Jusant

The player controls a lone wanderer as they climb a desolate tower, filled with the artifacts of civilizations long past. It received positive reviews from critics, but was a commercial disappointment for Don't Nod. Jusant tasks the player with climbing to the top of a tower, which is split into different biomes, each with unique traversal mechanics and challenges. As the player ascends the tower, they will find more about the civilization that resided there, and what became of them. The triggers are used in order to place a hand while climbing. By holding down a button, the player character jumps, using up a large amount of stamina in the process. Throughout the game, the player is accompanied by a companion named Ballast, which is described by the team as "a creature made entirely out of water". Several generations prior to the start of the game, the Tower was surrounded by ocean, and was settled by a large population of people that lived throughout the vertical structure, adapting by developing relatively advanced climbing gear and placing ziplines and grappling points throughout. The Tower was also home to a variety of magical creatures, including "sparks" that have an anti-gravity effect and "ballasts", flying whale-like creatures seemingly made of water. The tower experienced a devastating drought, called "the Jusant", which would eventually lead to the complete abandonment of it. Jusant was developed and published by French studio Don't Nod. I feel, in some small way, the exhaustion of the climber, because I am gripping this thing along with them". Le Monde, through its subcategory published a test of the game, praising its immersive universe and gameplay. "Jusant strives to bring out the very essence of climbing, organically, through its dangerous beauty and the intoxication of its execution". Destructoid liked Jusant's peaceful atmosphere, highlighting in particular the sound design, "Its use of silence makes it the perfect game to throw on when you’re listening to a podcast, or if you want to unwind for half an hour before bed". Game Informer felt that not enough time was spent polishing other forms of traversal, "walking can be troublesome as the character has a habit of getting stuck on even the most negligible geometry, such as small pieces of rubble, resulting in awkward jumping and spinning to break loose".