http://lonelycontroller.com/2010/12/...thor-psp-mini/

Young Thor follows the adventures of, well, young Thor as he travels through Midgard and Asgard to restore balance to Yggdrasil, the world tree. What this translates to as a game is wading through hordes of orcs, goblins, spiders and other creatures with Thor's trusty lightning hammer.



The game lends itself well to portable gaming. Thor hacks and slashes his way through short stages, and each stage has frequent checkpoints. There is an available thunder magic attack, but that is only needed when Thor is surrounded by multiple foes or faces a particularly tough enemy. Vanquished monsters sometimes drop apples that replenish health and magic, and every defeated foe gives Thor experience points. After leveling up several times, Thor's attacks become quite powerful, and lesser baddies become more of a chore than a challenge.



I liked the look of the game very well. As a PSP mini, the developer has to keep the size of the game small, and the graphics simple. Frima studio worked well within those limitations, creating a craggy, jagged landscape that has a nice ancient Nordic feel. There are a good variety of monsters for you to swing at, and the voices are done well. I particularly like the mumbled unintelligible curses Thor lets out under his breath when he faces a large group of enemies.



From the stage select screen, you might have the impression that there are sixteen normal stages and then a final stage. This is misleading. In each row, all four stages are the same. The type of monster that is in the stage will change, and there will be a special treasure in one of the four stages that boost's Thor's performance in some way. The lack of variety in scenery would be my chief complaint with this game, the repetition of defeating easy enemies being my second gripe.



Despite these quibbles, I think Young Thor is great for a PSP mini. It provides a fun, colorful hack-n-slash adventure easily enjoyed in short gaming sessions.