Bad North: Jotunn Edition

My Experience with Bad North: Jotunn Edition

I bought this game last year after my son-in-law, Mike, showed it to me on his tablet. I remember sitting at their kitchen table on a rainy Tuesday afternoon, watching him command little soldiers to defend these tiny islands from Vikings. I thought, “That looks nice, but I bet I’ll get confused.” I’m the kind of retiree who still prints out directions from MapQuest, so I was wary. But Mike set it up on my Samsung Galaxy S23, and within an hour, I was hooked. The controls are simple: you drag your troops to different beaches and watch the fights happen. No frantic button-mashing. No confusing menus. Just thinking about where to put my archers and pikemen. The Vikings come in waves, and I felt real tension trying to save my little families. The music is haunting too—like something from a sad Nordic movie. I’ve probably played through the islands a dozen times now. Each time feels different because the islands are random. Some are easy, some make me want to throw my phone across the room. But I keep coming back. It’s not a fast game. It’s a thinking person’s game. And for a guy like me who prefers patience over panic, it fits perfectly.

Features Worth Noting

The biggest feature that sold me is the simplicity. You start with a commander and a few basic units. You drag them to the beach where the Viking boats land. That’s it. No building houses or gathering wood. Just fighting. I love that the islands are different every time. One game I might get a big flat island with one beach, and the next I get a tiny rock with three beaches. It keeps me on my toes. The graphics are clean and calm—like looking at a picture book. The sound effects are good too: swords clashing, waves crashing, and a soft wind sound. The game also has different unit types: archers for range, pikemen for tough fights, and shield guys to hold the line. I can upgrade them between battles, which gives me something to look forward to. The Jotunn Edition adds new enemies, like big trolls and frost giants, which really mix things up. I was stuck on one level for two days until I figured out how to use my pikemen properly. The game doesn’t hold your hand, but it doesn’t need to. The tutorial is just a few quick pop-ups. After that, you learn by losing, which is fine with me. I’d rather figure it out myself than watch a long video.

What Needs Work

Alright, I have to be honest about a few things. First, the game can get hard fast. One level you’re feeling like a genius, and the next you lose three islands in a row. There is no “easy mode” or skip button for tough levels. I think a younger person would call it “punishing.” I call it frustrating sometimes. Also, the tutorial is bare-bones. My wife tried it and gave up after 10 minutes because she didn’t understand how to move her guys quick enough. You have to pause the game a lot to think, which feels unnatural at first. Another thing: the island layout can be unfair. I’ve had a few runs where all my commanders died in the first two battles because the enemy boats came from three sides at once with no warning. That feels cheap. Finally, I wish there was a way to zoom in or out more. The tiny islands on my phone screen are sometimes hard to see, even with my reading glasses. A bigger zoom option would help old eyes like mine.

Pricing

I paid full price for this game, and it was around $5 or $6 if I remember right. No subscriptions. No ads. No in-app purchases asking for more coins or gems. That means a lot to me. I hate games that try to nickel-and-dime you every five minutes. With Bad North, you pay once and that’s it. For the amount of time I’ve spent on it—probably 30 hours by now—it’s a great deal. I’ve paid more for a sandwich that lasted 10 minutes. So yes, I think it’s worth the money. Even if you only play for a few weeks, it’s still a fair price for a well-made game. No hidden costs, no tricks. Just a solid game.

Developer Notes

I don’t know much about the company behind this, Raw Fury. But I checked the app store updates, and they have fixed a few bugs over the year. No big issues on my phone. The game runs smooth on my Galaxy S23, no crashes or freezes. I never had to contact support, so I can’t speak to that. But the app store reviews seem positive overall. Some people complain about difficulty, but that’s part of the game. I appreciate that they haven’t added loot boxes or daily rewards. It feels like a game made by people who actually enjoy games, not by people trying to milk your wallet.

Security & Privacy

I checked the permissions before I downloaded it. It only asks for basic stuff like storage to save my game progress. Nothing creepy like access to my contacts or camera. The game doesn’t connect to the internet unless I want to check leaderboards or something, which I don’t. I play offline mostly, on the train or in the backyard. No ads means no tracking. I’m not one to worry too much about privacy, but it’s nice to know that this app isn’t snooping around. It just sits quietly and lets me fight Vikings.