Judero Review Summary

Despite its unique visuals, engaging gameplay, and exceptional music, the clunky controls, bugs, and uneven puzzle difficulty hold it back.

Unique handcrafted visuals: Handmade clay models, stop-motion animation, and handcrafted visuals create a uniquely textured and intimate aesthetic that is a core part of the game's identity.

Engaging varied gameplay: Gameplay is described as fun, balanced, and engaging, with a mix of hack-and-slash combat, puzzles, and a unique enemy possession mechanic that adds variety.

Exceptional music and sound: The music and sound design are consistently praised as beautiful, atmospheric, and varied, with a large soundtrack that fits the game's tone and enhances immersion.

Philosophical and humorous writing: The writing is praised for its philosophical depth, humor, and poetic quality, blending profound themes with surreal comedy and clever dialogue.

Immersive surreal atmosphere: The game's atmosphere is described as weird, dreamlike, charming, and immersive, with a unique blend of grotesque, beautiful, and surreal elements.

Clunky controls and combat: Players report that controls and movement feel clumsy, and combat mechanics are funky or terrible in a bad way, detracting from gameplay enjoyment.

Bugs and glitches: Numerous bugs are reported, including items glitching through floors, getting stuck in scenery, and out of bounds glitches, which disrupt gameplay.

Puzzles too easy or confusing: Puzzles are fairly easy, but the minigames in the summon wheel have a confusing purpose, and the puzzle balance is somewhat sloppy.

Story hard to follow: The story is abstract and based on Scottish mythology, but players find it hard to connect with the protagonist and follow the narrative.

Frustrating and tedious sections: Certain parts of the game are frustrating, with sections needing repeats and occasionally tedious gameplay, reducing enjoyment.

Puzzles mixed with combat and bosses: The game features puzzles integrated into combat and boss fights, with creative boss encounters and unique events.

Action-adventure with exploration and puzzles: The game is a top-down action-adventure with exploration, combat, and puzzles, frequently compared to Zelda and Hades.

Possession mechanic for puzzles: A central mechanic allows the player to leave their body and possess enemies to solve puzzles or use their abilities.

Hack-and-slash combat with combos: The combat is hack-and-slash with combos, dodge mechanics, and i-frame sprinting. It includes a variety of enemies and collectibles.

Exploration for collectibles and upgrades: Players explore to collect special powers, treasure, and a variety of enemies for a bestiary.

Developer fixes crashes: The developer is actively releasing updates to resolve crash issues, demonstrating ongoing support and responsiveness to player reports.

Bonus zone crash fixed: Game crashes specifically after entering a bonus zone. The issue is acknowledged and patched as of May 1st, indicating it may no longer affect players.

Steam Deck works fine: Some players report the game runs perfectly on Steam Deck without any modifications, suggesting compatibility may vary based on hardware or software configuration.

Steam Deck crash fix: The game crashes on Steam Deck, but adjusting texture quality helps mitigate the problem, indicating a performance or graphics setting issue.

Audio cracking on Linux: Players on Linux via Proton experience a cracking noise in sound effects, suggesting an audio compatibility issue specific to this platform.

Highly recommended for art lovers: Many players strongly recommend this game, especially for fans of art, storytelling, stop motion animation, philosophy, and unique experiences. It is praised as a must-play for those seeking something different and artistic.

Worth a try if interested: Multiple reviews suggest the game is worth trying if it appeals to you, for a change of pace, or for a weekend afternoon. It is recommended for those attracted by the atmosphere or music from the trailer.

Good value for the price: Multiple reviews confirm the game is well worth the money and the price of admission, offering good value for its cost.

Not recommended at full price: Some feedback indicates the game is not recommended at its full price, suggesting waiting for a sale. This is a minority opinion but noteworthy for budget-conscious players.

Appeals to Scottish theme fans: The game appeals to fans of Scottish themes or PS1-era Gauntlet games, and if you like the accents, you should jump right in after trying the demo.

Community fair range: $14.99 - $19.99.

Game completion: 5.0h.

Session length: 5.0h.

Players find the game enjoyable from the start due to engaging combat, exploration, and memorable characters, despite some minor tedium in writing that does not hinder overall fun.

Friction: tedious townsfolk musings; occasional tedium.

Art-Driven Humanists: Exploratory appreciation; taking time to absorb visuals, story, and extras like the making-of video. Motivation: Experiencing a unique, handcrafted artistic vision with deep cultural and humanistic themes. Stance: buy.

Gameplay Purists: Critical evaluation; focused on flaws in gameplay, visual polish, and price-to-value ratio. Motivation: Judging game quality based on polished mechanics, visuals, and value. Stance: no buy.

Linux and Proton: The available user reviews show that the game functions well on Linux via Proton and on Steam Deck, with no technical complaints. The only mention of Proton is a neutral observation about story clarity, not a compatibility issue.