Jusant arrives on Xbox Series X|S and PC (with Game Pass) today – a gorgeous, meditative climbing experience that sees you making your way, handhold-by-handhold, up a gigantic tower in search of answers as to what happened to this fantastical world. It’s part-Ico, part-Free Solo, but truly unique in its execution.
As you’d expect, with climbing at the centre of all this, the developers at Don’t Nod have put a lot of thought into the act of getting up the tower – this doesn’t feel quite like any other game in the way you make your way through the world. With that in mind, here are some spoiler-free tips for how to climb with confidence as you discover Jusant’s secrets.
Grasp the Basics
In most games, climbing is as simple as holding down a button and pushing your left stick in the right direction. Jusant is different. Here, you have individual control of each of your hands, which can be directed with the left stick, and can individually grab parts of the environment with a push of the left or right trigger.
Climbing, then, is a case of keeping a grip on wherever you currently are, pushing the other hand to the next grip, grabbing that, and letting go of the first. For bigger gaps, you can jump, and even double jump (effectively bouncing you off the wall in a risky manoeuvre). Once you have the rhythm, it feels amazing to scramble up near-sheer cliff faces.
Piton a Show
You begin the game with your trusty rope and carabiner – which will auto-attach to the wall each time you start a story-path climb. This means that, wherever you are, you have a tether point that should stop you from falling too far. However, you also begin with three pitons, which can be attached to the wall almost anywhere, and offer you a new tether point.
Think of these like manual checkpoints – about to make a risky jump? Attach a piton so that if you miscalculate, you aren’t sent all the way back to the start of your climb. Luckily, pitons are only consumable during a climb – when you reach the next stable piece of ground, they’ll regenerate – so don’t be shy to use them. You can even use a piton to create a tether you can purposely drop from, and use your rope to wallrun to a new position – it looks and feels spectacular.
Rest Easy
How far you can climb is governed by a stamina bar, which drains while you’re moving. Your maximum stamina also drops each time you jump – meaning the more you use your most powerful moves, the less stamina you have to work with for the rest of the climb.
To balance that, stopping at any part of a climb and clicking in the left stick will let you rest, sending your stamina bar back up to its current maximum level – if you’re struggling to reach your next goal, make sure to rest and carry on in confidence.
Take the Path Less Travelled
Jusant makes it clear where you should go by placing clear points for your carabiner to attach to. But this doesn’t mean those are your only paths. The carabiner can be attached to most walls by holding X, which opens up more paths than you’d expect – and it pays to look around.
Thankfully, you’ll have some help in that regard – you’re not alone on this journey. Accompanying you is the Ballast, a mysterious (and devastatingly cute) companion who has a connection to the tower you’re climbing. After a certain point, Ballast can use an Echo ability, showing the approximate locations of not just your next objective, but also hidden items and points of interest – using Echo can be a key way of showing you where to head off the beaten path.
As a voice-less game, the way to learn about Jusant’s strange and fascinating story is to find some of these hidden elements, and these can be found in some pretty out-of-the way locations, often providing puzzles in and of themselves. If you see a ledge that leads to a room you haven’t seen before, or a suspicious path that leads to a sheer drop, make sure to attach your carabiner and drop down for a look – you never know what you’ll find. Even if you don’t find something tangible, the views are always spectacular.
This Is Just the Start
As you continue your climb, you’ll learn new ways to make your way up the tower – I won’t spoil those here, as the game really is all about discovery, but suffice it to say that what I’ve talked about above is only the beginning of your ascent…
Jusant
DON’T NOD
$24.99
PC Game Pass
Xbox Game Pass
Jusant is a brand-new action-puzzle climbing game and a meditative journey to the top of a tall tower. Challenge yourself at your own pace, explore different paths, and unravel the secrets from a bygone civilization.
Experience climbing like never before
Master your climbing tools and watch your stamina meter to successfully navigate this mysterious and changing tower. As you go higher and hone your skills, you’ll have to figure out how best to use the tools at your disposal to get to where you want to go. Explore alternative paths to find clues about what happened here.
Relax and bask in nature
Play at your own pace. As you climb, you’ll come across breathtaking biomes full of flora and fauna, accompanied by a peaceful and atmospheric soundtrack. Brace yourself on arid, windy slopes, seek refuge in tunnels lit only by bioluminescence, and more.
Journey with a companion made of water
Meet the mysterious Ballast. This creature will help guide you throughout your journey by waking nature along your path and helping to reveal clues that will help you piece together the tower’s past and reach the top.
