Jotun is a hand-drawn, action-exploration game set in Norse mythology. In Jotun, you play Thora, a Viking warrior who died an inglorious death and must prove herself to the Gods to enter Valhalla. Jotun: Valhalla Edition feels like the product of ambitious artists and sound designers who had a vision for their world and executed it nigh-flawlessly. Unfortunately, this simply serves to drive home just how mundane the gameplay is. In essence, Jotun as a video game feels more like a vehicle to deliver the artistic talents of its developers.

Thunder Lotus GamesTechnobubble covers games, gadgets, technology and all things geek. Follow Technobubble poobah Jason Hidalgo’s shenanigans on Twitter @jasonhidalgoFate can be a cruel mistress.Most of us start out with grand dreams about what we would accomplish in our lives when we grow up. In my case, I had this very original idea of hoping that I would be bitten by a radioactive spider and develop the ability to — wait for it — stick to walls and shoot webs. Well, that or work as a reporter on the side while answering to my true calling as a phone booth-changing hero who’s faster than a locomotive and capable of jumping over buildings in a single bound.

Even so, he truly wants to believe in the myth. Hero Boy is growing up and has reached a point in his life when, unlike his sister, he can no longer blindly believe in the existence of things like Santa Claus. Hero Boy is the kind of guy who would climb across the top of a moving train just to return a lost ticket to a girl. Tom hanks polar express voices. On the night of Christmas Eve, he admits, “I was listening for a sound I was afraid I’d never hear: the sound of Santa’s sleigh bells.”Personality brave, well-intentioned, responsible. Only those who believe in Santa and the spirit of Christmas can hear the bells.

Thunder Lotus GamesToday, only the reporter part ended up coming true. Then again, I think I’m still in much better shape than poor Thora, a Viking warrior who dies an ignoble death in “Jotun: Valhalla Edition.” An upgraded release of the original game, the Valhalla Edition brings the action of Jotun to consoles while throwing in an extra mode that makes things tougher for our Norse protagonist. Hey, vikings wouldn't have it any other way.As Thora, your goal is to reclaim your Viking honor by trudging through Norse purgatory and challenging the formidable “jotun,” a band of elemental giants who possess formidable fighting prowess.

Along the way, you need to earn the blessing of the gods and, ultimately, their favor so you can punch your ticket to glorious Valhalla.One thing that Jotun nails is mood and ambiance. I couldn’t help but feel a sense of melancholy and creeping solitude as I walked through the vast expanse of purgatory with only my wits and battle axe to accompany me. It’s the same lonely yet memorable feeling I used to get when playing games like Super Castlevania or Trine, drawing out the same range of emotions that always seem to pop up when listening to an old, lonely song. I feel a Morrissey ditty coming in. This is enhanced by a solid soundtrack that builds on those emotions while also heightening moments of tension when they do arise in the game.The inclusion of hand-drawn art, meanwhile, provides a distinct charm and liveliness that’s hard to replicate with 3D assets alone. The animation is nice and fluid, and is nicely complemented by the game’s art direction, which deftly weaves visual effects with some curated camera work to match what’s going on onscreen.The Jotun bosses are definitely the most memorable part of the game, thanks to their imposing frames and challenging gameplay.

The game does a great job in showing their scale and strength, including powerful attacks that cause the ground to shake and the skies to tremble. The mechanics for defeating them are torn straight out from classic gameplay design, requiring a mix of brains and brawn with snappy reflexes.

Taking a boss down requires much observation and trial and error on your part until familiar patterns come out and weaknesses are revealed. It’s Old School Gaming 101, which should please fans of classic gaming.For all that Jotun does exceptionally well, however, it also has a few key drawbacks. There aren’t many, mind you, but they’re serious enough for me personally to affect my enjoyment of the game. At the top of the list is the clunky feel of the combat. That’s coming from a guy who actually likes clunky combat mechanics done right as shown by my love for games like Monster Hunter Generations and Dark Souls III. While those games’ deliberate combat mechanics are polished, however, Jotun’s feels a bit awkward, leaving a nagging feeling in the back of my mind that something just doesn’t feel right even as I get used to the gameplay's timing. Thunder Lotus GamesThe game’s world, while uniquely beautiful, also has a lot of dead open space where nothing happens.

On one hand, it helps emphasize that lonely ambiance that I like so much but it also feels like a wasted opportunity. It would be nice if it was used to strategically place more foes or potentially layer in more puzzle opportunities to flesh out the adventuring.

Instead, those unfilled areas lead to boredom at times as I felt like I was simply going through the motions to get through them. It’s not like Zelda where areas are a canvas for intellectual stimulation or Dark Souls where traversing real estate can be an accomplishment from the simple fact that you survived them.Some bosses, meanwhile, can be overly tough, though, to be honest, that’s actually more of a plus for old-school folks such as myself. This makes the harder Valhalla Mode a welcome addition for folks who have mastered the original. Still, I can see some folks struggling with the the game’s boss fights, even in the normal difficulty.Overall, though, Jotun is a good game that harkens to a golden age of classic video gaming.

The visuals definitely leave an impression and its giants are true colossi in every sense of the word. With just a bit of polish on some of its rough spots, it’s a franchise that’s filled with plenty of potential.FINAL THOUGHTS“Jotun: Valhalla Edition” is a solid action-adventure game made memorable by stunning, fluid visuals and towering boss fights that are gigantic in every sense of the word.

Gameplay mechanics for your character can feel awkward and dead spots in area design dampen the experience somewhat. If you like a throwback game with solitary ambiance or loved the original Jotun and pine for an extra challenge with its bosses via the new Valhalla Mode, however, you will enjoy what this version has to offer. Rating: 3.5 out of 5. Cost: $14.99; PC, PS4, XB1, Wii U (reviewed).

http://jotungame.com/.

Jotun: Valhalla Edition System Requirements (2020) - full specs, system checker and the gaming PC setup you need: Can I Run Jotun: Valhalla Edition?

These are the Jotun: Valhalla Edition system requirements
(minimum)

• Memory:4 GB
• Graphics Card:NVIDIA GeForce 8200M G
• CPU:Intel Pentium 4 2.00GHz
• Jotun: Valhalla Edition File Size:8 GB
• OS:Microsoft® Windows® 7

Automatically test your computer against Jotun: Valhalla Edition system requirements. Check if your PC can run the game with our free, easy-to-use detection tool or enter your system manually.

Can I Run Jotun: Valhalla Edition?

To play Jotun: Valhalla Edition you will need a minimum CPU equivalent to an Intel Pentium 4 2.00GHz. The minimum memory requirement for Jotun: Valhalla Edition is 4 GB of RAM installed in your computer. The cheapest graphics card you can play it on is an NVIDIA GeForce 8200M G. You will need at least 8 GB of free disk space to install Jotun: Valhalla Edition.

Jotun: Valhalla Edition will run on PC system with Microsoft® Windows® 7 and upwards. Additionally it has Mac and Linux versions.

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Jotun: Valhalla Edition Mac system requirements (minimum)

• Memory:4 GB
• Graphics Card:Intel 82945G Express
• CPU:Intel Core i5-650
• File Size:8 GB
• OS:OS X Yosemite

Jotun: Valhalla Edition Linux system requirements (minimum)

• Memory:4 GB
• Graphics Card:NVIDIA GeForce 8200M G
• CPU:Intel Core 2 Duo T5600
• File Size:8 GB
• OS:Ubuntu 14.04

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Jotun: Valhalla Edition Screenshots