I don't know about you, but I'm getting big Vampire Survivors meets Diablo 2 vibes from Jotunnslayer: Hordes of Hel. A new trailer made its debut at the Golden Joystick Awards, demonstrating the first look at early access gameplay ahead of its January 21, 2025 release date on Steam.
Jotunnslayer: Hordes of Hel looks a lot like an old-school dungeon crawler, albeit without all that time spent micro-managing loadouts in menus. Instead what we're getting here is a fast and frantic rougelike where you'll need to use all of the tools at your disposal to survive deadly, unending hordes of enemies across gorgeously gothic arenas.
Inspired by Norse mythology, the new trailer showcased two of the arenas (including the all-new Muspelheim) that you'll be able to battle across. What really caught my eye however were the four-playable characters, from the axe-wielding Berserker to curse-happy Seeress, giving you plenty of different opportunities to overcome what developer GamesFarm is calling the 'ultimate trial by fire and ice'. The action looks hectic and challenging, and there seems to be plenty of variety on offer with the different characters and progression systems – seeking favor from iconic lords of Norse mythology helping to further hone your preferred playstyle.
If you'd like to learn more, be sure to head over to the Jotunnslayer: Hordes of Hel steam page and wishlist the title to receive more updates on this roguelike. Otherwise, we've only got a few more weeks to wait until Jotunnslayer: Hordes of Hel enters Steam early access on January 21, 2025.
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Josh West is the Editor-in-Chief of 12DOVE. He has over 15 years experience in online and print journalism, and holds a BA (Hons) in Journalism and Feature Writing. Prior to starting his current position, Josh has served as GR+'s Features Editor and Deputy Editor of games™ magazine, and has freelanced for numerous publications including 3D Artist, Edge magazine, iCreate, Metal Hammer, Play, Retro Gamer, and SFX. Additionally, he has appeared on the BBC and ITV to provide expert comment, written for Scholastic books, edited a book for Hachette, and worked as the Assistant Producer of the Future Games Show. In his spare time, Josh likes to play bass guitar and video games. Years ago, he was in a few movies and TV shows that you've definitely seen but will never be able to spot him in.