Jotunnslayer: Hordes of Hel – Roguelike Set in Norse Mythology

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• Developer: Games Farm, ARTillery
• Publisher: Grindstone
• Platforms: PC
• Genre: Roguelite
• Release Date: January 21, 2024
• Initial Price: 8.99€
• Reviewed Version: PC

Jotunnslayer: Hordes of Hel is a roguelike survival game set in the dark and brutal worlds of Norse mythology. Like other games inspired by Vampire Survivors, you will face waves of enemies, but here you can gain divine blessings from ancient Viking deities, explore different worlds, and fight powerful bosses. The gameplay revolves around completing player-chosen objectives from a provided set, forcing you to traverse the map from one side to the other. However, since the game is still in Early Access, it currently feels somewhat unfinished. Only two available maps and repetitive objectives can make it quickly become monotonous.

Variety of Skills and Bonuses for Experimentation

Despite the limited content, the game brings a fresh and unique twist to the genre. As you progress, you can choose from various active and passive skills granted by the gods. Currently, you can align with Thor, Odin, Loki, or Freya, along with abilities specific to your class. This gives you a multitude of options for experimenting with different playstyles. If you are not satisfied with your current skill choices or want to more precisely shape your build, you can re-select or remove certain abilities to get closer to what you want.

However, not all skills and abilities are perfectly balanced. It can also be frustrating that you are limited to five active abilities per run, with only two allowed to be from a specific deity or class. While this helps maintain balance, it somewhat limits experimentation. For instance, Freya excels in active abilities like AoE damage and healing, while Thor’s passive abilities, such as increased attack speed or lightning strikes, make him better for sustained fights. Fortunately, the variety ensures you can find builds that suit your playstyle, so you won’t feel forced to use the same abilities every run.

Classes Are Unique and Interesting

Gameplay combines using skills, basic attacks, dodging, and rolling to keep away from enemies. Currently, there are four playable classes available: Berserker, Revenant, Seerees, and Flame Sister, each with unique abilities and styles. In addition, each class comes with three passive bonuses that complement each other well. For example, the Berserker is excellent for longer runs due to health regeneration and the Rage ability, which increases his damage. The Seerees, on the other hand, excels at dealing damage to multiple targets at once and has a shield that offers additional protection.

Currently, there are only two maps. Niflheim is a frozen region with minimal environmental hazards, making it simpler to explore. Muspelheim, on the other hand, is a fiery area filled with thorny bushes and cannons that shoot at you, adding an extra layer of challenge. Although the worlds have different aesthetics, the enemy types are quite similar. For example, Niflheim is mainly populated by skeletons, while Muspelheim is inhabited by horned demons. These enemies often act as reskinned versions of the same archetypes, from basic archers to larger elite foes.

This Title Stands Out with the Skill Shop

Fortunately, the inclusion of challenging mini-bosses and a final boss at the end of each map adds much-needed excitement and variety. One of the biggest positive aspects of this game is its accessibility. The developers have truly worked hard to make it player-friendly. You can choose how to attack, either by manual control, smart attacks where your character automatically targets nearby enemies, or fully automatic attacks. You can also customize the targeting system, switching from manual to auto-targeting. Essentially, you can play the game with minimal input, focusing only on ability selection, or become fully engaged and control every aspect of combat.

The Skill Shop is what truly stands out and helps make your runs more manageable and rewarding. The shop offers upgrades like increased Experience acquisition, higher damage, or unlocking special ability tiers. These upgrades cost Skill Points, which you can purchase with gold earned during runs. You can upgrade almost everything, from your class to each of the gods. Every god offers valuable upgrades that make the gameplay increasingly rewarding, especially if you are aiming for higher difficulty levels.

Various Difficulty Modes Can Keep You Engaged for a Long Time

Speaking of difficulty, the various modes were one of the main highlights of this game for me. You can choose from multiple options: Easy, Normal, Hard, and Insane. The Hard mode is where the real fun begins, with more enemies spawning and additional mini-bosses creating a challenging but enjoyable experience. Generally, it’s up to you to decide how you want to approach the game.

Additionally, the game includes modifiers that can affect your runs. For example, some make enemies weaker but reduce resource bonuses, while others cause enemies to turn into ghosts for a few seconds, increasing the loot you receive. Although these modifiers add a bit of variety, they generally feel a bit scarce, with only a few that are truly significant. To unlock modifiers, you must complete specific challenges, such as beating the game on a harder difficulty or defeating a certain number of mini-bosses.

Final Thoughts

It’s worth mentioning that you can unlock different skins and weapons, each offering unique bonuses and class-specific skills. However, there is little clear information about how these weapons are unlocked. What we do know is that you need to use gems, which you earn from successful runs, to acquire them. Additionally, Jotunnslayer: Hordes of Hel features beautiful graphics that are visually appealing without being too overwhelming, along with an excellent soundtrack that perfectly accompanies your gameplay.

All in all, this was a fun experience. The game offers multiple classes to experiment with, a wide selection of skills, and an interesting setting inspired by Norse mythology. However, the Early Access version lacks content. While the core gameplay loop is solid and the Skill Shop provides plenty of customization options, there isn’t much to keep you engaged beyond experimenting with the different difficulty levels.

Despite that, the game has a lot of potential. You have nothing to lose by giving it a try, and given that it’s still in Early Access, it’s sure to improve over time. The game is already well-polished, as I didn’t encounter any bugs or technical issues during my playthrough, but it is missing a bit of depth to truly feel complete.

Review copy provided by the publisher