Jotun is a hand-drawn exploration game with boss battles against huge Norse mythological creatures. The game was released on Steam yesterday, with a DRM free version to come. Feast your eyes on the epic launch trailer:
The game was funded on Kickstarter last year, where it collected over $64k. Linux support was only included as part of the $60k stretch goal, so it was nice to see the developer deliver on their promise of a simultaneous release. They have kept Linux backers in mind during development though, and I got the chance to play an early build this summer.
Jotun is a story about the Viking warrior Thora, who has died an inglorious death, but gets a second chance to prove herself to the Gods. She sets out on a quest to unleash and fight the Jotuns, and through conquest and exploration, she gets favors from the Gods in the form of skills that will help her on her journey.
The major selling point of this game is the boss fights, and I've been impressed by the two battles I've fought so far. My first opponent, a meek-looking fellow with a scuttle, didn't look so menacing at first, but as I drained him of health, he gradually grew until he was a huge, hulking beast. The second was even tougher, and it took several attempts of figuring out her attack patterns to get close enough to land enough hits to take her down.
It's not all boss battles though, as you'll learn when you start exploring, looking for golden apples to increase your health capacity or find Gods that might grant you skills. In a mine I explored, there were dwarves who would run away from battle, only to gang up on me in large numbers when I got close to my goal. One by one, they posed no threat, but their numbers and the giants who fought on their side made these interesting battles of skirting along the edge of the horde, trying to take out the toughest foes first.
The game can be played with a keyboard and a mouse, but this is one of the few kinds of games where I feel more comfortable playing with a gamepad. There's only a few skills to use—normal and special attack, dodge and God powers—so you only need four buttons and a stick, plus the bumpers to cycle through God powers, making a gamepad feel like a great fit.
I'm enjoying the game a lot, and if a game that mixes exploration and epic hack and slash battles sounds appealing to you, you'll find Jotun on Steam. The game is also available from the Humble Store, but so far the planned DRM free version hasn't been made available.
About the game (from Steam)
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.
Explore vast regions of Norse Purgatory to find runes to unleash the jotun, giant Norse elementals. Fight them using only your massive two-handed axe, the blessings of the Gods and your skills!
Impress the Gods!
Features
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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The game was funded on Kickstarter last year, where it collected over $64k. Linux support was only included as part of the $60k stretch goal, so it was nice to see the developer deliver on their promise of a simultaneous release. They have kept Linux backers in mind during development though, and I got the chance to play an early build this summer.
Jotun is a story about the Viking warrior Thora, who has died an inglorious death, but gets a second chance to prove herself to the Gods. She sets out on a quest to unleash and fight the Jotuns, and through conquest and exploration, she gets favors from the Gods in the form of skills that will help her on her journey.
The major selling point of this game is the boss fights, and I've been impressed by the two battles I've fought so far. My first opponent, a meek-looking fellow with a scuttle, didn't look so menacing at first, but as I drained him of health, he gradually grew until he was a huge, hulking beast. The second was even tougher, and it took several attempts of figuring out her attack patterns to get close enough to land enough hits to take her down.
It's not all boss battles though, as you'll learn when you start exploring, looking for golden apples to increase your health capacity or find Gods that might grant you skills. In a mine I explored, there were dwarves who would run away from battle, only to gang up on me in large numbers when I got close to my goal. One by one, they posed no threat, but their numbers and the giants who fought on their side made these interesting battles of skirting along the edge of the horde, trying to take out the toughest foes first.
The game can be played with a keyboard and a mouse, but this is one of the few kinds of games where I feel more comfortable playing with a gamepad. There's only a few skills to use—normal and special attack, dodge and God powers—so you only need four buttons and a stick, plus the bumpers to cycle through God powers, making a gamepad feel like a great fit.
I'm enjoying the game a lot, and if a game that mixes exploration and epic hack and slash battles sounds appealing to you, you'll find Jotun on Steam. The game is also available from the Humble Store, but so far the planned DRM free version hasn't been made available.
About the game (from Steam)
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.
Explore vast regions of Norse Purgatory to find runes to unleash the jotun, giant Norse elementals. Fight them using only your massive two-handed axe, the blessings of the Gods and your skills!
Impress the Gods!
Features
- Experience beautiful hand-drawn animation
- Fight five epic jotuns, giant Norse elementals
- Explore nine vast and mysterious levels filled with Viking mythology
- Learn about Thora's life and death in an overarching story
- Summon powers bestowed upon you by the Viking Gods
- Hear authentic Icelandic voice-overs
- Listen to an amazing original soundtrack, specifically composed for every gameplay moment by Max LL
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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linux_gamer Sep 30, 2015
Quoting: fleskThe game was funded on Kickstarter last year, where it collected over $64k. Linux support was only included as part of the $60k stretch goal, so it was nice to see the developer deliver on their promise of a simultaneous release.TOP!!!
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I scooped this up and I can say that it has so far (I've only played just over an hour) run flawlessly on my Intel/Nvidia Xubuntu rig. Also, the game is breathtakingly gorgeous; the hand drawn art is spectacular and the animations on Thora are superb. From what I've played, the game is mostly exploration and boss fights. There are dangers to dodge on your travels and you do fight some regular enemies, but the boss fights are the real draw as far as the combat is concerned. They get quite epic.
Last edited by Keyrock on 30 September 2015 at 1:58 pm UTC
Last edited by Keyrock on 30 September 2015 at 1:58 pm UTC
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Norse mythology and play as a warrior is a must buy from me :)
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1st world problems... Went from "there are too few good commercial games on Linux" to "I'll never empty my wishlist backlog". :D
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metro2033fanboy Oct 1, 2015
haha loved it!
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tuxisagamer Oct 1, 2015
I tested the Alpha but I'm waiting till this weekend to play the full game at a con with my friends.
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Quoting: burnallI hope this is the missing game in bundle.I wouldn't count on that... A brand-new, $15 Kickstarted game, essentially given away in a Humble Bundle? Doesn't make a whole lot of sense.
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Woodlandor Oct 2, 2015
It looks like The Banner Saga and Bastion had some sort of beautiful child 
Certainly will check this one out.
Cheers!
Certainly will check this one out.
Cheers!
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I run the Hidden Linux Gems group on Steam, where we highlight good indie games for Linux that we feel deserve more attention.
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