She can do a quick swipe or an overhead chop. In Jotun‘s beta players are given access to two separate bosses, Thora doesn’t move particularly fast nor is there much variety in terms of the types of attacks she can perform. Despite a few examples here and there of women breaking out of these prescribed roles, roles that likely stem from more traditional ideas about gender, it’s generally atypical to see a woman taking on the role of the fierce warrior. Rather than having a sword or magical powers, her body serves as the weapon, a weapon that she alone controls and wields however she pleases. In Final Fantasy VII (Squaresoft 1997), Tifa Lockhart, regardless of her sexualized appearance, shatters that dichotomy because she’s comparable to a boxer in combat. It’s a common role that both male and female characters fall into, particularly in RPGs, where women are generally assigned magical roles that are less physical such as healers or summoners. Tenchu (Acquire, 1998), for example, features a female character who can quickly dash across rooftops, but is weak in combat. We need more protagonists like Thora because she disturbs the polarization of men being assigned the role of the slow moving, brutish warriors and women being cast as the physically weak magicians or agile assassins. The general world explorations breaks up the monotony of fighting one monster after another.What ultimately sold me was its female protagonist and the fact that she was both strong and unapologetic is her badassery. Thora spends most of her time exploring the world, unlocking power ups, activating a healing pond, and fighting monsters. Hungry and drained, my personal limit reached due to the endless crowds and jarring noises, I played Jotun‘s demo as a way to distract myself and decompress. When I first heard about Jotun (Thunder Lotus Games), a game in which Thora is called upon to prove herself to the gods after dying a disgraceful death, I was on the show floor at PAX East. Thora is a female character who doesn’t need to be rescued. It’s uncommon to see a fuller figured female protagonist, but it’s even more unusual to see a woman that’s physically strong and wielding a weapon as big as she is. She’s unapologetic in the way she shouts and grunts and wields her weapon. It’s great when she lifts her weapon and delivers an overhead power attack that involves a great deal of strength. I feel empowered and unbeatable whenever I play as her, able to transport myself into her body and look through her eyes and share her experiences. Not only does she possess a diverse body type, sturdy and difficult to take down, she’s also unwavering in her courage and that’s a damned good thing. With her humongous axe and fire orange braids, I grinned like an idiot as I led Thora, Jotun‘s viking protagonist, from one pissed off giant to the next.

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