feet. This is a human woman struggling to face challenges set by gods, and it feels like it.

When it comes down to it, Jotun: Valhalla Edition is a perfect fit for the Nintendo Switch, offering players an easy to digest action adventure title that visually takes full advantage of the Switch's large screen real-estate.

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.

Jotun is a well-crafted experience made for anyone fond of great storytelling mixed with satisfying combat.