Jusant Review

Game: Jusant
Genre: Action, Adventure
System: Steam (Windows), also on PS4 and Xbox
Developer|Publisher: DON’T NOD
Controller Support: Yes 
Price: US $24.99 | UK £22.49 | EU € 24,99
Release Date: October 31st, 2023

Review code provided with many thanks to Thinky Games. 

Jusant Another Original Hit From DON’T NOD

The Developers DON’T NOD are probably best known for working on Life is Strange. It is an episodic game with a focus on narrative that my wife and I really enjoyed, so much so that we still enjoy the soundtrack CD, which came bundled with the special edition version.

But DON’T NOD wouldn’t just stick to this formula. Although they made a sequel and a sort of spin-off game, Tell Me Why, they would dabble with original IPs. This included Vampyr and Remember Me, the latter ironically being forgotten by most gamers today. To me, this is when DON’T NOD is at its absolute best, letting its creative juices flow into something different and new. This brings us to Jusant, a stunning adventure game that’s similar in vein to walking simulators. If you’re looking for a moving experience that’s relatively stress-free, then I highly recommend checking this out.  

Saying A Lot With Little

Jusant opens with text explaining the French translation of Jusant is receding tide. The game then begins following a mysterious character walking through a desolate wasteland carrying an unusual living cargo in their backpack. The character stops at the foot of an enormous mountain, and without a single word of dialogue, you, as the player, know your goal is to reach the top. In fact, one of the biggest strengths of this game is being able to convey so much of its narrative just by exploring the environment.

It’s clear this was once a thriving community next to an ocean. Now, all that’s left is the echoes of what once was, and as the player, you get to explore and piece together the past in your own mind. At least, that’s how I enjoyed the game. If you explore the environment, more context is given to what happened in the form of notes left behind. This builds on the lore and certainly explains the now lack of water in the area but I much preferred just taking everything in myself.  

Beautiful Design

Jusant presents with a low poly graphic style, but don’t let that deter you from the experience. While the character modes are simple, the environments are exceptionally unique and detailed. Across the game’s six chapters, each area of the game feels beautifully handcrafted, from mysterious dark caverns to windy mountainsides covered in greenery.

As you make your way further up the climb, you can’t help but look down below and admire how far you have travelled. To accompany the adventure, you also have a beautiful soundtrack. For the most part, this is relaxing, but it does appropriately build when you take on a tough climb, only adding further to the game’s excellent immersion.

It’s the Climb

You have heard of walking simulators. Well, Jusant is more of a climbing simulator. But even saying just that does not give the game enough credit. Jusant has a lot of depth to its climbing mechanics, making for an incredibly engaging experience which had me hooked.

A controller is generally the recommended option, but the game does allow for mouse and keyboard support. When you climb up a wall, a safety hook automatically attaches to the surface. From there, you use the trigger buttons on the controller to grip with your left and right hands on various surfaces you can attach to. This could be a ladder, holes in the wall or even parts of living plants. Before you commit to a new surface, you can feel around with your hand to see what you can safely attach.

As you make your way up the surface, you can add new safety pins so if you do end up losing your footing, you won’t have to scale the wall again fully. These do come in limited numbers, so you need to pick and choose the right time to use them. Once you reach a flat surface, you pull in your rope and basically seek out the next wall. It sounds repetitive, but I never felt that way.

Introduces New Mechanics

The game constantly introduces new mechanics like taking risks, jumping up to surfaces, and using the rope to swing or run on walls. No climb ever feels the same. Not only that, there are often multiple ways up the wall, giving you more choices on how to tackle it. The game does an excellent job of breaking you into its control system. At the start of the game, it provided several useful reminders on how to use the climbing equipment and mechanics before leaving you to it. Before you know it, you’ll be rapidly climbing the walls in rhythmic taping of the shoulder buttons. 

Zen-Like

The overall feel of Jusant is relaxing. So this fits into my newly coined genre, Zen-like. You can take your time climbing up the walls. There are no enemies or threats to really contend against. The small challenge that is present is the game’s stamina bar, which you need to watch closely as you climb. That and you do have limited rope length, so on some of the larger climbs, you need to look for the most efficient or flat surface to pull in your rope and reset.

On the game’s base difficulty, I never actually fell off. Probably because I had such a tight grip on the shoulder buttons, something I felt only added to the game’s immersion. But if you do struggle, several accessibility features are available in the options to make this a welcoming experience for everyone. Jusant overall, it took 7 hours to finish, but I did take my time. To add to the replay value, the game does add some collectables to seek out should you want to spend more time in the world. 

During the process of my climb, I was able to find a few small niggles. During some climbs I did manage to get myself stuck in the environments, this was when I was getting a bit too ambitious with my exploration of the environment. It was very rare and easily corrected. In the third chapter, there are these moving blocks you could grab onto, which were just a bit tricky to get to grips with literally. These are all minor niggles that didn’t affect my enjoyment of the experience.

Conclusion: Reaching New Heights in the Genre

Overall, Jusant is a wonderful experience and a climb well worth starting if you’re looking for a short but engaging adventure. Unlike many games in this genre, Jusant’s traversal of the environment feels unique. Its climbing mechanics are so engaging I had just as much fun exploring the world and taking in the experience as feeling the need to seek out collectables. This is DON’T NOD bringing their A game. Successfully conveying an emotional story by saying very little. When I finally reached the top of the mountain, I was not disappointed, and hopefully, you won’t be either.

Final Verdict: Two Thumbs Up