Jotunnslayer: Hordes of Hel is a chaotic, beautiful, and refreshingly mythological spin on the survivor-like formula
When I first booted up Jotunnslayer: Hordes of Hel on PS5, I'll be honest... I was skeptical. The auto-battler “survivor-like” space has been flooded ever since Vampire Survivors exploded in popularity, and I was ready to dismiss this as yet another copycat. But within the first couple of runs, my doubts melted away. Sure, it shares the same DNA of surviving hordes of enemies while your attacks automatically fire off, but Jotunnslayer adds its own flavor, and that flavor is heavily infused with Norse mythology, chaotic arena objectives, and some truly dazzling presentation.
At its core, Jotunnslayer builds its identity around Old Norse mythology. You step into arenas inspired by frozen landscapes, cursed forests, and ash-strewn battlefields that feel like they could be plucked straight from a saga. The enemies aren't just generic ghouls, they're Hel's minions, from draugr-like undead to beastly jotunns that dwarf your character on the battlefield.
There isn't a sprawling cinematic narrative here, but the world-building is effective. The framing is simple: Hel's hordes threaten to consume everything, and the gods call upon warriors to stand against them. Each playable character embodies a distinct archetype, from berserkers and shieldmaidens to mystics, and each can be blessed by gods and goddesses like Odin, Thor, or Freyja. These divine boons don't just add raw stats, they give you thematic abilities that feel rooted in myth: thunder strikes, fiery axes, spectral wolves, or healing auras.
The story beats are light, but the atmosphere more than carries it. It feels like you're part of a myth retold through gameplay, and that's enough to keep you invested.
The biggest surprise for me was how Jotunnslayer structures its runs. Instead of just dumping you into an arena and telling you to last until the timer runs out, objectives appear every couple of minutes. These objectives can be as straightforward as gathering mushrooms scattered across the map, slaying a set number of minibosses, or braving an elemental storm for a set duration.
It's a small tweak, but it makes a huge difference. These interruptions force you to move, adapt, and change your priorities mid-run. In a genre where standing still and letting your build do the work is often the optimal strategy, Jotunnslayer nudges you into more active play. It keeps runs from blurring together, and it adds a satisfying rhythm: survive, tackle objective, reap reward, repeat.
Every run culminates in a boss fight, and this is where the game truly shows its teeth. The bosses are massive, screen-dominating enemies that come with mechanics of their own, and the kicker is that they don't fight alone. You're still swarmed by Hel's endless hordes while trying to dodge the boss's attacks. The result? Pure chaos. Your screen fills with particle effects, projectiles, enemy hordes, and the giant health bar you're desperately chipping away at. It's stressful, it's messy, and it's an absolute blast.
One of the highlights of the game is how much variety it offers in terms of builds. Each character starts with a unique weapon or skill, but as you progress, you're constantly blessed with new upgrades and godly powers. Do you lean into Freyja's healing light, doubling down on survivability? Or do you call upon Thor's hammer to dish out massive area damage? Maybe Loki tempts you with trickery, offering explosive clones or chaos-inducing effects.
The synergy between characters and gods is what keeps Jotunnslayer so replayable. A berserker empowered by Odin plays completely differently from the same berserker blessed by Hel herself. Even after dozens of runs, you'll still stumble into combinations that surprise you, and those little moments of discovery keep the grind fresh.
Difficulty scaling also plays a big role here. Early on, you might breeze through the first few arenas, but once you crank up the difficulty, the objectives become more punishing, enemy health pools inflate, and bosses hit like trucks. The sense of progression, from barely surviving your first run to confidently dismantling Hel's champions, is immensely satisfying.
Let's talk visuals, because this game punches far above its weight. From a distance, Jotunnslayer looks like something out of a Diablo play session. The dark fantasy aesthetic, the glowing runes, the gothic armor, and especially the particle effects all contribute to an almost AAA look.
The particle effects are especially worth mentioning. As your build snowballs and you're firing off multiple god powers, weapon enhancements, and passive auras at once, the screen turns into a festival of light and color. Lightning arcs across the arena, spectral wolves tear through enemies, flaming axes cleave, and frost novas explode. It's a beautiful kind of madness, and it sells the power fantasy of mowing down thousands of foes.
Of course, that visual intensity can also make it hard to track what's happening. There were times where I genuinely lost my character in the mess of effects and enemies. It's part of the charm, but it does mean you'll need to get used to glancing at your health bar more than your actual character during heavy fights.
Performance-wise, the PS5 handles it admirably. Load times are lightning fast, and I didn't notice any major dips, even when the screen was wall-to-wall enemies and effects. The DualSense implementation is modest but effective, with haptics giving you tactile feedback on hits and dodges.
Jotunnslayer: Hordes of Hel may not reinvent the auto-battler formula, but it does enough to carve out its own identity. The mythological setting, objective-based arenas, chaotic boss fights, and god-powered build variety all add up to something that feels both familiar and fresh.
I went in expecting a shallow clone, and what I found instead was a highly polished, addictive, and surprisingly deep game that kept me saying “just one more run” far longer than I planned. It captures the essence of what makes this genre so fun, while layering on just enough new ideas to keep things engaging.
If you're looking for your next obsession on PS5, and you're not afraid of losing yourself in a storm of enemies and particle effects, Jotunnslayer: Hordes of Hel is well worth your time. Thanks for reading!
The game was reviewed on a PS5 via a promo copy provided by PR. Jotunnslayer: Hordes of Hel is available on PS5, Xbox Series and PC.
