Zelda-like Norse adventure Jotun succeeds its Kickstarter goal

Hand-drawn top-down action adventure Jotun has succeeded its $50K Canadian Kickstarter goal with a current tally of $63,370.

Jotun puts player in the woolly boots a recently deceased viking warrior named Thora who must prove her worthiness to a series of elemental gods in order to be granted passage to Valhalla. This will result in a series of randomly generated stages full of puzzles, combat and exploration. Each stage will task you with finding a rune to collect that will summon a colossal Jotun for you to fight.

"The gameplay focuses on the balance between atmospheric exploration and ferocious combat," explained developer Thunder Lotus Games founder William Dubé. "Imagine the mood of Journey and the scale of Shadow of the Colossus in top-down 2D."

Combat will be simple on the surface, but deep in terms of timing. Your entire moveset will consist of walking, dodging and striking with optional charge attacks. "Jotun's gameplay is a love letter to classic games such as The Legend of Zelda. It has simple controls, action-packed boss fights and a mythic viking world to discover," Dubé said. "Jotun is not a 'hack-and-slash' RPG. We prefer to avoid numbers and text when possible: there are no experience points and few stats. Like the vikings, you must prove your valor to the Gods using only your wits and your skill in combat."

The Jotun Kickstarter ends in an hour, but if you're quick about it you can guarantee a copy for $15 or early beta access for $25.

Jotun is currently expected to arrive on PC, Mac and Linux in September 2015.