First things first, a whole chunk of points off for one of the most frustrating tutorials I've ever experienced.

Once you get full freedom, however, it's every single bit of Pikmin charm I hoped for. I love this series, I always have, I hopefully always will. As disappointed as I am that the later games moved away from the harsh timer of the first (as well as the loneliness), the core experience is so very satisfying, and this game is just polished as you can always expect from Nintendo.

My only other gripes are that it feels a bit overstuffed with some bits of content (though, one is my favorite thing they've thrown in in a while!), and the game is clearly designed around splitting your attention between yourself and Oatchi, which I've always found more stressful and less fun than only having Olimar to control.

But by and large, this is exactly what I wanted: more Pikmin, fun areas to explore, treasures that make me smile, and a gorgeous, charming, complete experience. The first credits scene caught me offguard with how early I hit it, but my final play time, completing all tasks, came in at 40 hours, which I was more than happy with.

Man, Journey was a phenomenal game, wasn't it?

This one's on me, I went in with expectations that'd it'd be something else, much more mechanically or puzzle driven. As it stands, Jusant is charming, gorgeous (both visually and aurally), evocative, mysterious, and relaxing. The story does
unfortunately hit that uncomfortable middle ground where there's too much (well crafted!) detail around the edges for how slight the core of it is.

All in all, I was just left wanting a bit more substance, but the style is very well executed. In a game about climbing, it's a real sin that the question was never "What path should I take?" It was always "Oh, is it really that straightforward?"

Finished in one session, about five hours, getting the majority of collectibles/secrets, but not exactly dallying.