Jusant commits to the bit on a single system in a way that reminds me of 2000’s console launch titles meant to sell a peripheral control device, and I’m totally into that peak focus from a climbing game. It’s about scaling cliff faces at the bottom of a long-dry ocean with a mix of free climbing and line climbing.
There’s no special kit required here though, unlike rock climbing, though Jusant does recommend a gamepad, which I second. Most often, Jusant plants me in front of a cliff face studded with barnacles and natural rock features. I attach my line to a designated point at the bottom and begin my climb, squeezing my left or right trigger to grip a handhold while steering my other hand towards the next hold with the analogue stick. The tactile back and forth of squeezing left and right triggers for each handhold really makes the experience. Even as Jusant layers in additional abilities like double jumps and magical plants that serve as handholds, the fundamentals are a constant left right left right vertical march upwards. On longer stretches I’m encouraged to plant another piton into the rock to secure my line so I can’t fall all the way to the bottom. Occasionally the puzzle of it gets trickier, challenging me to find alternate routes around sections without handholds or plant a piton and use my line as a swing to cross horizontal space.
LAUREN MORTON
THIS MONTH Cramped her hands both in-game and out.
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PlanetofLana, TheCosmic WheelSisterhood