Bad North: Jotunn Edition in IOS

Vikings are coming

Walkthrough, Guilds, Tips on this special game

Our Site Score

92/100

Bad North is a masterclass in minimalist strategy. It takes the complex genre of real-time tactics and strips away everything unnecessary, leaving a pure, high-stakes experience of island defense. The art style—soft, watercolor-like islands set against a grim, foggy sea—is breathtaking and perfectly sets the tone for the Viking invasion.

The gameplay is deceptively simple: position your squads to defend against waves of invaders. However, because each island is procedurally generated and death is permanent for your commanders, every decision feels heavy. You start to care about your little units, which makes a loss feel devastating. It’s the perfect mobile strategy game because the controls are built for touch and the sessions are short, yet the tactical depth is immense.

Reviewed on: Wed Feb 25 2026
Dinsun Avatar

Dinsun Review

Dinsun here. Bad North is a triumph of design. It proves that strategy games don't need a thousand menus to be deep. The core loop of landing on an island, positioning your troops, and desperately trying to hold off a Viking invasion is incredibly tense. The Jotunn Edition adds more items and traits that make the roguelite elements feel much more significant.

The art style is perfect—the contrast between the clean, peaceful islands and the blood-stained results of a battle is striking. My only minor complaint is that late-game runs can feel a bit repetitive, and a single mistake can end hours of progress, which might be too punishing for some. But for someone like me who respects high stakes and clear mechanics, it’s a near-perfect mobile strategy title.

Overall Stats

Pros & Cons

  • Clean and evocative art style
  • Deeply strategic despite simple controls
  • Rewarding progression and variety
  • Very punishing difficulty spikes
  • Runs can feel repetitive in the late game
  • Limited unit variety

Technical Report

Performance: Stable frame rates; excellent touch optimization.

Accessibility:
  • High contrast graphics

Audience Fit

Buy if: You love 'simple to learn, hard to master' strategy games.

Skip if: You hate permadeath or stress-heavy gameplay.

Similar Games:
  • Into the Breach
  • Kingdom: Two Crowns

Reviewer Context

  • Reviewer: Dinsun, 40-year-old conservative gamer
  • Hardware: iPad Pro
  • Playtime: 25 hours
  • Status: Completed Hard mode run

The Game

Available on: iPhone, iPad, iPod

Version 2.00.18Thu Dec 17 2020

Optimization to memory usage


Bad North DOES NOT support: iPhone 5S, 6, 6 Plus, iPad Air/Mini 2, 3/iPod Touch 6th gen and lower

Your home is under attack. The king is dead at the hands of Viking invaders. Hope is a distant glimmer in the fog, fading fast with every passing moment. As you rise to take your father’s place as ruler, it will fall to you to stage your defenses. But make no mistake – this is no fight for victory, but a desperate grasp for survival.

Bad North is a charming but brutal real-time tactics roguelite. Defend your idyllic island kingdom against a horde of Viking invaders, as you lead the desperate exodus of your people. Command your loyal subjects to take full tactical advantage of the unique shape of each island. Everything is at stake: fail, and watch the blood of your subjects stain the ground red.

It’s charmingly brutal, with beautiful procedurally-generated islands and adorable soldiers juxtaposed against the blood-stained realities of war. You control the broad strokes of the battle, giving high level commands to your soldiers who try their best to carry them out in the heat of the moment. It’s accessibly deep, with simple player inputs masking a dynamic combat simulation that make it inviting to new players while challenging veterans.

Keep fighting, warriors. Not for power or riches or glory, but for hope of peace to come once again in the harsh lands of the Bad North.

Key Features

REAL-TIME TACTICS ROGUELITE: Position and relocate your troops to fend off the Vikings, who each have their own counters to the threats you pose. Pick your battles and plan your evacuations carefully! Lose a commander and they’re gone forever; lose everything, and it’s game over!

INTELLIGENT UNIT CONTROLS: You command the broad strokes of your defenses and monitor positioning — your soldiers do the rest, navigating and engaging intuitively in response to the situation at hand.

PROCEDURALLY-GENERATED ISLANDS: Each island is both stylistically charming and unique in its layout. Plan your strategies around every nook and cranny, for you only get one chance to save them from the enemy invasion.

UNLOCKABLE UPGRADES: A stronger, smarter defense leads to greater rewards. Use these to develop your subjects from a ragtag militia into seasoned warriors.


Requires iOS 11.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.

Bad North DOES NOT support: iPhone 5S, 6, 6 Plus, iPad Air/Mini 2, 3/iPod Touch 6th gen and lower

Your home is under attack. The king is dead at the hands of Viking invaders. Hope is a distant glimmer in the fog, fading fast with every passing moment. As you rise to take your father’s place as ruler, it will fall to you to stage your defenses. But make no mistake – this is no fight for victory, but a desperate grasp for survival.

Bad North is a charming but brutal real-time tactics roguelite. Defend your idyllic island kingdom against a horde of Viking invaders, as you lead the desperate exodus of your people. Command your loyal subjects to take full tactical advantage of the unique shape of each island. Everything is at stake: fail, and watch the blood of your subjects stain the ground red.

It’s charmingly brutal, with beautiful procedurally-generated islands and adorable soldiers juxtaposed against the blood-stained realities of war. You control the broad strokes of the battle, giving high level commands to your soldiers who try their best to carry them out in the heat of the moment. It’s accessibly deep, with simple player inputs masking a dynamic combat simulation that make it inviting to new players while challenging veterans.

Keep fighting, warriors. Not for power or riches or glory, but for hope of peace to come once again in the harsh lands of the Bad North.

Key Features

REAL-TIME TACTICS ROGUELITE: Position and relocate your troops to fend off the Vikings, who each have their own counters to the threats you pose. Pick your battles and plan your evacuations carefully! Lose a commander and they’re gone forever; lose everything, and it’s game over!

INTELLIGENT UNIT CONTROLS: You command the broad strokes of your defenses and monitor positioning — your soldiers do the rest, navigating and engaging intuitively in response to the situation at hand.

PROCEDURALLY-GENERATED ISLANDS: Each island is both stylistically charming and unique in its layout. Plan your strategies around every nook and cranny, for you only get one chance to save them from the enemy invasion.

UNLOCKABLE UPGRADES: A stronger, smarter defense leads to greater rewards. Use these to develop your subjects from a ragtag militia into seasoned warriors.


Ratings & Reviews

3.8 out of 5 with 1712 Counts
Age Rating 13+

Screenshots

Bad North: Jotunn Edition screenshot 1Bad North: Jotunn Edition screenshot 2Bad North: Jotunn Edition screenshot 3Bad North: Jotunn Edition screenshot 4Bad North: Jotunn Edition screenshot 5Bad North: Jotunn Edition screenshot 6Bad North: Jotunn Edition screenshot 7Bad North: Jotunn Edition screenshot 8Bad North: Jotunn Edition screenshot 9Bad North: Jotunn Edition screenshot 10

Bad North: Jotunn Edition is a mesmerizing real-time tactics roguelite. You must defend your islands from Viking invaders as you lead a desperate exodus. Your commanders are your most valuable resource; if they fall, they are gone forever. Upgrade your troops, choose your battles wisely, and use the terrain to your advantage. With its stunning minimalist aesthetic and deep tactical gameplay, Bad North offers a challenging and rewarding experience that is perfectly suited for mobile play.

Features

1

Beautiful minimalist watercolor art

2

Procedurally generated islands

3

Deep real-time tactical combat

4

Permanent death and roguelite progression

Tips

Promotion Videos

Bad North: Jotunn Edition PC Launch Trailer - YouTube

Related Videos

News on this game

[Update: Out now] Bad North is a beautiful RTS coming to Android this month, and you can pre-register right now

Raw Fury has just revealed that Plausible Concept's indie RTS roguelike Bad North is coming to Android on October 15th, and as of this...

Android Police - Sat Nov 02 2019

Bad North: Jotunn Edition (Android) Review

Bad North: Jotunn Edition is a minimalistic micro-strategy game where players recruit loyal subjects to protect their realm of evil invaders.

Marooners' Rock - Mon Dec 02 2019

Bad North upgrades to Jotunn Edition

Minimalist RTS game Bad North significantly expanded yesterday to the new, free Jotunn Edition, bringing tons of new content for both...

Gamereactor UK - Mon Sep 02 2019

Bad North review - doom-laden strategy delivered in tiny, terrifying chunks

A streamlined real-time defence game with a wonderful knack for dread. The art looks peaceful and almost cheery, but the bleached white of the rocks and cliffs

Eurogamer - Tue Oct 02 2018

Bad North is a small, elegant strategy game

During Gamescom we take a look at many smaller games, games without big publisher support, games that are looking to break through the noise...

Gamereactor UK - Mon Oct 02 2017

TouchArcade Game of the Week: ‘Bad North: Jotunn Edition’

Bad North: Jotunn Edition is a really nice blend of familiar genres and mechanics that just gels together really well, and plays fabulously on mobile.

TouchArcade - Sat Nov 02 2019

Bad North mobile cheats, tips - Tips to master this roguelike

Bad North: Jotunn Edition has finally landed on mobile devices through the App Store and Google Play Store, and we couldn't be happier.

Pocket Gamer - Mon Dec 02 2019

Gameplays

Q&A

It is the definitive version of the game, including new items, traits, and a 'Very Hard' mode for veteran players.

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