♀FemGamer: Jotun: Valhalla Edition

Bethany Edelgard3 July 2018

I honestly think that Jotun: Valhalla Edition is my favourite “difficult” game of all time, and that’s coming from someone who hates difficult games. I got this game for free in some kind of giveaway and I almost feel guilty that I didn’t pay for it myself.

From the Steam page:

“In Jotun, you play Thora, a Viking warrior who died an inglorious death and must prove herself to the Gods to enter Valhalla.”

Jotun has the best boss fights I’ve ever experience in a game. Combine intense music, bosses that will wreck your s**t up if you’re not careful and add some of the finest hand drawn animation you will get to experience in a game. And right there, you have a recipe for the most exhilarating boss fights ever.

The art style is really good and best shows in the game’s bosses in my opinion. I will never stop loving the use of hand drawn animations in games. What would have made this game even more perfect is animated cutscenes. I also love the game’s soundtrack. It fits the game’s theme perfectly.

As I stated before, I hate difficult games, so imagine my surprise when I liked it the way I did. The difficulty is refined and challenging in the way that you feel you can win with enough patience. Thora controls nicely and can pack a punch once you get used to her. Bosses don’t feel overpowered but still require strategy to defeat them.

Except the final boss. F**k that guy.

!Spoiler Warning!

I would have given Jotun a near-perfect score if it wasn’t for the infuriating final boss. The game did a good job so far to feel “fair”, yet that boss feels like it was design to frustrate you. All the other five bosses felt like a joy to fight against, but Odin’s abilities are just way too overpowered to feel great fighting against. Of course the final boss is supposed to be the toughest of them all, but this one just comes off as “F**k you, you’re not good enough for me, pleb”. Homing arrows are the worst and they mess with your visual sense to dodge, and then you end up making annoying mistakes that are a pain to get out of. (눈_눈) Sadly Jotun will stay in the “Uncompleted” category of my backlog.

The game is currently on sale for 67% off on Steam during the Steam Summer sale, so why not buy it:

Save 67% on Jotun: Valhalla Edition on Steam

If you find yourself liking Jotun, you may also want to check out “Sundred” which is made by the same developer. It also features a female protagonist.