Jotunnslayer: Hordes of Hel
There are a ton of indie titles popping up on every platform in 2025. Is Jotunnslayer: Hordes of Hel worth keeping an eye on?
Fighting your way through the Nine Realms is quite the challenge, but never did it seem so easy
Ever since I started reviewing video games, I’ve been looking to expand my horizons for what games I can play. I was never really interested in indie titles, but after taking a step back and browsing through Steam, I’m happy to say that changing my opinion on how I perceive indie games is one of the best things I’ve done so far this year.
Jotunnslayer: Hordes of Hel is a roguelike horde-survivor game in the same vein as Vampire Survivors. While that game was a critical and commercial darling, it never really appealed to me. But after taking a chance on Jotunnslayer and seeing the appeal of the genre, it’s safe to say I would probably enjoy Vampire Survivors too. While vampire games are undoubtedly cool, the concept of fighting my way through the multiple different realms of Norse Mythology has a much greater draw for me. And at only €10, I figured the risk wouldn’t be too great. And that risk has paid dividends.
Now, as much as I am enjoying Jotunnslayer, I do have to point out that it’s an early access title. But what you’re getting for that low entry fee is worth it. And even as I was working on this mini recommendation, the developers over at Games Farm have pushed out another update, bringing with it a new God, new weapons, and a host of other improvements. I’ve put around 8 hours of gameplay into the game so far, grinding out gold coins to improve my character’s abilities in addition to powering up the bonuses the Norse Gods grant per level. Each run can range from around 12 minutes and up, counting the timer and additional tasks, and the final Jotunn fights at the end, which has been perfect for me, squeezing in some game play while travelling or taking breaks.
Summoning the Gods of Asgard, both Old and New grants many a boon
As a game in early access, Jotunnslayer features only 3 of 5 realms at the moment, though those 3 realms differ greatly, featuring gameplay elements and enemies exclusive to each map. Players have the option of 4 different classes to take into the land of Jotunns, and like the realms, they offer unique playstyles. The Berserker melee class is the default option, but it won’t be long before all four classes currently available will be unlocked. To add new levels of replayability to Jotunnslayer, each class has access to multiple variations of their main weapons which are unlocked with Soul Stones for beating Jotunn or occasionally found in chests and come with their own boosts.
There’s a Skill Shop for players to increase the benefits of each class and the Gods whom will be lending you their strength on each session. Gold is earned at various points, and players will be using that Gold to unlock more skills and boost their powers. Each realm will come with its own set of challenges to beat to unlock modifiers. These modifiers often increase the difficulty in some ways, with the trade-off being an increase in resources earned. Having multiple modifiers active is a great way to farm Gold and Soul Stones to make subsequent runs easier. Only the first available realm, Niflheim, has the Easy Difficulty, but the two other realms available go as high as Insane Difficulty. After hours of grinding, it’s safe to say… I’m not there yet.
There’s a lot going on at any one time, and as the time ticks down, things only get more hectic. And that’s fun
While not everyone will agree, there’s a lot on offer in Jotunnslayer for such a low entry price. The developers are actively working away to provide additional content and from my experience, it enhances the gameplay and fun factor. I started off with the intention of just bringing more attention to this game, but I will be writing up a full review once the game is a bit further along and I’ve put in even more time. Until then, Have You Heard Of This?
I created this website as I feel the state of the games industry and games reporting as a whole has gotten overly negative and full of clickbait. While I understand both of these are a great way to generate engagement, it’s a detriment to those gamers (like myself) that are just trying to enjoy games and not have to worry about the negativity of the current state of the gaming industry. I want a space where gamers can come for unbiased news that doesn’t rely on clickbait or rumours with a dash of humour and have the opportunity to share their passion for games.
