Jusant, by Don’t Nod, could be the chill-out game of the year

A vast tower stands in a desert dotted with rusted husks from long-dead ships. The word “tower” doesn’t really cover it. Rectangular mountain? City-sized monolith? Vertical landscape? Whatever it is, the young hero dressed in sports gear, a cape that looks like a feather, and sporting specialized athletic clothing, marches with firm determination toward it. We’re going up.

The following is a list of all the languages that are spoken in this country. Jusant, a gorgeous, meditative, quietly gripping climbing game from French developer Don’t Nod (The Strange Life of Life). It’s coming out on PlayStation 5, Steam, and Xbox Series X later this fall, with a day-one Game Pass release. I’ve played a demo encompassing the first few hours of Jusant, and it’s already one of my favorite experiences in a brilliant year for video games.

In French, the word “jusant” refers to an ebbing tide. In the game’s world, a civilization of people once lived on that tower of rock amid a huge, swelling sea, descending with the tide to fish and forage, then scampering back up. The people left the tower when the sea dried up. Now, much later, our hero is retracing their path upward, picking through the remains of their lives, accompanied by a chirping little blob of a water creature that lives in the hero’s backpack and has resonant powers.

Artwork combines mountaineering with nautical themes to bring this mysterious race from its empty world. The sea has carved everything smooth, and the rich colors and textures are beautiful. You find notes as you climb, filling you in on the trivial moments of a society that might have been dying or being reborn as the sea withdrew — it’s hard to tell.

That’s the context, and it’s very atmospheric, especially as you turn onto a bleached cliff that faces the sun and feel the waves of heat radiating off it. The game itself is pure rock climbing: It’s you versus the wall, where every few yards is a pathing puzzle to solve. Don’t Nod has put together a wonderfully tactile suite of controls for JusantThe fluid animation of central character is a great way to enhance the experience. Left and right triggers represent your left and your right hand grips. The left stick controls your reach to your next small handhold. The climb is a seesaw motion from hand to handle, with your eye looking for the next hold. It’s so satisfying.

Gradually, Don’t Nod layers on the complications without disturbing the pure, upward trajectory of Jusant. There’s a heart-in-mouth jump you get by holding and releasing the A button. You can attach up to 3 pitons as you climb by clipping your rope onto a carabiner at the beginning of each climb. After a while, you begin to realize that pitons act as quick-save point, allowing you to be caught if you fail a jump. However, they can also provide other opportunities, including wall-running, swinging, or rappelling. This won’t be news to any actual climbers, but your rope is everything.

Image: Don’t Nod

A little further up, environmental interactions and puzzles start to appear; your cute blob companion (called Ballast) can bring plants to life, opening new paths — but on sunward surfaces these plants wither after a short time, and your stamina drains quicker, too. The game is relaxing, but there are still some surprises. The game is full of mystery. Secret, alternate paths lead to collectible clues that shed light on the strange history behind this civilization.

But it wasn’t Jusant’s secrets or its challenges that I really vibed with. It wasn’t even its simple but effective climate allegory. The very different Dorfromantik Its minimalism has cleared my head. The game has less in an year when more was often more. The only thing it gives you are a brilliantly executed set of controls and one way to move: upwards.