Jusant Review
Played on Xbox Series X
Developed by Don't Nod
Released 31st October 2023
Don't Nod is best known for storytelling adventures as 'Life Is Strange', with other games also utilising this choice-based formula in the likes of 'Tell Me Why' and 'Twin Mirror'. Outside of this narrative-centric format, Don't Nod does occasionally experiment as they try to break themselves out of this pigeon hole that the multi-award-winning series put them in, especially as Square Enix shifted the development focus from them to Deck Nine. Such games that have come out of their new-IP churning wheel consist of action-RPG games like 'Vampyr' and 'Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden', but besides these larger projects are their efforts that feel more condensed and fit this indie-studio vibe. One such game is 'Jusant', announced at Xbox's summer showcase in 2023. The game was released later that same year to a Metacritic score of 85 and an OpenCritic score of 91%, earning a Critic Recommended rating. Safe to say, despite its fairly niche walking-sim appeal, the game did well enough to appease fans of such a genre, even if it commercially performed well below expectations.
Story
'Jusant' in French means a 'receding tide', and its definition is how this game opens up. You follow a nameless protagonist whose goal is to climb this massive mountain-tower that stretches beyond the clouds and reach the top as you traverse through its caves and abandoned settlements that wrap around it. A simple premise that gets expanded as you progress further with your true goal not being revealed until the final moments which may put off many people's motivation to complete this game, but if you do reach the credits, it does make the whole story come full circle and provide a more satisfying conclusion than just simply reaching the top. The story isn't a necessisty to experience the game and the developers knew this as, if you want to B-line the climbing goal with zero interaction to the environmental storytelling you can and still remain satisfied, but for those who are more interested in the world and the previous communities who lived on this mountain-tower, the several scattered notes and diaries are detailed enough to quench that thirst you may have to understanding the society that came before. I personally wasn't all that interested in the lore of the world, as the spectacle and interest in climbing far outweighed the curiosity I had about the lengthy diaries and logs of a world that otherwise looked quite self-explanatory. Though, when I did occasionally gander at the blocks of texts that describe the world, seeing how people lived day-to-day on this mountain was a nice touch of detail, even if I didn't indulge in it as much. Overall, it's a simple tale that can be expanded upon as much as you want, but it won't drastically improve the overall experience. Even with the main cutscenes, the game focuses on its fantastical aesthetic rather than any deep storytelling, which works to its advantage.
Gameplay
Climbing is the focal point of the entire game, from the story to gameplay, and the way it is tackled for the player to control, it strikes this middle ground between other chill-state games like 'Abzu' or 'Omno', and actually offering mechanical depth. Climbing here consists of the management of your stamina bar, individual control of your arms bound to the L/R triggers and occasional environmental challenges. I'll start with the negatives, as there aren't too many of them. The individual control of the arms was fine and did make sense for the aim of the game, but they were quite janky to play around with as they wouldn't point towards the direction you needed to them, wouldn't grab onto holds as expected and overall caused for a couple more moments of annoyance than of relaxation. This was best seen during one of the climbing challenges. Each chapter essientally has a gimmick when it comes to its aesthetic and environmental "hazards", with one of them being these grabbable bugs that slowly shuffled to their nests on the walls as they were clunky to grab onto properly, killed the flow of the climb with how pace-halting their movement was, and overstayed their welcome with how overused they were in the earlier chapters. However, these issues don't compare to how enjoyable the rest of the game was. Other factors like the beaming sun's heat or the powerful flowing wind affected various parts of your kit, namely stamina or your ability to jump between ledges, and were great additions to a fundamentally simple but fun gameplay loop. Placing anchors to prevent further falls or swinging around using your rope was a further complement to this. Playing through this was nice, but I can definitely see how it wouldn't be everybody's cup of tea, with just how niche the idea of simply climbing is, not attracting that much attention. There's no intense set-pieces, no dramatic moments, just you, your stamina bar and the views that come along with it and to some that might be lacklustre, but for me, it was fairly pleasant, especially with how the game is only 3 hours long.
Atmosphere
Easing its way into that tranquil sub-genre of adventure games, its atmosphere will obviously play a vital role in shaping its mood and tone. That being said, it is done fantastically here. The varied environments of the same mountain-tower were stunning with shifts from an arid mountainside with heavy shadows and a boiling rocky surface, to the bioluminescent caves that are expansively open; the mother-nature-focused art style and colouring stand out heavily as there's barely any black or white involved in its palette. But when they do appear, namely the finale and its snow-barred crater, the white acts as a strengthened contrast to all the vibrancy, which works in all necessary ways to make the game all the more gorgeous. The sound effects of the rocks slipping, the vines growing, or the wind howling are positively mellow, adding to that pacified appreciation you'll grow to have of the areas. The music, while not entirely memorable, does its job to carry out the moments that balance peace with the extraordinary visuals of an overrun society.
Story - 7/10
Gameplay - 7.5/10
Atmosphere - 8/10
GOOD
It won't be for everyone, but if a relaxed climb sounds like your ideal way to spend some time, then by all means, go for it.
