Jett: The Far Shore Review – To Boldly Go Nowhere

“Surrounded by wonder, touched with dread” is a line from Jett: The Far Shore’s holy writings. These scriptures are the guide for Mei (the protagonist) and they seep into all aspects of the game.It is convenient enoughThis quote sums up my experience with Jett. It’s not always the best. Some narrative moments reach high points, though the title’s tedious gameplay always brought me crashing back down.

Jett’s journey begins in a land on the brink of collapse, where its inhabitants are aware that they are doomed. The adventure kicks off powerfully as I listen to my people’s mourning, knowing I won’t share their fate. I’m also burdened by their hope that my quest will save some part of civilization. The people look for religion for comfort and believe my crew’s scientific and spiritual missions across the galaxy will rescue humanity from complete annihilation. My home was not the cause of my narrative. world’s sad fateIt is, however, a great visual storyteller to fill in any gaps. The smokestacks create a choke in the sky, spreading smog across the land. Unchecked industrialization is the reason this bleak sight illustrates. In a darkly ironic way, it suggests that the factories creating your planet-escaping technology are killing those remaining, which inspires some acute survivor’s guilt.

The world’s stylized, minimalistic graphics provide a distinct and beautiful look, especially during key moments like your crew’s take-off when the horizon beautifully transitions to the stars. Jett is a retro-futuristic designer. The retro-futuristic design of Jett works well because it brings the past along with you across time and space. Chapter 0, which is a sort of prologue, contains thought-provoking imagery and stirring goodbyes. The rest of Jett, however, struggles to live up.

After making my way to “the far shore,” a place of legend described by the holy texts, my scout team’s Adventure quickly turned from being fun to becoming dangerous. Once I had been exposed to alien elements, and was touched by a mysterious presence I started to see the world. After an accident I fell asleep and had vivid dreams of a village where shadowy characters were replacing people. But the visions didn’t end when I woke up, and I began to see signals on the ground that my crewmates couldn’t. These signs allowed me to know when I was able interact with an object, for example when I made flowers bloom using my ship. Though these exposure-driven illusions lead to a series of wonderfully strange sequences, the story ultimately doesn’t go anywhere satisfying with them.

You play a large part of the game.r jettThe superpowered, two-person craft allows you to soar in the surrounding environment. The strong imagery in the game’s first section is not apparent when you fly. The pared-down art style in these sequences makes the world look like nondescript blocks of color. As a result, the characters’ reactions to the visually empty – but supposedly awe-inspiring – world are jarring. Due to the lack of landmarks in the area, it was difficult for me to determine my velocity. It made me feel more like a flying bug than an interplanetary scout travelling at high speeds.

Piloting your jett never feels good. The camera centers on the middle of the screen, not the vehicle, so simultaneously moving and looking where you’re going is awkward. Because the controls were too complicated, I was frustrated many times with delicate tasks, such as getting in the shadows to cover myself or shooting the grappled object out. You cannot fly at maximum speed, which is a frustrating limitation. You must continuously watch a meter to ensure you’re don’t go too fast for too long lest you overheat and blow out your engines.

It’s also difficult to get off the ship. Every time my character’s feet touch the ground, I feel like I’m wading through pudding. Even the interactions with the Jett’s outside characters, often filled with boring dialogue, don’t seem to be enough to offset the tiresome journey. Jett’s minor issues may not be game-breaking in themselves but they are enough to make exploration tedious, which is disappointing for a game focused on space exploration.

Jett: The Far Shore is a bright spot in narrative-heavy parts, and the visuals are often impressive. – despite starting off full of potential – it fails to fulfill its promise. Sadly, Jett’s finale, much like my time spent piloting its interstellar spacecraft, feels more unfulfilling than thought-provoking.