Jusant – Demo Impressions

Jusant

Jusant(n.): a French nautical term for a receding tide

Enjoy meditative vibes in Jusant, an action-puzzle climbing game. Scale an immeasurably tall tower and ascend to new heights alongside your watery companion. Master your climbing tools, find your way up through diverse biomes, and piece together the tower’s past

Jusant opens with an understated screen. It reads ‘Jusant(n.): a French nautical term for a receding tide’. This is followed by a wordless cutscene, setting the scene of a sprawling wasteland, a mass grave littered with the remains of sea vessels as far as the eye can see. Not a word was spoken, and it didn’t need to be.

Our protagonist appears over the horizon, seemingly not of our world, carrying what can only be presumed to be precious cargo. They approach a towering cliff, a grand spectacle so tall that it fades into the clouds above, and thus begins Jusant.

There is no shortage of wildlife, contrasting the eerie stillness of the abandoned cliff village with the bustle of nature, bringing the environment to life. But a question remains, where are the people? and that is just one question of many that I have from playing this stunning demo.

Was the receding tide expected in this clearly nautical nation, did it used to be stable, where did it go and who are we? These are things that I hope that we will find out along the way. All that we know about the world are the items surrounding us left behind by the former inhabitents, and the letters that we find along the way offering a window into a past life.

It may be clear that the world enraptured me so much that the gameplay felt secondary to me. So far it is simple and forgiving, and while that might not be up everyone’s alley, I personally find it complements the pensive tone by giving us the ability to keep pressing forward on our journey for answers.

I dont know whether the full game will deliver on the Journey or Brothers: Tale of Two Sons-esque feelings that I am getting, whether the difficulty will ramp up or whether all of my questions will be answered. But one thing that is for sure is that I am really looking forward to finding out.

Demo Length – 1 hour.

At a glance
+ Fascinating world.
+ Unique setting.
+ Stunning vistas.
+ Gets the imagination going.
+ The creatures in this world.
+ I was feeling emotions without being told to feel emotions.
+/- It isn’t difficult.
+/- I looked for secrets but I didn’t really find any. May be a dissapointing thing but it is good to know early how thoroughly you have to look into every nook and cranny.
– A little buggy.

More demo impressions here…
More from Steam Next Fest October 2023 here…

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Instagram
• YouTube