Jusant Review Summary

Satisfying Climbing Mechanics: The climbing mechanics are a central and highly praised aspect of the game. Reviewers consistently describe them as intuitive, satisfying, fluid, and engaging, often noting their realism and how they evolve throughout the game.

Stunning Visuals & Art Style: The game is consistently praised for its stunning and unique visual design, including its art style, environments, and lighting. Reviewers frequently highlight the breathtaking landscapes and the effective use of environmental storytelling to convey the narrative.

Exceptional Sound & Music: The game's soundtrack and sound design are consistently lauded for their ability to enhance the atmosphere, evoke emotions, and seamlessly integrate with the visual storytelling. Reviewers often describe the music as subtle, powerful, and perfectly timed.

Unique & Innovative Gameplay: The game is recognized for its unique and innovative approach to gameplay, particularly its climbing mechanics and environmental storytelling. It offers a refreshing departure from typical action games, focusing on a contemplative and immersive experience.

Poetic & Emotional Story: The game's story is frequently described as poetic, subtle, and emotionally resonant, often conveyed without dialogue through environmental cues and collectible letters. The narrative is praised for being engaging and providing a satisfying, sometimes tear-jerking, conclusion.

Technical Issues & Glitches: The game suffers from various technical issues, including frequent bugs, glitches, and janky character movements. Players often got stuck in the environment or experienced unexpected physics behaviors, leading to frustration and breaking immersion.

Clunky/Unintuitive Controls: Controls are a significant point of contention, described as clunky, unintuitive, and sometimes unresponsive. This often resulted in frustrating gameplay experiences, particularly with specific maneuvers or when using a keyboard and mouse.

Short Length, High Price: Many reviewers felt the game was too short for its price, offering only a few hours of gameplay. This led to a perception of low value for money, with some recommending waiting for a significant discount.

Frustrating Save System: The save system is a major source of frustration, with unreliable auto-saves that often lead to significant loss of progress. The lack of manual save options and misleading save indicators further exacerbated this issue, forcing players to replay long sections.

Poor Navigation & Guidance: Players frequently struggled with navigation and finding their way, both for the main path and collectibles, due to unclear visual guidance and a lack of effective in-game map or navigation tools. This often led to getting lost and a sense of aimless wandering.

Core Gameplay: Climbing: The core gameplay loop revolves around climbing a massive tower or mountain. Players use intuitive controls, often involving separate hand movements, to ascend through various environments, with the primary objective being to reach the summit.

Linear, Simple Progression: The game features a linear progression, primarily focused on vertical traversal. While some light puzzles and alternative paths exist, the overall gameplay is straightforward and not overly challenging, often described as a 'vertical walking simulator'.

Story Through Collectibles & Environment: The narrative is primarily conveyed through environmental storytelling and scattered collectibles like letters, journals, and murals. Players piece together the story of a past civilization and the world's state by exploring and finding these hidden lore elements.

Forgiving, Combat-Free Gameplay: The game is designed to be forgiving, with no combat, enemies, or traditional death mechanics. Players cannot fall to their death, and there are no complex upgrades or skill trees, contributing to a relaxed and accessible experience.

Chapter-Based Progression & Replayability: The game is divided into six chapters, each introducing new mechanics or environments. After completing the game, a chapter select feature unlocks, allowing players to revisit specific sections to find missed collectibles and achievements.

DLSS Improves Performance: DLSS implementation is generally effective, with many users finding it crucial for achieving higher framerates, especially at 4K resolution. However, some users note that even with DLSS, optimization issues persist, and it may not fully resolve performance problems.

FSR 2 Affects Sharpness: FSR 2 is utilized by Steam Deck users to improve framerates, but it often comes at the cost of image sharpness. Players need to balance performance and visual quality when configuring FSR settings.

Unusual Default Graphics: The default graphics settings are unusual, with unlimited FPS and max motion blur, which can negatively impact the visual experience, especially during camera rotations. Some video settings also appear to be buggy.

Fast Loading Times: Loading times in the game are generally fast, contributing to a smoother and more continuous gameplay experience.

Ultrawide Support Works: The game provides proper support for ultrawide monitors, ensuring a good visual experience for players with such setups.

Highly Recommended Experience: The game is highly recommended by a significant number of players, often described as a worthwhile and satisfying experience. Many reviewers express strong positive sentiments and high ratings.

Similar to Journey/Abzu: The game is often compared to other well-known atmospheric and narrative-driven indie games like Journey, Abzu, and Gris, suggesting it appeals to a similar audience.

Great for Climbing & Exploration: The game is particularly recommended for fans of climbing mechanics and exploration, offering a unique take on the genre. It appeals to those who enjoy the act of climbing and discovering new areas.

Not for Everyone: Some reviewers explicitly state that the game is not for everyone, particularly those seeking a long, challenging, or action-packed experience. It caters to a specific niche of players.

Buy on Sale: Many reviewers strongly advise purchasing the game during a sale or at a discounted price, citing its short length or perceived value at full price. Some suggest specific price points for purchase.

Unique World & Setting: The game features a unique and mysterious world, primarily a colossal, abandoned tower in a post-drought setting. The world-building is intricate, depicting a lost civilization and a journey to find water and hope.

Vague, Interpretive Story: The story is generally simple and vague, often requiring player interpretation. While some find it compelling and beautiful, others note its lack of explicit explanations, particularly regarding the ending and overall plot.

Accessible for All Ages: The game is considered suitable for a wide range of ages and is accessible to players with entry-level PCs. Its simple, cartoonish visual style contributes to its broad appeal.

Title Meaning: Ebb Tide: The game's title, 'Jusant,' is a French nautical term meaning 'ebb tide' or 'receding tide.' This title directly relates to the game's central theme of a world where water has disappeared.

Companion Character: A key element of the game is the player's companion, a blue, aquatic creature called a Ballast. This buddy accompanies the player on their journey through the water-deprived world.