Info about Jusant:

Official game description:
Jusant is a brand-new action-puzzle climbing game and a meditative journey to the top of a tall tower. Challenge yourself at your own pace, explore different paths, and unravel the secrets from a bygone civilization.
Master your climbing tools and watch your stamina meter to successfully navigate this mysterious and changing tower. As you go higher and hone your skills, you’ll have to figure out how best to use the tools at your disposal to get to where you want to go. Explore alternative paths to find clues about what happened here.
Play at your own pace. As you climb, you’ll come across breathtaking biomes full of flora and fauna, accompanied by a peaceful and atmospheric soundtrack. Brace yourself on arid, windy slopes, seek refuge in tunnels lit only by bioluminescence, and more.
Meet the mysterious Ballast. This creature will help guide you throughout your journey by waking nature along your path and helping to reveal clues that will help you piece together the tower’s past and reach the top.

Release date: 31 Oct, 2023

Categories: Climbing Gameplay, Single-player Story, Exploration, Puzzle Solving, Resource Management, Environmental Storytelling, Meditative Gameplay, Linear Progression


- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price: No data
- Playtime Metrics: No data
- Time-to-fun: No data
- Player Archetypes: No data


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Satisfying Climbing Mechanics (weight 1): 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 (weight 0.87): 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 (weight 0.82): 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 (weight 0.71): 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 (weight 0.67): 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.
- Highly Enjoyable Experience (weight 0.5): Overall, the game is considered a highly enjoyable and memorable experience. Reviewers frequently express their satisfaction, often calling it a 'gem' or 'masterpiece' that provides a unique and positive gaming journey.
- Relaxing & Meditative Experience (weight 0.5): The game is widely appreciated for its relaxing and meditative pace, offering a calm and stress-free experience. Reviewers often highlight its suitability for unwinding and enjoying a peaceful journey without intense pressure or frustration.
- Varied Chapter Design (weight 0.05): The game's chapter design is praised for its variety in environments, art styles, and the introduction of new mechanics. Each chapter offers a distinct atmosphere and keeps the gameplay fresh and engaging throughout the experience.

Common complaints:
- Technical Issues & Glitches (weight 0.51): 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 (weight 0.43): 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 (weight 0.4): 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 (weight 0.09): 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 (weight 0.07): 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.
- Collectibles & Chapter Replay Issues (weight 0.06): The game's chapter selection and collectible system are poorly implemented, often requiring players to replay entire chapters from the beginning to find missed items. This design choice significantly hinders replayability and makes 100% completion a tedious task.
- Not For All Player Tastes (weight 0.06): Some players found the game's overall atmosphere, artistic style, or specific design choices (like the lack of dialogue or focus on climbing) did not align with their personal preferences, leading to a less enjoyable experience.

Gameplay feedback:
- Core Gameplay: Climbing (weight 0.32): 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 (weight 0.2): 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 (weight 0.19): 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 (weight 0.09): 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 (weight 0.08): 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.
- Organic Level Design & Evolving Mechanics (weight 0.05): The game features organic and satisfying level design with varied biomes, each introducing unique challenges and visual styles. The gameplay constantly renews itself with innovative mechanics that evolve throughout the ascent.
- Moderate Difficulty & Route Planning (weight 0.04): While generally accessible, the game requires some thought and planning for routes, especially in later sections. It balances ease of learning with moments that demand dexterity and environmental analysis, offering a moderate difficulty curve.
- Unique Hand-Based Controls (weight 0.04): The game features a unique control scheme where players individually control each of the character's hands, typically using separate mouse buttons or controller triggers. This system provides an immersive and intuitive climbing experience.
- Rope & Piton Mechanics (weight 0.03): The game incorporates a safety rope and pitons, which prevent fatal falls and allow for swinging across gaps. Players also manage a limited number of hooks and rope length, adding a strategic layer to ascents.
- Stamina Management System (weight 0.03): The game includes a stamina system that depletes with climbing actions and recovers by resting. While present, it's often forgiving, with options to disable it, ensuring it doesn't hinder the overall relaxed experience.

Performance notes:
- DLSS Improves Performance (weight 0.01): 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 (weight 0.01): 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 (weight 0): 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 (weight 0): Loading times in the game are generally fast, contributing to a smoother and more continuous gameplay experience.
- Ultrawide Support Works (weight 0): The game provides proper support for ultrawide monitors, ensuring a good visual experience for players with such setups.

Recommendations:
- Highly Recommended Experience (weight 0.43): 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 (weight 0.42): 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 (weight 0.41): 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 (weight 0.41): 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 (weight 0.41): 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.
- Controller Recommended (weight 0.38): A significant number of players recommend using a controller for the best gameplay experience, indicating that it enhances comfort and immersion.
- Must Try It Yourself (weight 0.38): Reviewers frequently encourage potential players to try the game for themselves, emphasizing that it's an experience best understood by playing it.
- Desire for Sequel (weight 0.38): Many players express a desire for a sequel or similar games from the developers, indicating a strong positive impression and a wish for more content in the same vein.
- Great on Steam Deck (weight 0.38): The game is noted for being highly playable and enjoyable on the Steam Deck, making it a good option for portable gaming.

Other player notes:
- Unique World & Setting (weight 0.06): 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 (weight 0.04): 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 (weight 0.02): 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 (weight 0.02): 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 (weight 0.02): 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.

Emotions:
- Satisfaction (weight 0.28): Players felt satisfied due to the game's strong artistic presentation, including stunning visuals, beautiful art direction, and an immersive soundtrack. The core climbing mechanics were consistently praised for being engaging, fluid, and tactile, contributing to a rewarding gameplay experience. The game's overall quality, value for money, and relaxing atmosphere also contributed significantly to player satisfaction.
- Disappointment (weight 0.09): Disappointment stemmed primarily from the game's perceived short length and high price, leading to a feeling of poor value. Repetitive gameplay, a lack of depth or variation in mechanics, and a fragmented or unclear story also contributed to player dissatisfaction. Technical issues such as poor optimization and performance problems further detracted from the experience.
- Frustration (weight 0.09): Frustration was frequently caused by technical issues like visual glitches, crashes, and poor optimization, leading to performance problems. Players also struggled with unclear guidance, confusing navigation, and an inconvenient save system, often resulting in getting lost or replaying sections. Clunky controls and physical discomfort from prolonged play were additional sources of frustration.
- Admiration (weight 0.08): Admiration was overwhelmingly directed at the game's exceptional artistic quality, including its magnificent visuals, breathtaking art direction, and superb soundtrack. Players were deeply impressed by the game's atmosphere, world-building, and the overall craftsmanship, often describing it as a beautiful and unique experience.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.05): Players found enjoyment in the game's relaxing and cozy atmosphere, coupled with its engaging climbing mechanics and beautiful visuals. The sense of exploration, discovery of lore, and the overall pleasant gameplay experience contributed to a fun and entertaining adventure, often described as a 'visual and auditory pilgrimage'.
- Joy (weight 0.04): Joy was expressed through deep appreciation for the game's overall quality, beautiful aesthetics, and engaging story. Players found the climbing mechanics addictive and the experience relaxing and enjoyable, often considering it a personal favorite or a 'masterpiece' that provided a unique and positive gaming experience.
- Relaxation (weight 0.04): The game's ability to provide a calm, meditative, and low-stress experience was the primary cause of relaxation. Players appreciated the tranquil atmosphere, soft ambient music, and the absence of intense challenges, making it an ideal game for unwinding and casual play.
- Appreciation (weight 0.03): Appreciation was shown for the game's artistic quality, including its visuals, soundtrack, and unique design. Players valued the contemplative gameplay, the immersive atmosphere, and the innovative climbing mechanics, often highlighting the game's ability to provide a beautiful and meaningful experience.
- Awe (weight 0.03): Awe was inspired by the game's magnificent visuals, breathtaking landscapes, and grand sense of scale. The immersive atmosphere, stunning sound design, and the overall artistic quality of the game created a profound and impactful experience for players, often described as 'stunning' or 'phenomenal'.
- Excitement (weight 0.03): Excitement stemmed from the game's originality, engaging climbing mechanics, and the sense of exploration and discovery. Players were thrilled by the evolving gameplay, the captivating story progression, and the overall high quality of the experience, often expressing a desire for more content or a sequel.
- Calmness (weight 0.02): Calmness was a direct result of the game's peaceful and unique nature, characterized by relaxing gameplay, soothing music, and a zen-like atmosphere. Players found the journey and exploration to be a tranquil and stress-relieving experience, perfect for quiet enjoyment.
- Boredom (weight 0.01): Boredom arose from repetitive gameplay, a lack of variety in mechanics, and an uninteresting or fragmented story. Players found the climbing monotonous and the narrative dry, especially in the mid-to-late game, leading to a loss of engagement and motivation to continue playing.
- Immersion (weight 0.01): Immersion was achieved through the game's strong atmosphere, environmental storytelling, and clever control design that made players feel like they were truly climbing. The soundscape, particularly the music and controller feedback, further enhanced the feeling of being transported into the game's world.
- Engagement (weight 0.01): Engagement was driven by the game's captivating climbing mechanics, evolving gameplay, and immersive world-building. Players were drawn into the mystery of the story and the challenge of exploration, leading to a focused and addictive experience.
- Curiosity (weight 0.01): Curiosity was sparked by the game's intriguing world design, rich lore, and mysterious story. Players were motivated to explore, uncover secrets, and piece together the narrative through environmental storytelling and collectibles, constantly wanting to discover what lay ahead.
- Love (weight 0.01): Love for the game was expressed as an overwhelming positive sentiment towards its entire experience, encompassing the art style, climbing progression, and overall quality. Players quickly developed a deep affection for the game's atmosphere and mechanics.
- Surprise (weight 0.01): Surprise often came from the game exceeding initial expectations, particularly its unexpected quality, depth of mechanics, and ability to captivate players despite personal preferences or fears. The unique approach to climbing and narrative also contributed to this unexpected enjoyment.
- Confusion (weight 0.01): Confusion primarily stemmed from an unclear or abstract story, particularly in the final chapter, leaving players unsure of the plot's meaning. Difficulty in pathfinding, getting lost, and ambiguous puzzle elements also contributed to a sense of disorientation.
- Calm (weight 0.01): Calm was induced by the game's peaceful art style, soothing audio, and gentle story. The overall experience was described as comfortable, healing, and zen-like, providing a tranquil escape for players.
- Sadness (weight 0.01): Sadness was caused by the emotional impact of the story, particularly its ending and themes, as well as the loss of the companion character. Players also felt sadness due to unanswered story questions and the conclusion of the adventure.}