Finished Jusant.

I remember watching the gameplay trailer for this title on the Xbox channel on YT dot com [It’s how I make sure games coming out will be on my plastic box]. The music was powerful and the scale of the areas the player character was traversing were staggering, coupled with it being on Gamepass I knew it was the next thing I’d play after Alan Wake II.

You play as a nameless character, they are equipped with climbing gear and a squishy blue creature. Together, they scale a mountain that seems to stretch into space, from the ground you cannot see the apex. The duo is mostly silent throughout the game besides the blue creature’s squeals and the player character’s efforts while climbing. On your journey there are optional notes that tell the story of a girl named Bianca; as for yourself your only motive is: Imma scale this wall.

The gameplay is as you expect from a climbing game, you tether to fixed points on a wall and go hand-over-hand to reach new heights. At any point during your traversal you can place pitons in the cliff face, they act as temporary checkpoints that’ll catch you if you fall; additionally you can place them to initiate wall-runs or dangle yourself in the air and begin swinging to and fro. There seems to be a bit of leeway on the placement of the footholds in the walls to allow a bit more player expression, but climbing hand-only satisfies most situations. 

Though there is a limit on how much rope you have, it never proved to be an issue until the very end of the game. You do have finite stamina that drains as you climb, it can be replenished by resting for a moment but is shortened during a climb if you jump to your footholds. This hardly proved to be an issue as well, just try to plan your routes as you go.

The visuals are very stylized and familiar to many an indie game, but the work put into the environments is amazing. The small settlements tucked on, and inside, this monolithic stone are quaint and cozy; if you turn your gaze just slightly to any direction you’re greeted by either the cliff face stretching well beyond your sight, or the vast and desolate plains of sand and stone that you once stood on. 

The music is fantastic but sparse, seemingly by choice. When it arrives it is triumphant and fills you with the zeal needed to push forward and upwards, all while leaving you with a looming inquisitiveness. In its absence, what remains is the chilling quietness of a colossal, uninhabited rock formation. Only the sound of your pattering footsteps, grasping hands, and jangling equipment will accompany for most of your climb.

Jusant is $25 on Series X|S, PS5 and Steam. It took me around 10 1/2 hours to complete, I got most of the collectibles in that time. If you really like the gameplay of climbing, you may get a bit of replay value out of it by experimenting and trying to speed climb. I highly recommend if you want a more relaxing adventure that offers just a little bit of challenge to make you feel accomplished in your ascent.

It gets a 

Swing these nuts in your face Spooder Mane/10