Jusant

[h3]TLDR:[/h3] I would really like to recommend this game on the merits of it's presentation but ultimately the gameplay was frustrating because of linear design choices. [hr][/hr] [h3]Highs:[/h3] Beautiful art direction, music and cinematics. Lovely character animations and genuinely engaging world. [h3]Mids:[/h3] Decent performance but some frame drops and audio glitching. Depending on your preferences, this is an easy game to pick up and complete. Auto-save system is inconsistent. [h3]Lows:[/h3] Absolutely linear puzzle design is mismatched with the piton+swinging movement system. Freedom of movement is de-emphasized and level/puzzle design is, as a result, almost completely linear. [hr][/hr] Full disclosure, I have been playing a number of movement based games recently. Vholume, Climb, and White Knuckle. That last one almost entirely ruined Jusant for me. White Knuckle is a punishing, fast-paced climbing game where the movement and momentum feel extremely satisfying. The game is a rogue-like with some repeating connection levels but is ultimately always about climbing higher. Jusant is, in comparison, a linear walking-simulator that just happens to involve climbing. I don't intend walking simulator to be pejorative, I have enjoyed similarly beautiful, linear games, such as ABZU. The stakes are low and the progression can occur at your leisure. Both of these games include a movement system with stamina and momentum, however White Knuckle makes movement it's central gameplay, whereas Jusant uses both sparingly and only for specific puzzles. The inclusion of the swinging mechanic was simultaneously engaging and extremely frustrating. This mechanic seems to present a certain level of freedom which is ultimately utilized a handful of times and only becomes essential in the final chapters of the game. I spent the majority of my play time trying to get to places I shouldn't be able to get. The game consistently failed to reward my exploration and punish my inner completionist with the checkpoint system. Jusant is clearly meant to be a casual experience. while there is nothing inherently wrong about targeting a broader audience, the way in which this game is designed diminishes all sense of risk. I went from being irritated by the invisible walls and linear design to being deeply frustrated at having to progress by doing the next, obvious step. If Jusant was solely about free climbing and stamina management, I don't think I would be as annoyed. While I really love the character, world, and art direction; The cinematics and animations; and music and audio design; The level design belies the promises of the gameplay mechanics in a way the undermines the entire experience.

Liked this game a lot, up to a point. That point was when I hit a climbing sequence where I literally could not figure out how the game wanted me to proceed. Because I can only play this in short bursts (the climbing is fun but makes me incredibly tense) and I was getting fatigued, I waited until I did something where it showed the "saving" symbol at the top right corner, and then I exited the game, figuring I'd have another look at the puzzle later when my brain was fresh. When I continued playing a couple of days later, I returned to the game CONSIDERABLY further back than where I thought I'd saved. So much so that to get back to where I'd left off, I was going to need to repeat another climbing sequence which had been kind of painful to do the first time. That's when I read the discussions and learned that sometimes the "saving" symbol is just recording that you looked at a book or a message, and isn't actually saving your place. It only does that at checkpoints. Where are the checkpoints? You don't know. If this game had save at will I would have kept playing it. But the combination of "I don't EVER want to have to climb that particular wall again" with the Mystery Saves is really a deal-breaker.

Played for two hours, realised after 10 minutes that there is no jeopardy, you can't fall, there are obstacles that make no sense (i.e. a climber would be able to jump over a rock in a hallway, or climb through a massive hole in some iron bars) and the climbing mechanics themselves are either very boring, or extremely specific. I really tried to like this game but it's not for me. Also, who is reading all the letters? And why? A game with potential squandered.