The idea of Jusant had always stuck out to me. Mountain climbing was something I always thought looked fun, but it was also something I never got into. I also have a huge fear of heights that is counterintuitive to such a hobby. Fortunately, the medium of videogames stepped in to help me with this one.
Jusant is really the ultimate indie game, making strides and taking chances where most developers would not. It's got a unique hook to it with the climbing. The controls on the Xbox controller are excellent, making it feel like you are actually doing the climbing. Every path upward felt fun to figure out and accomplish. I really didn't want it to end. The art style is perfect, being so colorful and vibrant. While it's not going for photorealism, Jusant gives a you a wide range of colors and every chapter has a different biome. The various environments make each chapter feel unique and memorable. Between it's art style and it's unique gameplay, not many games out there are like Jusant and it makes the game feel like a one of a kind experience only a small independent developer would be able to craft.
The overarching narrative of Jusant isn't overtly stated in any way, but told through letters and notes of lives previously lived. As you climb, you pick up various letters and notes scattered throughout the mountain, known as the tower, from it's prior inhabitants who have seemingly mysteriously vanished. It is indirect storytelling that demands the attention of the player and could be dismissed or ignored entirely. Specifically letters left behind by someone named Bianca present you with someone who journeyed through life seeking answers, but learned a lot of hard lessons along the way. To ignore the collectibles is a disservice, as the story in Jusant is both beautiful and tragic. Cutscenes and conch shell collectibles add to this, but they mean little without the correspondence of the former populations to round it all out and help you put the puzzle pieces together.
There isn't much to be said in the way of performance, but that is yet another positive aspect of the game. Playing the game, I never really noticed any hitches in the frame rate. Even in the games final scenes where there seems to be a lot of activity, the frame rate was solid. There were, however, a few instances where I got stuck on a weird invisible corner and could not move while standing on the ground. Wiggling the left thumbstick always got me out of this predicament and not once was I ever stuck while climbing. I did, however, have one or two instances of being unable to accurately grab a hand hold for some reason. Of all the climbing though, the number of times I ran into these issues was trivial and not once did I have to reload a save or have to stop because of bugs.
Jusant is an absolutely phenomenal game. It is a rock solid experience with a beautiful presentation and a wonderful story. Personally, I wish to tell everyone to experience it with an open mind and to just enjoy the climb.