Jotun is a hand-drawn action-adventure game based in Norse Mythology. If you are familiar with Thor from the Marvel series, you will hear and see many places and names that will sound familiar. The final boss is Thor and Loki’s father, Odin. Thor and Loki also provide two of the six God Powers in Jotun.
The plot of the game follows a deceased Viking warrior named Thora on a mission to reach Valhalla. She must impress the gods by defeating the Jotun. Jotun refers to the six giant titan bosses you will face in the game (similar to Tribes of Midgard). You must collect runes from each level to unlock each boss fight. Jotun: Valhalla Edition is available for free in the Epic Games store until May 19th.
Below you will find the complete Jotun controls for PC, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.
All Jotun PC Controls
- Move Up: W
- Move Down: S
- Move Left: A
- Move Right: D
- Attack: Left Mouse Button
- Heavy Attack (Hold): Right Mouse Button
- Dodge: Spacebar
- Cycle God Powers Left: Q
- Cycle God Powers Left: E
- Use God Power: F
All Jotun Xbox Controls
- Movement: Left Stick or D-Pad
- Attack: X
- Heavy Attack (Hold): Y
- Dodge: A
- Cycle God Powers Left: LB
- Cycle God Powers Right: RB
- Use God Power: B
All Jotun Nintendo Switch Controls
- Movement: Left Stick or D-Pad
- Attack: Y
- Heavy Attack (Hold): X
- Dodge: B
- Cycle God Powers Left: L
- Cycle God Powers Right: R
- Use God Power: B
Tips for Beginners in Jotun
Below are some tips to improve your gameplay in Jotun. They’re more geared toward beginners, but can still prove useful for veterans as well.
1. How to read the map
Jotun has a unique way of mapping out the world. Most games give you the option of having a mini-map on screen or at least a map option in the pause menu. Jotun has a unique take on helping you navigate through the game: the map in Jotun serves as the hub of the game. You can always return here by selecting “Return to Ginnungagap” in the pause menu.
Ginnungagap is a location in the game with symbols and drawings of land based on the space of the same name in Norse mythology. As you meet level objectives, the map will light up to indicate what you have and have not collected from the level. If you are confused about what location to visit next, look for the crows sitting on the map as they represent the next area to explore.
2. How to Beat the second boss
Jotun has very spectacular boss fights. The first boss is a piece of cake, but Jera the Flower will be your first tough challenge. Jera’s weak point is the stomach so focus your attacks there. In the first phase of the attack, she pounds the ground around herself, so use her shadows to avoid being struck. Each time you take 25 percent damage from Jera, her stomach opens to reveal a flower. Use a charged heavy attack to maximize damage.
In the first phase, she releases poison spores in the air. Stay near the blue flowers to prevent losing health. In the second phase, she grows roots to restrict movement; a heavy attack will cut them off, but they will grow back eventually. In the last phase, she summons root tentacles from the ground that attack when you get near. You can take these out with normal attacks. Regardless of what she does, her stomach area is the attack point. Once you get Jera’s pattern down, she is not much of a problem.
3. Explore the Roots of Yggdrasil Maze
Jotun does not require 100 percent game completion or for you to collect every item, objective, or power-up. Collecting runes and defeating bosses are the only tasks necessary to progress and unlock new areas. The screenshot above shows the map of the maze level. The lines connecting the land represent one-way slides. You cannot slide back up so plan a path ahead of time.
The diamond shapes on the map represent platforms that transport you back up to higher levels if you make a mistake and need to backtrack. You can return back to the level at a later time to experiment with different paths so if the rune is the only thing you want from the level, all you need to do is keep sliding down until you reach the bottom.
4. Leave No Stone Unturned
One downside of Jotun is that there isn’t a player indicator on the level maps. You have to remember the path you took. Each level has a rune that is required to unlock the next boss fight. There are also six different God Powers, gold apples that increase your max power, and healing shrines.
Many points of interest show up on the map, but not all. Some of the God Power and healing shrines are hidden as well as all of the golden apples. You can return to any level to gather any items you may have missed. It is not required to have all items, but the game is a lot easier if you max out your health and collect all six God Powers.
5. Create a Strategy with God Powers
Jotun doesn’t bombard you with enemies, but most of the enemies are pretty dangerous. Outside of God Powers, all you have is a short-ranged ax as a weapon. The heavy attack does a lot of damage, but you seldom have enough time to charge it up. Using God Powers with your normal attacks levels the playing field. Keep in mind that you need to manage your usage when activating God Powers as you can only max the number of uses to three.
For instance, there are enemies that attack you in very large groups, sometimes over 100 of them chasing you. If you have Loki’s Clone God Power, you can simply deploy your clone. The clone explodes after five seconds and inflicts massive damage and casualties. Freya’s speed comes in handy against the third boss, Isa, as his blizzard breath attack can drain all of your health after one attack and moves very fast across the screen.
Basically, God Powers can be the key to victory – or defeat if you lack them.
There you have the controls and some starting tips for Jotun. Remember to have a strategy when approaching the levels, especially the bosses. Explore the entire map and always remember where you are at on the level map and where you have already been.