Jotunnslayer just added Conan the Barbarian and couch co-op

Conan the Barbarian is joining the Norse roguelike Jotunnslayer: Hordes of Hel as a playable character on April 9. Developer Games Farm and publisher Grindstone are releasing the $6.99 crossover DLC alongside a free update that brings local co-op to the PC (via GOG, Steam, and Epic), PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.

The Cimmerian crossover

The paid DLC pack pulls the Cimmerian warrior into the game's Norse underworld. Conan operates on a "Triumph" mechanic. Defeating enemies builds stacks that reduce incoming damage. He essentially becomes a tank as long as he stays aggressive. Players can spec him into three different subclasses based on his literary history: a heavy greatsword wielder (King of Aquilonia) that focuses on raw power and devastating cleaves, a defensive sword-and-shield fighter (Stygian Gladiator) that stuns enemies, or a dual-wielding speedster (Zamorian Rogue) that converts Triumph stacks into evasive mobility.

He also gets a "Born in Battle" trait that elevates his critical hit lethality and a Ram Dash ability to physically plow through crowds of enemies.

The DLC also adds Stygia, a new desert realm filled with ancient ruins and necromantic enemies. The sun-scorched environment introduces unique visibility challenges and illusion-driven threats. At the end of the biome, players face the Undead Jötunn. This Stygian wizard-king uses forbidden magic and deceptive attack patterns to control the battlefield.

Because nothing says authentic Norse mythology quite like a Cimmerian warrior wandering out of a desert to punch an undead wizard.

Couch co-op and the God of Fate

The free update launching today is arguably the bigger draw. Games Farm is finally adding local split-screen cooperative play, a feature players have requested since the early access period.

The mode supports two-player shared runs with alternating level-up choices and drop-in assistance. The host retains all the progression, but both players get to experiment with expanded build synergies between different classes and gods. Co-op in bullet heaven games can get visually chaotic very quickly. The developers adjusted the active skill slots to keep the screen readable when two players are firing off screen-clearing magic at once.

The free update also introduces the God of Fate as a new deity. The game's progression revolves around pledging to different gods to receive their specific buffs and attacks. Fate operates as a high-stakes blessing system that lets players gamble their resources for potentially massive gold and stat boosts. It is a pure risk-and-reward mechanic that can either break a run wide open or leave you completely underpowered against a boss. If you invest heavily in Fate and get bad rolls, your run is probably doomed.

Crowded underworlds

Jotunnslayer: Hordes of Hel hit Early Access in January 2025 before its full 1.0 release last September. The horde-survivor genre is completely saturated right now. Dozens of games are trying to capture that Vampire Survivors magic, usually by slapping a new coat of paint on the same core loop.

Games Farm opted for a high-fidelity 3D approach heavily inspired by Diablo and standard action RPGs. The studio swapped out pixel art for detailed character models and physics-based enemy ragdolls. The base game is solid, but adding actual couch co-op is what gives these endless horde games their real staying power. Two people yelling at each other over shared level-up screens is exactly how this genre is meant to be played. It forces communication in a game type that usually devolves into a hypnotic, single-player trance.