Jotunnslayer: Hordes of Hel is heading consoles in September, and the PC version will be completed at the same time, it has been confirmed today!
I’ve actually been enjoying Jotunnslayer on PC as it moves through Early Access, and I’ve been waiting for the right moment to tell you about it. It would seem that the right moment is “now” as Games Farm and Grindstone have just announced that their title is heading to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series on September 3.
Here’s a trailer, for those among us who like such things:
What is Jotunnslayer: Hordes of Hel?
Themed around Norse mythology, Jotunnslayer: Hordes of Hel is an action-roguelite infused with a hefty dose of Diablo. However, it’s also an auto-shooter/bullet heaven that owes much to Vampire Survivors.
I just noted what the game is like, but there are also several things that set Jotunnslayer apart from the pack. For starters, I love the theme, and I’ve always been interested in Norse mythology, so I’m looking forward to immersing myself in this world.
Then there is the quality of the presentation, which is really rather good. We live in a world saturated with survivors-likes, yet I’m enjoying the current wave of high quality offerings. In that I include Jotunnslayer alongside the likes of Greek myth-infused Achilles Survivor, which is about to hit 1.0, and also the Conan-inspired Conquest Dark. But I digress…
How does it work?
You know the setup: you go into battle with your chosen hero, smack your enemies and grab XP, level up, get stronger, smash more shit and grab more XP, rinse and repeat until you win. In this respect, Jotunnslayer does not disappoint, and it won’t be long before you’re hacking away at skeletons, giant trolls, and other strange creatures.
The levelling is split between your chosen character class – roughly speaking that’s melee, ranged, and magic – and then the gods that you select during battle. These options are given to you during battle as you rank up, and so each new level means a fresh decision and a new reward (just how my ADHD likes it).
If you choose Thor, for example, he is all about the lightning attacks. Loki, meanwhile, is the trickster god and he’ll give you the chance for extra loot but with possibly negative side effects, or nasty wisps that float all around you. By mixing and matching your character’s abilities, you can slowly construct a build for the run ahead.
It was a bit too easy on Easy (funny that!) but on Normal it took me a while to get the second map unlocked. Part of the reason it took a while was because I get easily distracted by side objectives and I don’t manage my time properly, but the main reason is that the game is actually pretty tough.
A part of the challenge comes from the different in-game missions you are set. You are given a number of different objectives to complete, and if you’ve not levelled up your character with enough thought, it’s in these moments that you’ll come undone.
What kills you makes you stronger
When the inevitable happens and you do eventually come undone, you can upgrade your character classes and different god abilities in the main menu. This element of character progression isn’t the most inspired part of the game, but it’s perfectly fine when you engage with it and it gets the job done.
Finally, there are also different weapons that you can unlock for the different playable classes, so the berserker can get nicer axes that do bonus crit damage as you progress him, for example.
Let’s not dwell there because Jotunnslayer is at its best in combat, when you’re strafing around a giant rattle of skeletons, unleashing ethereal god powers and grabbing up all that lovely XP. The visuals are great, there are loads of interesting ways you can tailor a build for each run, and the level structure encourages experimentation.
There’s a lot more for me to discover, but after nearly five hours with the game in the last couple of weeks, I’ve seen enough to know that I’m looking forward to revisiting Jotunnslayer: Hordes of Hel when it lands on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series on September 3rd.
