Jusant is a new climbing action puzzle game from the makers of Life is Strange and I already love it
For those who DON’T KNOW, “DON’T NOD”, creators of Life is Strange, Vampyr, and Remember Me are creating a new game called Jusant. While this action-puzzle climbing game is a departure from their narrative-centric titles, I think it will still be just as interesting, and the moment I saw it I had to tell you about it!
Jusant, a meditative climbing experience
Jusant beckons players to climb an impossibly tall tower. It’s more than just a race to the top; the journey is punctuated with diverse biomes, challenging puzzles, and a rich backdrop story. The tower stands as a colossal puzzle, with each level hiding pieces of a lost civilization’s history.
Your companion and guide, the Ballast is a watery entity that awakens the tower’s essence, revealing stories of the past and adding depth to your journey. It’s evident that while Jusant leans heavily on its climbing mechanics, the narrative remains important, and as a huge fan of games like Rime, Journey, Abzu, and Gris, this gets me excited. That, paired with the graphics, which remind me of these more personal gaming experience, and I already can’t wait to play it!
…but I gather “jusant” translates as “ebb”, the movement of the tide out to sea. And this is where Jusant’s Steam demo begins. What manner of post-apocalypse is this? It’s a dry one. The water has gone, we walk over sun-baked earth whose smoothness suggests that it was once far below the ocean, and there’s more to climb here because there’s less liquid moving around to cover it all up.
Christian Donlan, Eurogamer
Master your climbing tools
One thing I thought was really cool was the tools and techniques you’ll employ to scale the cliffs. As you climb higher, each section of the tower tests your adaptability and strategy. There’s freedom in how you approach these challenges, and there are even some really cool things like magical plants that grow up the side of the mountain, which you hold on to in order to get a boost.
There seem to also be tunnels glowing with bioluminescence, vast, open spaces battered by winds, and more and the tower itself looks to be just as much a character in this tale as the protagonist and his little friend. To add to the serene feeling of climbing, a peaceful and atmospheric soundtrack accompanies you along the way.
This game will become a staple
I’m going to say this now, and you’re going to remember it when you play – more and more games are becoming the “walking simulator of ‘x'”, following after Death Stranding and The Trail’s lead. For example, I imagine Jusant will be the climbing simulator that becomes a staple because it’s a peaceful (though likely sometimes hectic and dangerous) monotonous task you can turn your brain off to.
DON’T NOD is taking its expertise in storytelling and using it to put together a completely different type of experience, and I’m super excited to get it in hand. If I can, I’ll be sure to do a review and give you my thoughts. It’s currently planned for release on October 31, 2023, which is a month and a half away. Be sure to use the widget at the top of the article to wishlist it and show the developers some support!
