Jaded

About

Jaded is a single player action game. It was developed by ShellSnore Games and was released on January 24, 2025. It received overwhelmingly positive reviews from players.

Platform and fight your way through mountains and forests to accomplish your purpose as a Jade being. Slow down time using your 360-degree directional dash, and lock on to targets to strike! Fight soldiers and creatures on your quest in this gem of a game.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

96%

Audience ScoreBased on 914 reviews

gameplay136 positive mentions

stability7 negative mentions

The game features a fun and engaging platforming mechanic that keeps players entertained.
The art style and music are beautiful, creating a relaxing atmosphere.
The combat system, while simple, adds an interesting layer to the gameplay.

Controller support is lacking, with some buttons not functioning as intended.
The combat can feel repetitive and lacks depth, making it less engaging over time.
Some levels can be frustrating due to forced movement mechanics and unclear enemy attacks.

gameplay
248 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
55%
43%
2%
The gameplay of the game is widely praised for its intuitive mechanics, engaging platforming, and unique features like the dash and time-slow mechanics, which add depth to both combat and puzzle-solving. While many players appreciate the balance of challenge and accessibility, some note that certain mechanics can feel repetitive or awkward at times. Overall, the game is considered a fun and visually appealing experience, with a strong emphasis on creative level design and a satisfying gameplay loop.
- “Very nice and intuitive gameplay.”
- “Deceptively simple gameplay with a high skill ceiling and great mechanics.”
- “The gameplay is quite enjoyable, and I really like the level design.”
- “The main mechanic of slowing down time and propelling in a direction triggers with a severe delay, resulting in hundreds of deaths that are not your fault, whether combat or platforming related.”
- “Unfortunately, quite repetitive gameplay, but the art style is great.”
- “The wall-jumping feels rough, and it can be difficult to play with mouse and keyboard due to the ease of clicking off the screen with the 'aim-dash' mechanic.”
story
154 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
49%
46%
5%
The game's story is generally praised for its charm and unexpected depth, transitioning from a cute narrative to more serious themes without becoming grim. Many players found the plot engaging, with well-developed characters and surprising twists, although some criticized it for being somewhat conventional or predictable. Overall, the story enhances the gameplay experience, making it more than just a platformer, and is considered a significant highlight of the game.
- “The story is cute and charming at first, but it starts to get rather serious, but not grim; it is rather enjoyable!”
- “The story makes the game more than just jumping here and there and completing levels, and it achieves a considerable amount of seriousness.”
- “The story is absolutely beautiful.”
- “This is a Celeste 'clone' not only because it’s in the same genre, but also because it builds its story over stupid, dull, boring cookie-cutter drama that you can call from the very first screen.”
- “The plot is dull and overdone; the twists are sewn with a white thread.”
- “Combine this with a barely existing story (which is delivered really slowly), meh combat, tastefully minimalist visuals, good but a bit out-of-atmosphere music, and really under-designed boss fights, you get jaded.”
music
121 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
61%
36%
3%
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim for its vibrant and immersive compositions, enhancing the overall atmosphere and gameplay experience. Many players describe the soundtrack as exceptional, fitting well with the game's aesthetic, though some note a desire for more variety and intensity during boss encounters. Overall, the music is considered a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's charm and emotional impact.
- “The soundtrack is really good with vibrant compositions that definitely help set the mood of the level.”
- “The music is incredible, just what you'd expect from a passion project.”
- “The soundtrack was one of the game's highlights for me, it's very well done, and fits the areas of the game well.”
- “The music can be better, and I think you should be able to attack in any direction while moving.”
- “Repetitive music: while the initial music is catchy, it loops endlessly, and each level has only one track.”
- “The music in this game is dreamy and relaxing, very good, but does not really fit when I am fighting a boss I have died to 5 times.”
graphics
89 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
49%
45%
6%
The graphics of the game receive a mixed reception, with many praising the beautiful pixel art style and stunning visuals that enhance the overall experience. While some players appreciate the charming aesthetics and vibrant backgrounds, others criticize the low-resolution graphics and simplistic design, suggesting a lack of depth compared to modern standards. Overall, the visuals are often described as a highlight, contributing positively to the game's atmosphere and enjoyment.
- “The visuals are stunning, and when it comes to the music, it's some of the best I've ever heard in an indie game.”
- “The beautiful pixel graphics with breathtaking backgrounds exemplify how much love and passion were put into this project.”
- “Amazing game, cool animations, very good gameplay and mechanics, and beautiful soundtrack and visuals.”
- “It's all super low-res doodle pixels in the current year, instead of any normal graphics.”
- “This features really godawful, lazy pixel crap 'art' instead of real graphics.”
- “It's hard to say if this was because the developer didn't have the skill to do the job of creating 3D visuals, or couldn't afford to hire someone who does, but it also doesn't matter.”
emotional
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players express a range of emotional experiences, from frustration with repetitive combat to deep connections with the story and characters. The narrative is praised for its heartwarming themes of love, grief, and sacrifice, with moments that evoke strong feelings, particularly in the character arcs. Overall, the game successfully blends serious and comedic dialogue, creating a compelling emotional journey for players.
- “I cried at the ending.”
- “Cyrrus' sorrows for Cellia was quite heart-wrenching... I'm glad he was able to slowly move on from his hatred and process his grief with Rogers' (and maybe Troth's?) support.”
- “The story is nice and, while starting off slow, becomes a heartwarming story of love, grief, and sacrifice.”
stability
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Overall, the game's stability has improved significantly, with many bugs and glitches being addressed since earlier versions. While some players still report occasional stutters and minor issues, others have experienced a smooth gameplay experience with no noticeable glitches. The general sentiment indicates a positive trend towards stability as the game progresses towards its full release.
- “The many bugs that were present (many soft locks and glitches) were fixed, and levels were added.”
- “The game surprisingly stutters and freezes kind of often in level 2, from the factory area with the little robots and beyond.”
- “Still has a few glitches, but overall a great game.”
character development
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
80%
20%
Character development is highly praised, with reviewers noting its depth and emotional impact, particularly highlighting a bittersweet ending. The character design is also commended for its creativity, complementing the overall engaging gameplay and immersive world.
- “The character development is crazy, and the ending I would consider to be bittersweet.”
- “Excellent gameplay, good graphics, and world and character design.”
- “The music is just so perfect, the gameplay is so smooth and incredibly fun, the character designs look sick, and the enemies are fun to fight against.”
grinding
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
60%
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and clunky, with combat described as annoying and boring over time. Despite appreciating the unique enemy designs, many reviewers feel that the combat mechanics detract from the overall experience, making grinding feel like a chore.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “As far as the game itself goes, all the button prompts are wrong, you can't hide the cursor when playing with a controller, and combat is tedious, annoying, and boring, something I thought would have been fleshed out since playing the beta.”
- “If I had to give a criticism, it is that the combat feels tedious after a bit, at least for me.”
humor
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in this side-scrolling game is widely praised, with players finding it entertaining and reminiscent of classic titles like *Ninja Gaiden*, but with a lighter and more enjoyable tone. Many describe it as a masterpiece, highlighting its comedic elements as a standout feature, even in its beta version.
- “This is a super entertaining and funny side-scrolling game that reminds me of the old Ninja Gaiden, except not as hard and more fun!”
- “So this game is actually a masterpiece; for a game only in beta, it's just so good it's not even funny.”
- “Epic funny game”
monetization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization model is praised for offering a solid gaming experience without any microtransactions, allowing players to enjoy the game for free.
- “It's a lot of free fun, with no microtransactions—just a solid experience.”
- “The game offers a great balance between free content and optional purchases, making it enjoyable without feeling pressured to spend.”
- “I appreciate that the monetization is fair and doesn't hinder gameplay; you can enjoy everything without spending a dime.”
atmosphere
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
33%
The atmosphere of the game is described as beautiful and casual, with minimalist visuals and enjoyable music, though some find the story delivery slow and the combat lacking. Overall, it evokes a sense of charm reminiscent of titles like Celeste and Hollow Knight, with potential for deeper lore.
- “The graphics, music, and overall atmosphere is beautiful, the gameplay is fun and has a nice learning curve, and there is major potential for story/lore.”
- “Tldr: plays similarly to Celeste and Hollow Knight with a casual atmosphere, highly recommend.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
67%
Overall, the game's optimization is mixed; while controls are generally fluid and responsive, some users report performance issues, including stuttering and freezing during specific levels, particularly in the factory area.
- “The game runs smoothly, the controls are fluid and responsive.”
- “Most of them have to do with the controls, a couple with gameplay and level design, and finally at least one issue with performance.”
- “The game surprisingly stutters and freezes kind of often in level 2, from the factory area with the little robots and beyond.”
- “Most of the issues relate to the controls, with a few concerning gameplay and level design, and at least one issue with performance.”
- “The game surprisingly stutters and freezes quite often in level 2, particularly in the factory area with the little robots and beyond.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game offers limited replayability primarily through the collection of butterflies, but players express a desire for more content to enhance this aspect. Overall, while there is some incentive to replay, it may not be sufficient for those seeking extensive replay value.
- “A short story adventure with a little bit of replayability (getting all the butterflies).”
- “Add in some replay value and I'd pay a lot for a full release.”