[b](UPDATE, I got contact with the developer team, and they're going to try to fix the bugs I mentioned, as well as just removing the 100 Death achievement all together. While my complaints about the gameplay still stand, I feel like their quick response and genuine care to the game shouldn't go unnoticed)[/b]
[b]Jin & Jan[/b] is [i]yet another example[/i] of [b]why Steam needs a sideways thumb button[/b]; as -[i]if you're reading this via Steam[/i]- you're probably already thinking “[b]oh man, he HATES this game!![/b]”; when [i]the truth is [b]I don't. [/b] [/i] I [i]like[/i] [b]Jin & Jan[/b]. I think the premise is pretty unique, the puzzle gameplay can be decent fun, and ghost brothers Jin and Jan are pretty cute characters. [i]On the downside[/i], the game is something of a mess; full of bugs, awkward level layouts, and overall [b]just feels [i]lackluster. [/i] [/b]
[b]Do you play puzzle games for the plot?[/b] If so, then [i]sorry in advance[/i]. [b]Jin & Jan[/b]'s story is about as simple as it gets. Jin takes a selfie with the flash on and accidentally scares away his pet cat [spoiler](y'know, considering that Jin and Jan are ghosts, does that mean that the cat is dead as well??.......something to think about)[/spoiler], who then [i]runs into a portal leading to heck[/i]; and now [b]the bros must go after him!![/b]...that's it. [i]like[/i], [b]that's literally the entire plot[/b]. [spoiler](I think you had to save the world from ending, too; but that barely gets mentioned at all, and almost feels like a running joke).[/spoiler] Nothing amazing, but it's all good; because [b]you're here for the puzzles[/b], man! [b]Jin & Jan[/b]'s main gameplay hook is probably the best thing about it: Jin (the white ghost) and Jan (the black ghost) are trapped in a maze on opposite sides. Using [u]WASD[/u] controls, you move Jin around, avoiding traps, and getting him to the exit in one piece. BUT, [i]on the other side[/i], we've got Jan, who does the EXACT OPPOSITE of whatever pressed. Controlling two characters at the same time is pretty cool and leads to a lot of tricky scenarios, but [i]unfortunately[/i], the game doesn't follow the puzzle game mantra: [b]easy to learn, difficult to master.[/b] Instead, the title just throws [i]obstacle after [b]obstacle [/b] at you [/i]. Get a notebook or something, because [i]you might want to write these down[/i]. Early on, you'll face hoards of evil Jack-o'-lanterns that'll shoot arrows at you whenever you're in sight. There are also angry bats that move around in a pattern, killing you off in one hit. Some tombstones are actually traps, making you fall through the ground and die. [i]oh[/i], don't forget the angels, as they ALSO move in a pattern -[i]like the bats[/i]- but turn-based, like you. There are two types of lasers: one that'll fire every three turns, and one that'll fire every five or so seconds [i]automatically[/i]; but the lasers [b]can't[/b] go through spike traps; which will pop up and down like clockwork every turn. Watch out for those crumbling platforms, too, as once they break, [i]you can't go back[/i]. Those runes on the ground will switch Jin and Jan's places, [i]more or less[/i] reversing the controls. Got all that? [b]G o o d .[/b] Now [b]try dealing with all of those at once, [i]for like thirty levels. [/i] [/b] oh, [i]whoops[/i], forgot to mention that [b]you also have a stamina bar to keep track of[/b]. Your ghost friends can only move about twenty spaces before they collapse from exhaustion, making it so that you'll have to move with [i]pitch perfect precision[/i] if you want to beat the game. And like, [i]this isn't about the final world or anything[/i], this whole perfection mentality applies to like [b]half the game[/b]; there's [i]almost[/i] [b]no room for error[/b] even in like the [b]first ten levels[/b]. That's [b]Jin & Jan[/b]'s biggest problem: [i]it's challenging, [b]but it's not fun. [/b] [/i] It's less a battle of wits and more of a test of [b]sheer perseverance[/b], where you're basically just memorizing the right path for [i]not one[/i], but TWO characters, [b]for forty five levels[/b]...... admittedly, that [i]is[/i] a good amount for the price, though. [b]GGs[/b].
For an indie game on Steam for [i]less than five bucks[/i], [b]Jin & Jan[/b]'s production values are competent, but [i]nothing amazing[/i]. The 3D visuals are [i]simple[/i], but charming; with our little ghost buddies in particular looking pretty good, with their cute idle animations and expressions. None of the obstacles or enemy designs are anything special, but they still look nice and fit with their surroundings [spoiler](I do like how the head angel resembles Isaac a bit. that's sweet).[/spoiler] The 2D art, [i]however[/i], is what I'd like to call [b]Kids Menu Style[/b]. It looks [i]fine[/i], but it's also just [b]very [i]very basic [/i] [/b]; doing the bare minimum in terms of unique frames or poses [spoiler](also, Jin's “sad” picture still looks kinda happy not gonna lie).[/spoiler] Again, [i]it's cute[/i], but not nearly enough to be the [b]main course[/b]. The dialogue shares the same [b]Happy Meal[/b] approach; [i]all sugar, [b]no substance [/b] [/i]. There's [i]only so many times you could have Jin say[/i] [b]something totally random and silly[/b] and then [i]have Jan respond back with[/i] “[b]omg Jin! that was totally random and silly!! what a meaningful conversation! [i]what a neat story!! [/i] [/b]” without it getting as old as heck [spoiler](and like, I already said I wasn't playing for the story, but would it kill the writers to think of a different kind of joke? stop it. get some help)[/spoiler]. The music is [i]fine[/i], if not a bit generic (I do really like the Heaven theme, though); and [b]that's all I have to say about that.[/b] And [b]finally[/b], [i]how about we talk about some of those bugs?[/i] I legitimately think that the “[b]Die 100 Times[/b]” achievement is [b]impossible to get[/b]. First off, I've [i]definitely[/i] died over a hundred times throughout my playthrough, but [b]I still haven't gotten it[/b]. It's not “[b]100 Deaths in a Single Session[/b]” (meaning, if you close the game, it resets), because [i]I did that[/i], too. And it's also not “[b]100 Deaths in One Single Level[/b]”, because [b]I also did that[/b] [spoiler](I intentionally did that in a vain attempt to get the achievement. it took like half an hour)[/spoiler]; so [b]WHAT'S THE DEAL???[/b] The game also crashed on me [i]like[/i] [b]four different times[/b], all in different levels for [i]seemingly no reason[/i]; and after one of those times, when I rebooted, all the menus switched to Spanish for whatever reason. [i]Kinda odd[/i], but hey, [b]no es gran cosa[/b].
Whether you're thinking of buying it or if you're one of the people who [i]created[/i] it [spoiler](I've had some game devs respond to my reviews a few times before. it's super cool!)[/spoiler], I can't stress this enough: [b]Jin & Jan is not a bad game.[/b] I really like the dual character controls, some of the levels were pretty satisfying, and Jin and Jan themselves are endearing. [i]It's just[/i], in the sea of other puzzle games available, [i]even at the same price[/i], [b]I've played better ones; and definitely [i]more polished ones. [/i] [/b] It's a double edged sword.
