Jotun: Valhalla Edition

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

Jotun: Valhalla Edition is one of the most outstanding indie games in recent years that will delight both fans of the genre and the Nordic mythology. It stands out for presenting an interesting story, a magnificent artistic design, precise control, exploration, puzzles and beautiful melodies. All this accompanied by great battles against the Jotun, which are undoubtedly the best of the title.

Jotun: Valhalla Edition a short but memorable experience. The art style and animation alone stand out tall and proud amongst the ruckus of the indie scene. At its core, it is a game that does repeat traditions and repetition both in gameplay and pace that some may find a little tedious. But, as for myself, I found it quite difficult to put down.

Jotun: Valhalla Edition may not be the longest game, but at a nice $15 price for a solid 5-hour experience, it's more than recommended. If you've played it before on other platforms, it may not do much new that begs you to buy it again, but if you're looking for an excellent adventure on the Switch you could do a whole lot worse.

Jotun: Valhalla Edition is a welcome addition to the Nintendo Switch library that brings with it Nordic mythology, a gorgeous hand-drawn art style, and difficult boss fights. It’s great fun exploring the maps and figuring out a boss’ attacks, though the combat can become tedious on occasion.

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 fun title and sometimes really difficult: far from perfect, undermined by some lightness in terms of gameplay and a backtracking not always well thought out, the game compensates for its shortcomings with a superfine artistic direction, which makes it a product absolutely recommended for those who had not already dusted on other platforms.

Even though some parts were dull and barren, I did enjoy the beautiful setting of the mythological regions created before me. Fighting and defeating the Jotun really helped keep the spirit of the game alive until the very end, and in the end - I was glad to have played and journeyed through Jotun: Valhalla Edition.

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 is a short game, and good players can probably plow through it in about 3 or 4 hours, but even with the ending behind me, I find myself dying to witness some images again and wanting to try different strategies. I want to hear Thora tell her tale again. Any good bedtime story that makes you want to hear it again right after it’s over is one for the ages.

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.

The surreal fantasy world shows a lot of potential, but battles as well as puzzles are too simplistic and monotonous.