Highlights
- Xbox Game Pass is having a strong run with its lineup, including highly anticipated games like Starfield and Jusant.
- Jusant, developed by Don't Nod, stands out with its breathtaking visuals and atmospheric trailer, reminiscent of influential titles like Ico and Shadow of the Colossus.
- Jusant offers gameplay that involves platforming up a colossal tower, utilizing climbing mechanics and environmental storytelling. Hopefully, it will mark a return to form for Don't Nod.
Though 2023 has been a bit of a mixed bag overall for Xbox Game Pass, the last few months have really turned things around. Closing out the Summer months in style with Texas Chain Saw Massacre and Sea of Stars, Xbox Game Pass then pulled out all of the stops this month with the long-awaited Starfield, Lies of P, Party Animals, and Payday 3. And now, Xbox Game Pass is about to deliver yet another stellar month with its October 2023 line-up, which includes the bright and colorful Jusant.
Developed by Life is Strange studio Don't Nod, Jusant was first revealed earlier this year during Xbox's June Showcase, and it immediately stood out for its breathtaking visuals and atmospheric trailer. Though Jusant is heading to PS5 as well, Xbox and PC players are in luck, as Jusant is set to hit Xbox Game Pass on October 31.
The Gameplay Features of Xbox Game Pass' Jusant
Seemingly inspired by incredibly influential titles like Ico and Shadow of the Colossus, Jusant sees players take control of a lone wanderer as they attempt to climb one monumentally large tower. Much like its inspirations, it doesn't seem as though Jusant will put a heavy emphasis on dialogue or narrative, but instead use environmental storytelling to build the game's plot.
Jusant's moment-to-moment gameplay will see players try to make their way up this colossal tower, using climbing mechanics seemingly similar to those found in games like Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom or Immortals: Fenyx Rising, where players are required to manage a stamina meter at all times. But unlike those games, Jusant's platforming is a bit more involved, requiring players to press and hold each trigger on the controller to manually attach their character's hands to scalable parts of the environment. As players progress up the tower, they'll be presented with new biomes, and new obstacles created from relics of the ancient world that once stood there such as windmills jutting out of a cliff face.
But players won't be completely alone on their journey. A little ways into Jusant, players will come across a water being named Ballast. Ballast will reportedly help the player in a few different ways throughout their adventure, such as revealing clues about which path to take or where to go next, and using its powers of nature to move the environment and open up a new pathway for the player.
Jusant Could be a Return to Form for Don't Nod
Don't Nod has had a bit of a mixed history in the video game landscape. Founded in 2008, Don't Nod's first game, Remember Me, did a good job of putting the developer on the map. Though it certainly wasn't perfect, Remember Me showed that Don't Nod knew how to make a narrative-focused game with a strong lead protagonist, and the studio's next game would exemplify this even further. 2015's Life is Strange is the game that put Don't Nod on the map, and it's still widely considered to be one of the best narrative games of its type ever made.
But Don't Nod hasn't really lived up to the heights of Life is Strange ever since. While games like Vampyr, Tell Me Why, and the recent Harmony: The Fall of Reverie were all far from terrible games, they lacked the same energy and quality that the first Life is Strange had. But Jusant might finally be the game to put Don't Nod back on the map. With a genuinely beautiful art style, and some intuitive yet engrossing platforming mechanics, Jusant could end up being one of the best Xbox Game Pass titles of October 2023.
Jusant is set to be released on October 31, 2023 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.