A Roguelite on a Godly Scale
We all know the stories of the Norse gods, Thor the warrior and Loki the trickster (amongst various other memorable characters). They have a special place in literature, working their way into movies, comics and even our beloved video games, however it’s not too surprising to see an injustice done to these stories. Today, we’re looking at one of these adaptations, and it’s safe for me to say, these characters and stories have finally been given justice.
Jotunnslayer: Hordes of Hel is an amalgamation of roguelite replayability, and top down action goodness, of course revolving around the Norse gods. To put it bluntly, this title has hands down one of the most engaging roguelite gameplay loops (I’d even say alongside Hades) paired with riveting action.
But why is this, and what makes the gameplay so gripping?
Powers and Unique Playstyles
Right off the bat, you’re introduced to different classes, each with various weapons and unlockable goodies, huge array of modifiers, maps and difficulties makes for infinitely customisable gameplay. For the classes, your offered; Berserker, a melee powerhouse, Seeress, a ranged witch with dark magic, Flame Sister, a rogue infused with fire, Revenant, the ghostly archer, Warden, plays like a tanky dwarf, and Kinslayer, a fallen Valkyrie. Each offers an extravagant and vastly unique style of play to merge with your typical gaming route, being the perfect representation of Jotunnslayer: Hordes of Hel’s customisation options.
Personally, I opted for the Berserker class as I’m one to head straight in for the fight, however after testing them all, they each have a place in the title and I’m sure many will find enjoyment from the others. The same goes for the plethora of gods available, someone like Loki who may not work too well with the Berserker (due to him already having a regain health ability) will work wonders with a class such as Seeress to provide health during a run.
The Path to Valhalla
Upon choosing your prerequisites, you’re launched into the game, with a strong, Norse impact left in your mind; the main gameplay loop is firmly based in the roguelite genre, meaning new builds each run, gradual progress, and many, many deaths are guaranteed.
You’ll begin by defeating your first few foes resulting in a level up, where you’ll be introduced to a pivotal system, God Skills and Class Skills; they offer you the chance at godlike powers bestowed by Thor and co, providing powerful skills including thunderstorms or lightning balls, and ensure refreshing runs each time. To spice things up, you’re given a base of six opportunities to banish or reroll these skills (three for both respectively) with the former making them not appear again, and the latter doing what it says in the tin.
On top of this, passive abilities, weapon skills and so, so many other upgrade opportunities will open themselves up, rectifying one of my major gripes with roguelites being how quickly they go stale. I could sit for many more hours on top of the ones I have devoted into Jotunnslayer: Hordes of Hel already due to how taken aback I was with the deep and rich level gameplay, always staying refreshing.
Boss Battles and High-Stakes Combat
Aside from the vast customisation, what is there to do in Jotunnslayer? Well to put it bluntly, a lot. A typical run will see you given anywhere between ten to twenty minutes (depending on your difficult chosen) with one simple task – Survive. Well it’s a bit more than that, but that’s the general premise. Whilst attempting to survive, you will be given objectives, something like “collect eight mushrooms” of which you will do three to five of before accessing the real challenge, defeating the map boss.
These bosses are without doubt the thrilling highlight of gameplay, ranging from bone creatures to Norse monstrosities, yet always keeping you on your toes in a head-to-head between two behemoth powerhouses. All the skills, upgrades and experience you’ve gained from your run will come majorly into play here, being a stage for you to showcase all your powers. It’s a very simple loop, yet the innate replayability instilled in the game through its customisation, lends itself gorgeously to providing a refined experience, filled to the brim with high stakes and nail-biting excitement.
A Barren World: The Flaw of Unintentional Level Design
Upon completion of a run, all the gold and collectibles obtained can be used in fun ways; most notably of all, gold will be converted into skill points you can use to permanently upgrade class or god skills, displaying the roguelite formula in action, as well as giving an often needed boost to overall gameplay. In particular, the god upgrades are crucial for the higher difficulties, with evolved god skills such as Thor’s Mjolnir becoming absolute powerhouses in their final incarnation.
It’s safe to say Jotunnslayer: Hordes of Hel is a masterclass in showcasing roguelite gameplay done well with its various interconnecting systems, as well as being all a game can hope to be… simply fun.
Unfortunately, not every aspect lives up to the mountainous standard set by the gameplay, in particular, the level design. Before I move onto the negatives, I’ll appreciate one thing it does right; a huge variety of maps are available, based off and paying homage to the Norse stories so integral to the title. Each have their own special environments, objectives and characteristics, creating an adaption of the Nine Realms so immersive, you’d almost be shocked when you can’t conjure Mjölnir to your hand. The addition of golden valkyries and random spawns to spice up each run gives the map design some hope.
That, however, is where the positives end, now plagued by horrors on par with Lovecraftian ones… barren, unintentional level design. By this I mean each stage felt empty, even unoccupied by anything, as well as the maps not feeling as though there was much thought placed behind where environments are. The lack of any obstacles reinforces the emptiness of stages, leaving the objectives and your foes to try and fill a gaping void much too large for them. Intentionality is absent, assets feel placed anywhere large enough to occupy them, creating a maps with more problems than solutions.
A Masterclass in Roguelite Gameplay
Jotunnslayer: Hordes of Hel is without doubt a superb attempt at merging genres; its take on the roguelite formula is particularly effective, on par with titles like Hades due to its gripping gameplay, diverse range of gods and abilities, and fun replay value. Despite this, a lack of intentional map design, leaves a barren feeling to stages, begging to be filled with more.
Important Links
The Hordes of Hel are UNLEASHED – Norse Roguelike Jotunnslayer is OUT NOW on Xbox, PS5 & PC – https://www.thexboxhub.com/the-hordes-of-hel-are-unleashed-norse-roguelike-jotunnslayer-is-out-now-on-xbox-ps5-pc/
Buy from the Xbox Store – https://www.xbox.com/en-gb/games/store/jotunnslayer-hordes-of-hel/9nxtls86cvtq
Grab the Collector’s Edition – https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/store/jotunnslayer-hordes-of-hel-collectors-edition/9NZQ40FK187C/0010
