Jusant Review

The newest title by DON'T NOD has arrived, and I'm starting to realise — I have a knack for following their releases closely. This year alone, Jusant marks the second title by them that I experienced and reviewed, and it's easy to see why; their inventive nature is ever-calling for those seeking more unique games.

DON'T NOD's final release of the year, Jusant, came out on the 31st of October 2023 — it's a meditative climbing title where you'll take control of an unnamed protagonist. After the sun has stopped moving and the world seemingly came to a halt, generations experience what becomes the titular phenomenon, as the sea level lowers and even mundane things, like rain, become a myth. Accompanied by your water companion (a Ballast), you will climb the once-home to a sprawling civilisation that was forced to escape to the desert.

The narrative of Jusant isn't very prominent, but those who want to find it can uncover the mysteries of this world by following my least favourite form of storytelling: notes scattered across the levels. As you climb and explore the remnants of the Tower, you will uncover letters, messages, and more that tell the story of this civilisation and what happened to them.

Though I've notoriously hated this as a form of storytelling, and I'll stand by that fact even through Jusant, I have to say that DON'T NOD surprisingly pulled it off in a way that doesn't feel as frustrating or convoluted. In particular, the implementation of a recurring character throughout the most important notes makes it easier to recognise what's essential and follow the lore, although you likely won't want to skip on the random ones you come across, either. Ultimately, you get to recognise nary a person aside from the one; it still gives a bit of insight into the world that, if nothing else, is at least welcome in a game that has no audio lines.

So, if there's no storytelling to follow, what exactly do you do in Jusant? The answer is simple and seemingly dull: climb. But what starts off as an otherwise boring premise is actually a unique innovation to videogames that, despite its seemingly mundane loop, manages to be a thrilling experience.

If I had to describe Jusant in a few words, I would say, "It's a vertical Death Stranding minus the movie-length cutscenes". What you do throughout your short, five-chapter experience is climb and climb and climb. The gameplay doesn't change or shift from this single premise and instead builds upon it by introducing unique mechanics per chapter that ensure it keeps the experience fresh. Instead of walking from outpost to outpost, Jusant has you climbing onto the next area until you reach your destination, and it manages to be enjoyable throughout it all.

I wouldn't say everyone is going to love Jusant — those who enjoy relaxing and chilled gameplay will find something to like, but even action-filled aficionados and those who don't dabble into the cosy genre (such as myself) might still love it. The gameplay is innovative and enjoyable, forcing you to climb by pressing the mouse buttons (I'm a rebel and chose to still use the mouse and keyboard control layout, which I genuinely preferred despite trying both).

Climbing feels like Assassin's Creed if Ubisoft incorporated a minigame intent on making climbing more fun, but instead, it's the whole gameplay loop. You use your directional buttons to choose where you want to try to grip and then you select which hand to use; not all combinations work, as your left hand might be too far from a right-side grip. With a stamina meter meant to halt you from recklessly climbing everywhere and everything, it turns into a puzzle element wherein you need to select where to use an anchor, where to rest, and how far you can go before you reach flat ground.

It sounds stressful on paper, completely nullifying the "meditative" selling point that the Steam store page has, but its difficulty is negligible up until the very final chapters, after which point it does peak (pun intended) in difficulty. And if that proves to be too much, the accessibility update released on the 21st of November includes removing stamina altogether with the No Stamina Mode, which you can add and remove at your leisure.

What this culminates into is actually a surprisingly enjoyable experience that I loved, despite all evidence pointing towards the opposite. Though I prefer to indulge in quick-paced gameplay with split-second reactions, Jusant is a nice break from hectic combat and encourages you to just climb. It sounds dull, it sounds boring, but it works perfectly; even if it doesn't sound your type, the fact that you're reading this could be the proof that it might just be a hidden masterpiece for you, too.