Judero

Judero is Nier Automata made out of clay and with a scotsman's legs instead of a robot's ass.

I am not entirely sure what I just played. Judero is a very weird game; one that defies the common rules of game design so much that it makes it nearly inscrutable. On the surface, it’s a top-down/third-person hybrid action game where you walk around talking to townspeople, slaying beasts and witnessing the story of our hero [i]Judero[/i]. That description doesn’t quite cut it though. You see, Judero is an extremely abstract game. Most of the time I had no clear idea about what was going on. The plot itself is not really there. There’s not really a logical sequence of events, at least not in the traditional way. A lot is up to interpretation on the side of the player and it is up to you to make sense of Judero’s somewhat ludicrous journey. The audiovisual presentation of Judero is truly unique. There simply is no other game that looks and sounds like this, nor do I think there will ever be. The Claymation aesthetic mixed with stop-motion animation creates a visual identity that stands on its own. The voice-acting, sound-effects and deeply melodic music compositions fit the strange vibe of the game perfectly. Everything looks meticulously hand-crafted; everything carries the distinct signature of the creators. It’s grotesque and weird and deliberate in its ugliness and I have nothing but respect for these bold creative choices. Since this is a narrative-focused game first and foremost, there is a lot of dialogue and a lot to read for the player. As I said, Judero defies traditional storytelling. You have a vague idea about what’s going on but most of the writing isn’t really concerned with the main story or specific events in the game world. Instead, you can converse with this game’s various inhabitants and they will talk about philosophical concepts and most importantly, about stories, myths and folklore. You learn a lot about Scottish tales and legends but you also discuss the meaning of storytelling itself; how certain stories came to be and evolved into different stories and how certain archetypes were established. The game recognizes specific patterns in storytelling and draws connections from ancient myth to modern stories that you find in all narrative media. So, ultimately, it’s more a game [i]about[/i] stories but not much of a story itself. Perhaps that’s what made it so difficult for me to feel any kind of real connection to the protagonist and his fate. I found it somewhat intellectually stimulating to ruminate about the things the game talks about but I was still sort-of let-down by its own story. Not only do you learn about supernatural creatures from the realm of Scottish legend, you also fight them. You inhabit the bodies of lesser beings and use their special abilities to progress, to solve puzzles and deal with enemies. Combat itself is pretty terrible; there is no better way to put it. Hit boxes are a complete mess and even though every boss fight plays differently and comes with its own neat ideas, it all feels very clunky and random. I don’t consider this a huge problem as the combat really isn’t the focus here but it can still lead to frustrating moments. I don’t regret playing this game but I can’t help but feel that others found something here that I fail to see; a deeper meaning that eludes me. I still found myself entertained by the game’s philosophical considerations and I couldn’t stop playing for the simple reason that I wanted to see more of this bizarre world. Part of my excitement with the game also came from its humor which is so random at times that I had a hard time making sense of what was going on. When you are at sea and all of a sudden, your weird monkey companion starts reciting a rather melancholy poem, how are you supposed to feel anything but delighted by all the strangeness? There are so many scenes like this and you never know what to expect. Judero exudes true creative passion and love. Developed by mainly two people, you can see that there is a clear vision here. It is a game that nobody in the traditional games industry would fund. It’s art in its purest form and I am so grateful that a game like this exists. Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean that the experience is flawless. I cannot overlook the messy combat and I did encounter a couple of bugs too. There was a section that I had to repeat three times because the game didn’t function properly and that led to one of the most monotonous experiences I had in quite a while. Still, if you have a thing for experimental indie games both in presentation and writing, give this one a chance. It may be somewhat abstract and seemingly random at times but it has a heart, good humor and discusses interesting concepts in thought-provoking ways.