Jusant: A Beautiful Ascent

Jusant (noun) - receding movement of the tide.

As I played through the roughly 8 hours of Jusant, I couldn't help but think of the recent hack and subsequently leaked information from Sony and Insomniac Games. It is now very clear that the studio's future is heavily staked on Marvel games and bloated budgets, and I thought about how those games contrasted so deeply with the experience I was enjoying at that moment. Jusant is a small story; a beautiful and wonderfully creative game in a time where games, by and large, seem only to be getting more bloated and less creative.

First revealed at the Xbox Showcase in June 2023, French developer Don't Nod released Jusant only four months later. The game's trailer had caught my attention among all the other titles on display at the showcase, but I had forgotten all about it before it landed in my inbox last week. Firing up my PS5 to play the game, I was immediately reminded why I had been intrigued: as an admirer of verticality in game design, this game was surely made for those with my particular proclivity toward an open sky and stuff to climb.

Jusant is a small story; a beautiful and wonderfully creative game in a time where games, by and large, seem only to be getting more bloated and less creative.

Filled with dizzying heights, meditative gameplay, and a wonderful soundtrack, Jusant quickly brings to mind Journey and Shadow of the Colossus. The game puts you in the shoes of an unnamed protagonist, a young boy journeying with just an adorable big-eyed squishy-looking animal as his companion. The only initial clue as to what is going on in the world is the title, but soon enough it becomes clear from the nautical detritus that this was once a world filled with water, changed in a cataclysmic way by the disappearance of their livelihood.

As you wander through the world, you'll find empty dwellings filled with clues, both written and environmental, that slowly unravel the story. These discoveries, found mostly in letters and diary entries, were my favorite part of the game, as the writing is so good that you come to know and care for the characters through their words and stories. These are tales of families ripped apart, people losing their purpose, and some even finding hope as they deal with the consequences of what has befallen their civilization.

Jusant's gameplay mechanics live up to its billing as an action-puzzle climbing game. The majority of the game will find you climbing up sheer rock faces, finding the best (and sometimes only) path forward. The controls take a bit of getting used to, as the triggers represent your arms, alternately letting go of one and squeezing the other to climb from one handhold to another. It reminds me of Astro's Playroom at the times when you jump into the mech suit and climb some vertical faces using the same alternating style. Rappelling is also included, as is a grip meter that can cause things to get a bit tense when it runs just as you get to the next ledge.

These discoveries, found mostly in letters and diary entries, were my favorite part of the game, as the writing is so good that you come to know and care for the characters through their words and stories.

It all feels very authentic to actual climbing, and the moments when you must swing across the rock faces and leap to the next handhold are quite exhilarating. It suits the game's calm demeanor and style that there are no crumbling ledges or even the possibility of death, but doesn't drain any of the thrill away from the experience. Even with a relatively short runtime, things could have gotten repetitive but Don't Nod did well in adding some variety to the usual climbing action. You'll need to grab onto moving creatures to ascend in some spots, and your companion can issue a small cry that causes vines and plants to become climbable objects. Toward the end, you'll have to deal with environmental factors as well, and it all works to keep the action fresh and never tedious.

Presentation is absolutely crucial in a game like this, and Don't Nod really delivered the goods in that regard. The visuals and animation are gorgeous, and the sense of scale is absolutely stunning. At nearly every point in the game, you can look around and see a breathtaking view, looking down to what was once the sea floor and staring up toward the unknown summit of the mountain. Even when you wander into a cavern, the rooms feel appropriately huge, or cramped, depending on the context, and it all just feels right. The color palette changes delightfully as you progress up the mountain, wildlife scatters at your feet, and this empty world still feels convincingly alive. Most importantly, the HUD is configurable and pleasingly minimalistic, only popping up for the occasional reminder when needed and never getting in the way of the action or visuals.

The game is completely devoid of spoken words, so sound design was another critical part of the experience, and it works just as well as the visuals. The soundtrack is one of the best of 2023, soaring with wonder at crucial moments while providing a calm background for contemplation when needed. The environmental sounds are on-point as well, the rushing wind and natural sounds serving to really put you in the moment and make you feel like you were right there on that mountaintop. Sound design, like voicework, feels like an underappreciated aspect of game design, so I always delight in finding a title that really does it right in the way Jusant does.

At nearly every point in the game, you can look around and see a breathtaking view, looking down to what was once the sea floor and staring up toward the unknown summit of the mountain.

It all adds up to make Jusant one of my favorite experiences of the past several years. I beg you not to just take my word for it though; go experience it for yourself. Just like one can't quite describe the feelings of life in a way that does them justice, so must this game be played to truly get the feeling it wants to impart upon you with its journey and emotional denouement. I promise you won't regret it, though maybe think twice if you aren't crazy about heights.

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