Jusant

Jusant might start off as a fun climbing game that challenges you to climb a massive mountain, but it’ll end up turning into a journey. For those who live on music, prepare to feel things you never thought you would.

Joyful rock climbing and fascinating storytelling make this adventure, from the developer of Life is Strange, a 2023 standout.

“Jusant's creative take on climbing and a minimalistic approach to storytelling make it one of the boldest titles from Don't Nod so far.”

A gorgeous fantasy journey enlivened by some thrilling rock-climbing.

Jusant mixes rock climbing and platforming with a calm atmosphere and an interesting story. It's an unexpected, but still welcome, surprise from DON'T NOD.

Jusant is an absolute gem that rewards you for slowing down, taking stock, and exploring its breathtakingly designed world.

Don't Nod's best game since Life is Strange is a narrative climbing adventure with plenty of heart.

For as satisfying as Jusant’s core gameplay loop can be, its narrative and important message becomes lost in the background of a world's history which I otherwise wanted to be entranced by, beyond just its striking visuals.

If you’ve enjoyed stylish adventures like Rime and Journey in the past, you’ll undoubtedly enjoy Jusant. What it lacks in narrative it makes up for in environmental design: this is a world teeming with imagination and signs of life. Ultimately though, your goal here is to simply keep moving upwards. As repetitive as it can get, there’s still a sweet joy to be found in ever edging closer and closer to the top, and puzzling to find the best route to get there is enjoyable enough to keep us playing.

The high point of Jusant is definitely its well-designed climbing mechanics, which are endlessly enjoyable aside from some occasional (but minor) issues. Sadly we weren't quite as taken by the game's story, but we still wanted to reach its summit regardless. It's the kind of Game Pass title we think some fans will absolutely fall in love with, while others will bounce off it pretty quickly. In any case, it's a worthy addition to Xbox's fantastic subscription service.

Though wildly different in some ways, Don't Nod's Jusant shares a surprising amount of common ground with Death Stranding. Both games are set within the aftermath of their respective, titular disasters; they're each rather lonely adventures, perhaps even more so in the former's case; and their traversal systems are unusually physical. If you enjoyed the quiet excursions of Kojima Productions' strand game, odds are you'll also vibe with Jusant's similarly pensive progression — albeit much more vertical.

A beautiful world of exhilarating gameplay that wants no more than to burst out with originality and excitement, which is marred by a want to rush to empty platitudes without thinking of the ripple effect it has on everything else.