If there was a type of media right in the middle of 'walking simulator' and 'actual game,' Jettomero would be it. Yet for as little as you play, you'll at least have a good experience. Given that it last about as long and only slightly more interactive than a movie, it's hard to say that you need to play it at all, but at the same time, there's so much good stuff going on that avoiding it would mean missing out on something unique and original.
[h1]Something like “Gameplay”[/h1]
One of the reasons it's so difficult to describe exactly what Jettomero is in the context of the game is that the failure state is actually really tough to get to. It's not a matter of game difficulty (or lack thereof) so much as it is that the mechanics don't lend themselves to any sort of failure. You take control of your lumbering giant robot with it's toddler-like walking style and fly from planet to planet collecting energy for your next launch and a random assortment of cosmetic items. The whole time you'll be getting attacked by the residents of each planet and the robot will speak statements of minor protest, but none of this will ever destroy you or inhibit you in any significant way. Only when you find another giant enemy on a planet will you actually encounter gameplay that you can fail at, but the combat between you and your large counterpart involves a combination of pressing on-screen button patterns and then mashing a button to win the tug-of-war with eye lasers. It takes minimal effort to win and can be done in a matter of seconds. I didn't really ever come close to losing this.
After defeating each enemy, you're then required to do a puzzle that progresses the story. The puzzle turns out to be one where you spin multiple dials that change the letters in a phrase. The goal here is to change it to the correct letters to spell out the intended phrase. Once you do this, you're treated to a a piece of the story told in a comic style that reveals part of the mystery as to what is going on. The puzzles range from acceptable to pretty frustrating, but ultimately all of the gameplay gets tiresome even in the short run time of the game.
[h1]It's all about presentation...[/h1]
It feels almost as if all of the effort that should have gone in to making Jettomero a fun game went instead in to making it a visually and musically fantastic game. The combination of a great art style and silly animations make the comic book inspired design really come to life. While your robot comically ambles around each planet or speeds through space, you can really take in the cool design and detail of the solar systems and the planets themselves. All while a soundtrack plays what is like ambrosia for the ears. Each song combines the trance-like melodies of some space games with aggressive beats that create a sound that just has to be heard to be appreciated. Aesthetically, Jettomero is one of the strongest indie games out there right now when taken as a total package.
[h1]A weird conclusion[/h1]
You're probably reading this and wondering why I'd recommend a game that has so little in the realm of “gameplay,” and I'm with you on how weird that seems, but let me finish. I'm not recommending you necessarily buy this game. I don't really feel like it was worth even the discounted price I paid for it, yet I will say that Jettomero is worth experiencing. If that means watching someone play through this relatively short game on youtube or whatever, that's probably just as fulfilling as playing it. The meat of the game is in how great everything looks, the bit of story that exists, and the amazing soundtrack. The game itself may be worth a few bucks at best, so if you can find it cheap it might be worth it, but it seems more like a design demo with a disproportionately cool soundtrack. Hopefully the developer can take this design and engine and make something more entertaining to play. I'll definitely be on the lookout for that down the line.
If you'd like to see more of my reviews, check out my curator page here: http://store.steampowered.com/curator/28346672-Endyo-Gaming/
