RE-REVIEW: Jotun: Valhalla Edition


Title	Jotun: Valhalla Edition
Developer	Thunder Lotus Games
Publisher	Thunder Lotus Games
Release Date	May 3rd, 2018 (Switch)
Genre	Action
Platform	Switch
Age Rating	Teen
Official Website

Jotun: Valhalla Edition is a top-down action game that released on PC way back in 2015. It has since made its way to the Wii U, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and now is out on the Switch. When we got a chance to check out the freshly minted Switch version of the game I decided to jump on it. I love the art style and it’s been quite a while since I took on a game like this. Does this version hold up to the standards the others set before it?

The story here follows Thora, Viking woman that meet an untimely death. She must travel through the realms of the Ginnungagap and defeat the Jotun to impress the Gods and enter Valhalla. This story is straightforward , but the game gives you details about each level and Jotun. This really helps make the story more interesting and it might just get you to look up some Norse mythology, which is quite interesting.

Graphically the Nintendo Switch version of Jotun: Valhalla Edition is on par with every other version of the game. It’s gorgeous. The game runs smooth as butter in handheld and docked modes, and looks amazing on the Switch’s screen. The only issue I ran into is in handheld mode when the camera zooms way out it makes your character tiny and its hard to tell which direction you’re attacking in. On a bigger screen this isn’t really an issue, but the battle with Fe was pretty difficult this way because you got lost among all enemies on the screen when playing handheld.

The soundtrack here is top notch. Nothing has changed from the previous releases but I felt I had to comment on just how good it is. Each level’s theme is unique and fits its environment well. The boss tunes make the epic boss battles feel even bigger than they are, and given how awesome they are, this is an achievement. You can purchase the soundtrack here, and I think it is well worth the $10 price tag.

The gameplay here is the same as the other versions, and the controls are tight and responsive. I personally had a lot of fun exploring each level to find not only the runes to fight the bosses, but looking for all the temples to gain the powers of the Gods! Finding these powers will make your life much easier in the crazy boss battles the game has to offer. While these bosses are difficult, with the right powers and remembering their patterns you should slay them all in no time. You can check out William’s review of the PlayStation 4 version for a more detailed description of the gameplay.

I had a lot of fun with Jotun: Valhalla Edition. The stages are well made and the boss battles are difficult enough to be fun but not impossible. The game is pretty short clocking in at 4 to 6 hours depending on how fast you explore and defeat the bosses, but I feel it is still worth the $14.99 asking price. There is a boss rush mode that unlocks upon completing the game that allows you to take on beefed up versions of the Jotuns. The only other issue I ran into with this one is that the load times are slightly longer in this version of the game, at about 15 to 30 seconds. This doesn’t seem like a huge deal, but on some of the bosses this can really break your flow. For example, they once caused me to get even more annoyed when I did something stupid, and ended up getting one shotted. That aside, this is still a solid port of the game. I would recommended it to anyone who hasn’t played it yet, or folks that just want to have it on the go.