Ah yes, the bros, the memes, the legends, it's Jack Bros for the Virtual GOAT everyone! As I'm sure you all know, Jack Bros is a spin-off entry into the much discussed (and contentious) Megami Tensei franchise, known for titles such as SMT Nocturne, Soul Hackers and probably some dumb game that rhymes with "corona", I forgot what it's called. Put next to its peers with their convoluted plots and oppressive atmosphere, it truly sticks out like a sore thumb. It's cutesy and family friendly in art direction and tone for one, but perhaps even more shockingly, it's not even a JRPG at all. Instead it's, a little bizarrely, an arcade styled top down twin stick shooter with extremely light puzzle elements. To say it's a departure from its source material is an understatement. However, ultimately it was the oddity of its existence that caught my attention.

It's worth mentioning that Jack Bros is often (jokingly) praised as the greatest game ever conceived by Megaten fans, which is undoubtedly what catapulted it out of obscurity. On one hand, I find it heartwarming that a community as contaminated with toxicity and infighting as Megaten can come together to agree that this one weird 30 year old spin-off on a failed console is the absolute tits. But on the other, the hype built around it is BONKERS. People go bananas over this game, you'd think it's the second coming of sliced bread if you just took their word for it. It couldn't possibly live up to the excessive memeing that accompanies it. Right?

... I mean, yeah, kinda. Though I'd still argue it's a very decent little game that's worth checking out! Its drawbacks may end up being deal breakers to some, but overall I believe it's an unique experience which can't help but stick with you in some way.

To start, I find the story strangely compelling despite its simplicity. It's Halloween night, and depending on which character you choose, either Jack Frost, Jack Lantern or Jack Skelton is on his yearly visit to the human world to cause playful mischief. However, disaster strikes as Jack loses track of time and has only an hour left before the portal back to the fairy world closes at midnight. Should he fail to return, he'll be deprived of his magical powers and eventually vanish. Luckily, the protagonist is soon joined by Pixie, who lives in the human realm and knows a way back home, although it is brimming with danger. Regardless, they brave through the game's 6 levels before reaching their goal. Each playable character has their own ending which I won't spoil because they're best experienced by yourself, and also because I'm lazy!

Overall, Jack Bros may not be a JRPG with dozens of hours worth of plot exploring elaborate philosophical themes that present the players with a more nuanced outlook on life and its many facets, but I mean, it's almost as good. Like, Jack only has one in-universe hour to complete his journey, and that's just about the time it takes to beat the actual game, isn't that cute???

Anyways, yeah, it's actually a rather short title. As stated, it has 6 levels broken down into rooms, with each level containing more rooms than the previous. In total, there are 60 rooms, just like how the are 60 minutes in an hour. I'm telling you the devs were geniuses!! And as it turns out, time plays just as much of a role in the gameplay as it does in the story. Curiously, Jack Bros does not feature a health meter, but rather a time limit. If you're hit by an enemy or hazard, you lose some seconds off the timer, with stronger foes depleting more of them. You can find items to increase your time at various spots throughout the stages, and should your time run out, you're forced to restart the level you were in. It's a neat system that keeps a sense of urgency going throughout the journey and helps set the game apart.

About the gameplay itself, I think it's solid, if a tad repetitive. Each room is a maze-like obstacle course filled with enemies, hazards, power ups and often keys to progress to the next room below. Your Jack of choice can move in 4 directions as well as attack in those same directions independently, so you can move to the left while you shoot to the right, for example. It feels surprisingly natural and fun to control. They also each get their own special attack that can be used after collecting stars scattered throughout the rooms, which are helpful against bosses and enemy packed locations. As you progress through the game, new foes and obstacles are introduced, and soon are mixed and matched in more challenging scenarios. It's a smooth difficult curve for the most part and goes a long way in cutting down the monotony, even if ultimately all you're doing is just room to room key collecting with the rare easy puzzle, periodically broken up by boss fights at the end of each level.

And speaking of bosses, they're a mixed bag to say the least. The first two are easy enough and serve as a good introduction, but it starts getting annoying with the vampire in the third level who keeps disappearing and materializing bats while you have to deal with weird alternating conveyor belts. The boss after is my least favorite however, it's a BITCH spider that keeps shooting freezing projectiles and whose only weak spot is its single eye that gets constantly blocked by its unsexy legs, fuck her. The last two bosses aren't much better either with their overwhelming attacks and long health bars, but maybe I'm just bad!! Special attack spam becomes almost a necessity if you don't have a stockpile of seconds to spare. However, it's important to mention your experience will vary drastically depending on your character.

My homeboy Jack Frost is the worst off sadly, as despite his fast ground mobility and high fire rate, his weak projectiles don't do much against bosses or even stronger foes with their invincibility frames. Jack Skelton is more or less the polar opposite, with a devastating attack in the form of his knife which has pitifully short range. He shreds through bosses, but having to be up close to them and risk taking hits can be frustrating. My suggested pick is Jack Lantern, with his strong projectiles being balanced out by his slightly slower fire rate and ground mobility. Perfect for beginners or if you just want a chill time. He's also the most seasonally appropriate of the three, so go figure!

Oh, and then there's Pixie, who is playable via cheats. She can only fire a single projectile at a time, however it is the strongest of the bunch. Playing as her also gives you the benefit of not having to read through her unnecessary tutorial dialogue that pops up at the beginning of several rooms... yeah, it's one of the game's biggest flaws in my eyes and you just have to deal with it while playing as any of the Jacks. At the very least they're mostly relegated to the first few levels and can be fast forwarded by holding the special attack button.

Switching gears a bit, I wanna talk about the aesthetics. The Virtual Boy isn't known for great graphics, in fact it's all red and black and an assault on your eyes. But if you can look past that little detail, Jack Bros looks pretty good, yeah! The sprite art is charming and lovingly made, about what you'd expect from a good game of its day, except with dreadful coloration. I'm not a huge fan of monochromatic games visually, but I believe the artists behind Jack Bros did fairly well with the hardware, and as much as I wish it could've been rendered with a superior color palette, the fact that the game was a Virtual Boy exclusive of all things is still an important part of its strange legacy, admittedly.

Finally, I also HAVE to mention the music, because I don't believe it gets enough credit in Jack Bros discourse. It's an interesting example of how music can improve the immersion and enjoyment of a game, at least to me personally. I think my appreciation for it comes in part thanks to the Virtual Boy's weird custom sound chip. It sounds distinct from any other chiptune music I've heard and Jack Bros takes full advantage of it. It's hard to describe, but there's this nostalgic mystique that permeates the whole soundtrack, as if it gave you vague memories of playing the game in your childhood... in a childhood fever dream, but still.

The compositions themselves are what really steal the show, though. Levels 1 and 2 have very cheery and playful themes, perfect for what are essentially tutorial stages. It's only the start, there's no reason not to be optimistic, is there? Level 3 starts to pick up with a serene and wondrous song. You're getting out of your comfort zone and your sense of awe is front and center. Maybe things can go south, but now's not quite the time to worry. Level 4 then takes a leap by sounding very foreboding and urgent, with a hint of suspense for what's to come. This is where the doubt and anxiety begin to set in, but you do your best not to dwell on it. After that, level 5, my favorite of the OST, sounds determined, courageous and hopeful. You're getting the hang of things, the upcoming hurdles are fierce, yet you know you can make it. The end of the tunnel is nigh, and feelings of eagerness and anticipation take over you. Finally, level 6 is just straight up menacing. This last stretch won't pull any punches, but you're willing to brave through it anyway. You've come this far and there is no turning back. You feel fear, yet it doesn't faze you.

In the absence of storytelling during a game's campaign, I find that the soundtrack can offer an insight on the emotions going through the character's mind at each step of the adventure, and Jack Bros does that in a way I find very gripping. Its level themes tell a simple story all on their own. Music is a fascinating tool in game design and I'll die on the hill that it can improve the overall experience and... uhhh fuck, I spent three paragraphs on this, I should just become a VGM reviewer, shouldn't I?

Anyway. To wrap things up, I believe Jack Bros is a decent game, but even above that, it's a game with a strong sense of identity. It's such an anomaly in every sense, from its place in its franchise, to its genre, to its mechanics and even to the very hardware it was released on, that it's hard to forget.

I'm not oblivious to its flaws, it's extremely short, somewhat repetitive and lacking in much substance, the handholding by Pixie is excessive, the bosses aren't very good, the characters are weirdly balanced and its graphics can probably give someone an aneurysm (even tho they're well made :)). But if you look at it for what it is, a quick arcade like title that's bursting with charm from its quirky mechanics, captivating music, cute story and loveable portrayals of the funni SMT creechurs, it's really not half bad. I recommend at least giving it a shot if you like fun curiosities like this.

We don't typically celebrate Halloween in my country, but I've made it a tradition to play Jack Bros every October 31st at 11pm and that hasn't been broken in the 3 years since I've started. It's just a dumb little thing, but it goes to show how endeared I was by it. It's a neat, one of a kind experience, and sometimes that's all I really want.

Now before I go, I'd like to personally thank Mr. Jack Atlus for finally making a good game and giving us Jack "Peak Fiction" Bros, my Pacman hat goes off to you sir. And kids, before you try playing your Purse Owners (just remembered what it was called!), don't forget that the Holy Jack Trinity is always watching and they're not happy with your life decisions. Go play a real SMT game. You know which one ;)

Long live Jack Bros, the best decent game ever made!