I think Jusant comes very close to capturing the magic of a Fumito Ueda game but has a few frustrating flaws that hold it back from true greatness.
For a game about ascent, for the most part it the climbing feels incredible - the mechanical process is quite involved but never overwhelming.
The art direction, music, sound design is exacting - nothing too detailed or overworked feeling so drinking in the experience of climbing and wandering around this tower and the ruins is great. The world feels perfectly lived in and not over detailed.
Occasionally I found figuring out where to go a little awkward, and the journal entries ok but not that interesting. I think they are serviceable but go against the vibe of the rest of the game. I also wish that the climbing was a bit more free form at certain moments to test your skill at planning and using your rope length smartly. I would start to get excited when I thought I would have some more options but they always funneled down to 1 or 2 critical paths. That said, the final 2 chapters' climbs are really good and and really engaging. How rare is it for a game to go out on a high? I felt like the team behind this had a good grasp on the production from start to finish.
For a game about ascent, for the most part it the climbing feels incredible - the mechanical process is quite involved but never overwhelming.
The art direction, music, sound design is exacting - nothing too detailed or overworked feeling so drinking in the experience of climbing and wandering around this tower and the ruins is great. The world feels perfectly lived in and not over detailed.
Occasionally I found figuring out where to go a little awkward, and the journal entries ok but not that interesting. I think they are serviceable but go against the vibe of the rest of the game. I also wish that the climbing was a bit more free form at certain moments to test your skill at planning and using your rope length smartly. I would start to get excited when I thought I would have some more options but they always funneled down to 1 or 2 critical paths. That said, the final 2 chapters' climbs are really good and and really engaging. How rare is it for a game to go out on a high? I felt like the team behind this had a good grasp on the production from start to finish.