The game
Jusant it is a French term that means ebb, descending tide, and wants to underline the theme behind this new game of DON’T NOD, a powerful message on the double-stranded relationship between the environment and human life which sees the key element of life as central , or water, communicated to the player through the game’s setting itself. In fact, the opening sequence presents us with the protagonist, a young boy, crossing an expanse of desert; dressed in climbing clothes and equipment and with a strange backpack on his shoulders, he approaches what appears to be an infinite stone tower, which stands out towards the sky, as far as the eye can see. Around him are a few sparse birds and the remains of what appear to be boats, stranded, worn out by years of drought and erosion. And this is precisely the setting of Jusant; a world where the water has receded, disappearing completely, leaving behind desolation, death, and the remains of a world that once was. A soft but evocative carpet of sound, with strings and delicate melodies, accompanies the young boy to the foot of the tower.
With fear and trust we therefore begin our journey (or we should say our climbing): what awaits us is a melancholic but full of hope journey, an attempt to give life back to a lost, ruined world. As you’d expect, moving vertically is the core of the gameplay, and that’s all that matters; this occurs through the alternating pressure of the LT and RT keys, connected to each of the boy’s hands. The climbing system is usable and not punitive, we always have a safety rope that secures our hero in the unfortunate event that he slips away or falls into the void (and this will happen more than a few times). If in the first stages of the game we can only count on the help of our hands, in the subsequent stages we will be able to count on the help of a cute little blue water creature, called “cisterna”, which in the first stages was holed up behind the player’s backpack. hero. This little helper, endowed with singular powers, will be fundamental to the success of our expedition with the possibility of making plants and holds flourish to facilitate our ascent towards otherwise inaccessible peaks. The help given by our little friend, as well as the possibility of anchoring the rope to any solid wall, will allow us to perform noteworthy stunts, also thanks to the creation of real swings on the void, successfully tackling even what appear to be cliffs and chasms unsurpassable. It’s up to us to decide how to tackle the climb, with, sometimes, various viable strategies. The handholds of the ascent paths are almost always clearly visible; you will practically never get lost or stuck in an area, even if sometimes you will have to sharpen your eyes or use a little ingenuity to understand how to proceed.
During our adventure we will visit various areas of the tower, characterized in a very distinct way, both in terms of color palette and with new gameplay mechanics, such as the incessant wind which will modify the inertia of our jumps, or some holds which, at the mercy of the scorching sun, they can be used for a limited period of time before crumbling. All in all, the gameplay variables and diversifications that come into play over the course of Jusant there aren’t many, and the level of challenge has never proved frustrating.
The various climbing phases are connected by areas that can be explored horizontally on foot. Here we will find ourselves exploring schools, artisans’ workshops, farms and anything else connected to maritime life and the wealth of resources that the sea provided to the inhabitants of the tower, obviously all sadly deserted and abandoned except for some singular animal species similar to crabs or small quadrupeds. In these areas we will be able to learn more about the game world, through the various letters left by the inhabitants of the tower: a world that was once vibrant, full of life and everyday problems. We will also find special shells which will allow us, once brought to our ears, to “hear” the places we are exploring, with the sounds of the past: children playing, water flowing from fountains, artisans intent on carry out their works. These are impactful sound fragments, given that they clash with the desolation that we are going to explore.
As we get closer to the top we will be able to read about how the inhabitants of the tower faced what seemed to be, at first, a small problem, such as a season of anomalous drought, or an unprofitable harvest, to the point of experiencing the torment due to the awareness that the world was now lost and that drastic and desperate decisions would have to be made to try to save what could be saved. Our trusty “tank”, by pressing the D-pad upwards, will show us, albeit with a certain approximation, the direction of the various points of interest, so as not to miss the slightest detail. If by chance you feel that you have left some collectibles behind, a useful section of the game menu will inform you about the progress of finding artifacts and letters, so as to allow us, given the possibility of subsequently replaying the chapters in the order in which you want ( provided, however, that you have finished the game) you can retrace your steps to complete what is missing.
However, it is good to clarify that what DON’T NOD proposes to us is intended to be more of a “journey”, an adventure of discovery, rather than a challenging title in which to measure one’s skills. Therefore it should not be faced with the expectation of arduous challenges , and challenging, because here there is no game over and you will rarely find yourself faced with an area where it will be difficult for you to continue.
Graphically Jusant presents a technical realization with a peculiar style, with pastel colors and simple but impactful polygonal modeling. The views from the tower, both in the direction of the desert plain below and into the interior, are evocative and help to represent an excellently characterized gaming universe for which I have developed the desire to know more. Almost always anchored at 60fps (I noticed a few sudden drops due to loading large portions of the game) the game is accompanied by a truly inspired soundtrack. Although simple, he was able to literally hit “the right notes” with melancholic melodies.
Amore
An intimate journey
– In Jusant two types of journey take place: the physical one, made up of leaps into the void, falls and ascents, but, above all, the internal one. Both of the protagonist and the player. During the adventure we will become aware of what happened in the tower and on the planet, with similarities attributable to our life on Earth. A very clear warning and told with skill through stories and excerpts from “everyday life”. I enjoyed the world building of so much Jusantthat I would love to have a spin-off about pre-drought life.
Relaxing climb
– The climbing system is simple to master but can provide moments of great satisfaction when you manage to reach the top of a particularly challenging stretch. Although it can be said that the difficulty level (not selectable) is calibrated towards the low, I always felt a certain satisfaction at the end of each challenge. In general the gameplay, although it is still about climbing, is relaxing.
A convincing style
– Jusant It’s beautiful to see and hear. I really appreciated the 60 fps and the graphic style. Smooth contours, pastel colors and a soundtrack that is never intrusive but makes its presence felt are the recipe for a successful artistic direction that will remain within you.
I hate it
Not record heights
– I was kidnapped by Jusant, but I have to admit that when I reached the end credits, about 6 hours into the game, I wondered if it wasn’t a little too early. In my opinion they could have included a few more areas, the title is a bit too short…maybe because I liked it so much?
Let’s sum it up
Jusant it’s a little gem to see and play; coherent, delicate, thoughtful. The splendid artistic direction, combined with a fascinating and magnetic world building, clashes with a limited ludic stratification and a short overall length, but if you love narrative adventures and poetic and inspired game worlds, we definitely recommend you play it, even more so which is available in Game Pass!