Judero Review (Paster of Muppets)
There are few games where you can see the hand of the author quite like Judero. This is a hack and slash game in the vein of the Zelda series with a bit of Dark Souls thrown in, along with plenty of its own, unique spin on things. You play as Judero, a wandering folk hero who sets off on a quest to solve the mystery behind the growing strife plaguing Scotland and, if possible, put a stop to it and save the land.
The most obvious and striking aspect of the game are its visuals. The game is (almost) entirely done in claymation. And not a pseudo-claymation you sometimes see, I mean 100% real claymation. There’s even a short video in the extra’s of the game which shows how the creator made the models used in the game, which I would highly recommend watching. And I truly mean that every art asset in the game is hand made, including the ground textures. In addition, the game occasionally dips into other art styles, most notably becoming hand drawn paper sketches when inside village buildings. This commitment to the craft is worthy of praise by itself. Is the game “beautiful” in the traditional sense? No, not at all. Is it “beautiful” in an artistic sense? Absolutely.
Aside from the graphics, the music is also a stand-out. It’s primarily an acoustic soundtrack, with the occasional synth, and is frequently accompanied by beautiful vocals. It creates a rustic, folk feel which compliments the games’ style excellently. The game also as a LOT of music, each area has its own unique piece of music which you will never hear anywhere else, including all the various building interiors you can enter. Clearly a lot of work went into getting the music right. I also really liked the rest of the sound design, which continues the hand-made feel of the game (my favourite has to be the sounds made by the one human enemy of the game, the Men from Carlisle, who simply yet constantly repeat “Carlisle” in an exaggerated accent).
Gameplay wise, you mostly travel the lands, fighting enemies and talking to other characters. You fight with a typical 1-2-3 combo and an i-frame granting sprint (bringing to mind Dark Souls’ dodging), and can purchase new moves as your quest continues. You also have access to the ability to possess enemies and use them to solve puzzles or help weaken other enemies. I didn’t use the possession ability much, and it does not become important until the end of Act 3 anyway. I’m sure some people would use it more than I did, but it’s more of a neat gimmick than a gameplay pillar. While I stand by my previous praise of the visuals, it did get a bit difficult to tell what was going on with all the figures on screen being clay models, especially enemy attack animations and hitboxes. I often needed to count the seconds to safely attack, rather than looking at the screen to tell when an attack was imminent. There are also several bosses, and these are all quite creative and none felt like a lazy repeat of a previous boss. Outside of combat, you are mostly exploring the wilderness or towns. The wilderness is where you will find combat, but also treasure to earn both extra money and health, as well as bestiary pages to learn more about the folklore background to the various fantastical creatures you meet.
What stuck the most out to me wasn’t the combat, but the conversations with the various characters in the towns. Each act has a hub town at its centre, where you can talk with people. The conversations you can find are a mixed bag, but not in terms of the quality of writing, which is universally excellent. Instead, you never know whether you will find an irreverent, humorous conversation, or one that is deeply profound. It is hippie dialogue at its best, discussing the nature of life, death, love, loss, our connection to one another, the absurdity of life, and finding meaning within that absurdity. You are guaranteed to find at least one conversation that will stick with you long after the game is finished, and it will most likely be completely different from someone else. Whether silly or serious, the writing in Judero is just as important to its identity as its visuals. The ending is also quite something, it is well worth seeing this journey to its conclusion.
Judero is a fantastic game that more than makes up for its merely good gameplay with fantastic visuals, music and writing. It was a treat to experience and I look forward to what the developer has in store next.