Jotunslayer: Hordes of Hel PS5 Review
Yes, we reviewed this game already back in February (hey, thanks for noticing!). That covered our Early Access impression at the time (which you can read right here). While I try to champion Early Access titles as much as possible, I admittedly fall off by the time 1.0, also known as the full release, happens. Unless I am playing as the game goes through the changeover, it could be months or longer before the full release actually happens. All you get from us here, at Dear Gamers, are impressions and the excitement of what is to come via the published roadmaps. Of course, Early Access is a PC only thing (insert joke about console games launching too soon…). In addition to adding new content, full releases generally coincide with console launches, and, if enough time has passed, it is the perfect opportunity to return to the game or try it for the first time. Can Jotunnslayer re-capture that magic once again?
When we first reviewed Jotunnslayer, there were four playable classes: Berserker, Seeress, Flame Sister, and Revenant. The end of Early Access sees the beginning of two new classes: Warden and Kinslayer. In a game seemingly not in need of a tank, the Warden fulfills that very role. He has a higher starting health pool, and instead of dash, he can block incoming damage (on a cooldown). The majority of his active and passive abilities can mitigate damage and dish it out, employing reflects, stuns, and knockbacks. Kinslayer has a similar playstyle to the Flame Sister with a longer range and more AoE abilities in her arsenal.
We exhausted ourselves in Niflheim and Muspelheim, so now we have new exotic locales to visit: Jotunheim, Svartalfheim, and Helheim. Besides sporting different looks, these new levels come fully stocked with hazards to avoid, like mortar fire and explosive mine carts, and fun traversal mechanics to cover more ground, like catapults. Yes. CATAPULTS.
Some of the Norse A-Listers felt left out in Early Access, so they have come to lend a hand. Joining Thor, Freya, Loki, and Odin are Brokk & Sindri (God of War players are like: hey, I know them!), Skadi, Njord, and Nidhogg. Brokk & Sindri provide more tools for your character in the form of buffs like reduced weapon attack cooldown, increased experience gains, and increased attack power or critical damage. Side note: Brokk & Sindri were blacksmiths, and you MAY be familiar with one of their works - Mjolnir. Skadi is the Norse goddess of winter, skiing, mountains, and the hunt, but for game purposes, she provides frost-themed powers (i.e., killer snowflakes). Njord, the Norse god of sea & wind, grants water-based powers (YOU CAN SUMMON THE KRAKEN!!). Nidhogg, the serpent hailing from the Underworld (Niflheim or Niflheimr), injects a bit of necromancy with death-focused abilities like giant claws erupting from the ground. Similar to the existing gods in-game, the new gods have their own skill trees containing both passive/permanent buffs across all characters and the ability to evolve their active attacks.
ACCESSIBILITY
Now standard with all Dear Gamers reviews, we go over the available accessibility options a game has to offer.
For audio, there is a master volume slider with individual sliders for sound effects, music, and ambience. The game boasts an impressive 12 languages to choose from. Damage values and status text are toggable options and the map size/opacity/icon size can be adjusted to your liking. On the gameplay front, attacking is automated - you move and aim, dash, and use your weapon skill. For those who wish to, you can turn on an attack button and smash it like someone who does not understand combos in Street Fighter (also how I play, but anyway). Movement and aiming are assigned to the left and right sticks, respectively, but this can be swapped; this one gave me a headache thinking about, meaning it is not for me.
We talk of accessibility, and it can be all-encompassing, but Jotunnslayer has a literal Accessibility menu. In here, you can change the game font from Serif to Sans Serif, increase/decrease the screen shake and damage flash intensity, and adjust the opacity of player, enemy, and environment VFX. Lastly, there are the colorblindness options, which include Protanopia, Deuteranopia, and Tritanopia, and within each, intensity, saturation, and contrast can be tinkered with to the individual’s preference.
FINAL THOUGHTS
It should be no surprise that after a recommendation while in Early Access, Jotunnslayer is a no-brainer on console. It even plays well on the PS Portal, so handheld can be an option for console players. For those who prefer PC, be sure to check out the full 1.0 release of the game on Steam (also Steam Deck verified). Check out gameplay video below of each class. Who are you playing?
