Jotunnslayer: Hordes of Hel – Why It’s a Must-Play Bullet Heaven

Norse Gods Meet Relentless Roguelike Carnage

The bullet heaven genre isn’t slowing down, but Jotunnslayer: Hordes of Hel manages to carve out its own place in the chaos. Developed by an ambitious indie team and currently on Steam Early Access, it throws players into a gritty Norse afterlife filled with gods, monsters, and endless waves of enemies.

If you’ve been itching for a Vampire Survivors-style experience that’s less gothic and more godlike, Jotunnslayer could be exactly what you’re looking for. It doesn’t reinvent the survival roguelike formula, but it delivers fast action, deep build possibilities, and a strong mythological flavor that helps it stand out.

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Story and Setting: Battle Through Helheim

Set in a fractured Norse world where Hel’s forces run rampant, you play as one of several mythic heroes trying to restore balance — or at least survive the onslaught. Each playable class has its own style, strengths, and backstory tied to the Nine Realms.

The twist? You’re not fighting alone. Mid-run, you gain the favor (or wrath) of gods like Thor, Freya, Loki, and Odin. Their blessings — in the form of new powers — dramatically alter your gameplay each time you dive back into battle.

It’s a simple setup, but effective. Jotunnslayer doesn’t waste time on cinematic cutscenes or long-winded exposition. Instead, it throws you into the fray and lets the combat and upgrades tell the story of your rise — or your brutal death.

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Gameplay Breakdown: Brutal, Customizable, Addictive

Choose Your Hero

You start by selecting a hero from a roster that includes:

• Berserker: A ferocious melee fighter who gains strength as he takes damage.
• Seer: A ranged caster with powerful area-of-effect magic.
• Revenant: A ghostly ranger accompanied by a spectral wolf.
• Flame Sister (Unlockable): A rogue-caster hybrid wielding devastating fire spells.

Each hero has unique base stats, passive abilities, and weapon loadouts. More heroes are promised with future updates.

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Divine Power-Ups: Gods in Your Corner

One of Jotunnslayer’s best features is how it integrates Norse gods into the roguelike progression.
As you level up during runs, you can choose blessings from different deities:

• Thor: Unleash massive lightning strikes and chain attacks.
• Freya: Focus on healing and buffing your survivability.
• Loki: Summon illusions, misdirect enemies, or create chaos.
• Odin: Debuff enemies and drain their power.

Choosing a focus early — or hybridizing different god powers — gives every run a different feel. There’s real build variety here, something even some bigger-budget bullet heavens struggle to achieve.

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The Core Loop: Kill, Level, Repeat

The action follows the classic bullet heaven template:

• Destroy waves of enemies to gather XP crystals.
• Level up and choose new powers or passives.
• Complete mid-run challenges, such as lighting torches, killing minibosses, or collecting cursed relics.
• Summon a world boss by completing objectives.
• Fight, survive, or fall, and then spend resources to permanently upgrade heroes and god skills.

This loop is fast and satisfying. Early runs last 15–20 minutes, while tougher runs and higher difficulties can stretch into 30–40 minute battles against screen-filling hordes.

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Meta Progression: Growth That Feels Meaningful

Between runs, you can spend gold and soul shards to permanently upgrade your:

• Hero base stats (damage, health, speed)
• God abilities (enhancing blessings or unlocking new ones)
• Weapons and modifiers (alternate attacks, status effects)

Meta-progression here is neither glacial nor overwhelming — it hits a satisfying balance that encourages “one more run” syndrome without feeling like a grindfest.

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What Jotunnslayer: Hordes of Hel Gets Right

✅ Deep Build Customization

The ability to mix and match god blessings with your class abilities creates endless possibilities. Lightning-summoning wolves? Healing explosions? Debuff-based ranged assassins? It’s all possible — and fun to discover.

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✅ Norse Mythology Done Well

Rather than lazily slapping Norse names onto abilities, Jotunnslayer actually builds gameplay around the personality and powers of its gods. Loki’s blessings feel chaotic; Thor’s are pure destruction. It adds real thematic flavor.

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✅ Fast, Satisfying Combat

Movement is responsive, attacks hit with punchy impact, and abilities flood the screen with satisfying chaos. It’s one of the better-feeling indie survival roguelikes in terms of raw gameplay.

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✅ Solid Content Even in Early Access

With four heroes, dozens of skills, several realms, and numerous enemies and bosses, Jotunnslayer already feels meatier than many Early Access competitors.

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Where Jotunnslayer: Hordes of Hel Falls Short

❌ Repetitive Enemy Design Early On

The first hour feels a bit too basic, with enemies largely just walking toward you. Enemy variety improves later, but it’s a slow start.

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❌ Skill RNG Can Brick Runs

Bad luck on blessing choices or early weapon drops can sometimes doom your run unfairly, especially on harder difficulties.

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❌ Visual Overload During Bosses

Huge numbers of flashing effects during boss fights can make it hard to track what’s happening. Players sensitive to flashy visuals may find some battles overwhelming.

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❌ No Multiplayer (Yet)

While it’s built for single-player, the chaotic nature of Jotunnslayer would be perfect for casual co-op mayhem. Hopefully a future update adds it.

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Standout Moments in the Chaos

• Chaining Odin’s death debuffs with Loki’s illusions to shred a giant frost troll boss.
• Summoning a literal lightning storm mid-run, electrifying half the map.
• Watching your wolf companion solo a miniboss while you frantically dodge incoming spells.
• Pulling off a flawless dodge-chain to survive a hellwave and clinch a nail-biting win.

These moments — unpredictable, chaotic, and satisfying — are where Jotunnslayer shines brightest.