Jusant (2024)
Explaining the collapse of civilization in 400 words or less
Jusant (n.): a French nautical term for a receding tide.
Justant is an impressive game that manages to do so much with so little. At its core, it’s a minimalist game: there are no health bars, no user interface, no dialogue, no NPCs, no map… hell, the main character doesn’t even have a name! And yet, it sets you in a fascinating setting, with a intriguing, yet sad, story told through letters scattered around the world.
One thing’s for sure: Jusant is a game about climbing. You find yourself at the bottom of a deserted mountain, once full of life, now an empty shell of what it used to be. And without much context, you begin to climb. And climb, and climb, and climb, with no goal in sight. Along the way you’ll see shops and houses that were the homes of people long gone. Letters scattered around the world tell small stories of people who used to inhabit these areas. The story of a girl named Bianca is told through diary pages found throughout the adventure, as she was in a similar journey as the player long ago. The environment is designed to convey the feeling of emptiness in a world that used to be lush and joyful.
Gameplay is simple: the player character is able to climb using the trigger buttons representing the right and left hand. You can place pitons as a way of saving yourself from falls, as well as ropes to swing around (with some, er, interesting physics). The entire game is based on clever environmental puzzles built around using the tools at your disposal to keep climbing to the top. The game constantly presents you with new and interesting mechanics built around climbing, such as harsh winds to boost you up or big hermit crabs that move across a wall, allowing you to hold on to them to create a dynamic path to the objective.
Aaaand this is all I’m willing to say about Jusant. I think it’s best to experience it fresh. It’s a zen game that manages to immerse you in its world with its clever environmental puzzles. It tells a compelling story with a beautiful message using a unique medium. By finding old letters, you unearth a civilization full of life that existed long ago. It’s a type of story that can truly only be told through video games.