JEF

JEF

So, after playing Escape From Lavender Island, I decided to dive into the other games by Jeremy Couillard, which are basically AlienAfterLife, Fuzz Dungeon and JEF. I thought that some people might do the same, so I'm leaving this commentary here that JEF was my favourite out of the 3. Of course, none of them have the length or depth of Lavender Island because they are way smaller projects, but it's a fun time if you enjoy the very unique artstyle and psychedelic designs. JEF is an adventure game with platform elements and a very interesting narrative, the minigames are cool and the extras are pretty fun to do. I liked how it incorporated the critique to capitalism, it's an obvious satirization but effective, and how it explored depression in a relatable and clever way, always oddly funny. Technically, it is clearly bad optimized and a bit unpolished, but completely reasonable since it's one of Couillard's first games. Overall, I recommend it and the pricing is perfect for a small indie game.

It pains me to give this one a negative because I really do adore Jeremy Couillard's work so so much...but JEF not only runs terribly compared to his later titles but also just isn't as inherently compelling to me either. The messages it seeks to deliver come up at rather random moments that don't really gel well with the game, some of the sections ran so poorly that it's a wonder I managed to even complete them, and the characters aren't as fleshed out either. That last part would be something you wouldn't think is super important but both Fuzz Dungeon and especially Escape From Lavender Island feature extensive worldbuilding and a relatively consistent cast of characters who you learn more about as you progress through the game. I know it's a bizarre thing to ask of this kind of title but if a remake were to happen that ran as good as Lavender Island (which also still lagged but not to the extent that JEF does) and it expanded more on its world and messages, it'd really do it more justice. Tell me more about Timmy, what's that guys deal all about, what's with the weird areas in the maze where theres just cubes of weird stuff going on, tell me more about the JEFs themselves, the world of Skolgajar etc etc. There's so much stuff to tap into there that just is glossed over entirely and it doesn't make dealing with the poor performance worth it. Can't really recommend this one over his later works at all.

Pound for pound the best money I've spent in a while. Very immersive and satisfying storytelling. Only about 2 hours to play.

pior jogo que eu ja joguei na minha vida. perdi 2 horas zerando essa merda

What a wild ride. It's more an experience and work of art than a game. I love the graphics and sound design. It's surreal, trippy, colorful and very chaotic on the surface, but it has a lot to say about the absurdities of society and being alive these days... if you take the time to explore it. The camera movements and controls with mouse and keyboard are sometimes borderline annoying, but fortunately, the time spent in this simulation of oddities is quite short and the game mechanics are very simple, so it remains bearable.

Uh..... huh.

jef

JEF is essential. There is no other way to put it. Look, I get that this game looks easy to dismiss, but skipping this one is a mistake. It's less than an hour and half long. It's surreal, funny, thrilling, and soul affirming. This is gaming as fine dining but it's actually affordable lol.

What the Fu**