Jessika

61%
Game Brain Score Based on 125 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • graphics
Jessika Game Cover
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"Jessika" is a single-player mystery quiz game with a good plot and game mechanics. The game revolves around a father trying to understand the actions of his daughter, Jessika, through a series of letters and questions. Despite some bugs, "Jessika" offers a beautiful and thought-provoking story, adding to the list of games with captivating narratives from the same developer. The game's description hints at a tragic father-daughter relationship and a desire to uncover the truth behind Jessika's choices.

  • iPad
  • iPhone
  • Mac OS
  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Phone
  • Windows
  • Linux
  • Mobile Platform
  • Tablet
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

61%
Audience ScoreBased on 125 reviews
story44 positive mentions
music3 negative mentions
  • The game features a compelling and thought-provoking narrative that explores sensitive topics such as extremism and mental health.
  • The acting, particularly from the lead actress, is strong and adds depth to the character of Jessika, making her story engaging.
  • The gameplay mechanics of searching for keywords to unlock videos and documents create an immersive detective experience.
  • The story suffers from pacing issues, with an abrupt ending that leaves many plot points unresolved and can feel unsatisfying.
  • The user interface is clunky, with annoying glitches that disrupt gameplay and make it difficult to track unlocked files.
  • The translation and subtitles are poorly executed at times, leading to confusion and detracting from the overall experience.
  • story218 mentions

    The story of "Jessika" has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it poorly executed compared to its predecessor, "Her Story." Critics highlight its disjointed narrative structure, lack of depth, and unlikable protagonist, which detracts from the emotional impact of the themes it attempts to address, such as radicalization and racism. While some appreciate the game's ambition and the engaging gameplay mechanics, the overall consensus is that the story fails to deliver a coherent and satisfying experience.

    • “The story is actually not at all about suicide, but rather about one particular brand of politics.”
    • “The magnitude of the story behind this title may be difficult for some people to appreciate in this form and it is honestly not something for the weak-hearted.”
    • “From start to finish, the story pushes the envelope with the issues of gender, race, society, and just general life differences.”
    • “The story is dull and lacks substance despite its attempts to force-feed you a message.”
    • “But the fragmented and somewhat shallow story lets it down in the end.”
    • “The gameplay is flawed, the story is the poorest you can imagine, the investigation is full of dead ends, you can also forget about the acting.”
  • gameplay41 mentions

    The gameplay is characterized by a nonlinear narrative and investigative mechanics reminiscent of "Her Story," where players decrypt files and watch video clips to unravel a mystery. While some find the gameplay addictive and engaging, others criticize it for being repetitive, poorly executed, and lacking depth in storytelling. Overall, the experience is mixed, with some appreciating the core mechanics and premise, while others feel let down by the execution and narrative coherence.

    • “The gameplay, in which you are a security expert decrypting files in the hopes of solving the reasons for a suicide, is interesting.”
    • “The premise is good, the interface and gameplay is solid (if you like games like 'Her Story') the acting is decent, and the writing isn't bad.”
    • “FMV is alive and does provide a truly enjoyable experience when combined with strong gameplay; in other words, when you are not simply watching a movie.”
    • “Though it has some interesting features, the price is very steep considering the rather poorly conveyed story and the monotonous gameplay.”
    • “The gameplay is flawed, the story is the poorest you can imagine, the investigation is full of dead ends, you can also forget about the acting.”
    • “This game has terrible controls, bad mechanics, and a much worse story.”
  • graphics11 mentions

    The game's graphics options are limited, featuring only a basic slider and no resolution adjustments, which is typical for a full-motion video (FMV) title. While the aesthetic includes a glitchy, damage-themed style that intensifies throughout the story, this may be distracting for some players. Overall, the graphic content is notable but may not appeal to all audiences.

    • “The whole glitch/damage aesthetic that escalates as the story progresses was distracting, especially during my post-story completion hunt.”
    • “Admittedly, due to the graphic content of this game, it is not for everyone.”
    • “The majority of the files are short video clips, but there are also text and graphic files present.”
    • “There's no option to change the resolution and no useful graphics tweaks.”
    • “The game provides no options apart from a graphics slider with 5 non-descript settings, 4 separate volume sliders, and a language selector.”
    • “There are no graphics options but considering that the game is an FMV, this is to be expected.”
  • music8 mentions

    The music in the game has received criticism for poor audio mixing, where the music often drowns out voice dialogue, leading to frustrating gameplay experiences. Additionally, the soundtrack is described as limited and unremarkable, featuring only a few songs that are not particularly memorable. Overall, the audio experience detracts from the game's immersion.

    • “The audio mixing in this game is terrible; the voice and music are locked on the same volume control.”
    • “Where there was music, it was always too loud and drowned out the voices. However, when the voices are at an appropriate level with no music, the game is absolutely silent, even though there is ambiance playing.”
    • “The soundtrack is nothing special and is limited to just a handful of songs conveniently placed in one of your personal folders within that laptop.”
  • stability8 mentions

    Overall, the game's stability is generally solid, with no major crashes reported and minimal bugs during regular play. However, players have expressed frustration with intentional "glitches" designed to enhance the atmosphere, which can disrupt gameplay and obscure important audio, leading to mixed feelings about their effectiveness. Some users also noted minor localization issues, such as typos and inconsistencies.

    • “You will see some complaints about the intrusive and unsettling 'glitches' the game intentionally throws at the player.”
    • “The developer has previously said that the 'glitches' are supposed to be part of the atmosphere; that is just silly.”
    • “While the chat glitches were really rare, they were pretty irritating and made me restart the game the first time, since I wasn't sure how much of this was intended, as it completely broke that specific chat and wasn't really acknowledged by anyone.”
  • grinding6 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mixed experience; while some elements are easier than expected, the lack of notifications for unlocked files and a cumbersome interface can make the process feel tedious and frustrating. The lengthy interactions and sparse gameplay contribute to a sense of annoyance, particularly when searching for missing items or tags. Overall, the grinding can detract from the game's potential enjoyment.

    • “The game doesn't notify you when files you previously found but were still locked become available, and there's no easy way to see all the files you still don't have, so the game can get annoying and tedious at times.”
    • “The big problem is that the interactions and interface are very clunky and the whole process is not just tedious, but even annoying very soon into the game.”
    • “The gameplay is kinda sparse and looking for the last few tags is kinda tedious.”
  • emotional6 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its stark portrayal of psychological struggles, with strong and believable performances that evoke intense feelings. Players appreciate the depth of the narrative, which prompts discussions about complex themes like racism and personal trauma, making it a compelling emotional journey that feels both engaging and thought-provoking. Overall, it is described as a powerful emotional roller-coaster that resonates deeply with players.

    • “Nonetheless, it was interesting, and I appreciated the stark portrayal of the emotional and psychological side of the story.”
    • “The acting in German is quite good and believable, especially the sudden emotional outbursts.”
    • “It is a great three-hour emotional roller-coaster ride.”
  • atmosphere5 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is generally praised for enhancing the hacker theme and providing a spooky ambiance, though some players find certain elements, like distracting glitches and pop-ups, to be more annoying than atmospheric. Overall, while the acting and design contribute positively, the execution of some atmospheric features can detract from the experience.

    • “It just adds to the hacker atmosphere.”
    • “The acting and overall atmosphere is pretty good.”
    • “It's just there for shocking value or trying to create a spooky atmosphere.”
    • “It's just there for shock value or trying to create a spooky atmosphere.”
    • “There are times where the game will have distractions while watching a video, and while they added atmosphere to the game, sometimes it was annoying as things would pop up blocking what I was typing, and I would have to bring the terminal back again to continue.”
    • “The developer has previously said that the 'glitches' are supposed to be part of the atmosphere; that is just silly.”
  • optimization5 mentions

    The optimization of the game is hindered by poorly timed subtitles, which present a wall of text that detracts from the viewer's ability to appreciate the actress's performance, particularly for non-German speakers. However, the strong performances, especially from the main actress, are highlighted as a significant strength of the experience.

    • “A cool FMV game with an interesting story and great performance!”
    • “The performance by the main actress is also strong, something that is crucial for this kind of experience.”
    • “Really awesome performance from the actress!”
    • “The subtitles aren't timed to the individual corresponding lines—they just come out as a big wall of text—which makes it difficult to gauge the actress's performance for those who don't speak German.”
  • humor3 mentions

    The humor in the game is described as unintentional and absurd, often arising from its serious themes and cheesy execution. While the game tackles controversial subjects, the juxtaposition of its serious tone with moments of unexpected hilarity creates a unique and sometimes jarring comedic effect.

    • “This game is just funny, yet it does not want to be funny. It seems to take its subject very seriously (and the subject is very serious indeed), but this is so cheesy, weird, and wrong.”
    • “Few scenes made me laugh when they were not supposed to.”
    • “The themes raised by the creators of the game are extremely controversial, so it looks especially funny that after the game they can get aggressive discontent from different parties.”
  • replayability2 mentions

    The game is noted for its lack of replay value, yet it still offers a memorable experience that may spark interest in its subgenre.

    • “What I do know for certain is that, in spite of the lack of replay value, it was still a memorable experience that will further create interest for a subgenre that refused to go gently into the night.”
    • “- No replay value.”
  • monetization1 mentions

    The monetization of Jessika has been criticized as a cash grab, with users noting that it feels more like a mobile app than a legitimate PC game, reflecting the developers' focus on profit rather than quality.

    • “Jessika is a mobile app that's been dumped on Steam as if it were a real PC game. It's a cash grab from greedy mobile developers. Calling this a mobile app is a bit of a stretch, although it is most certainly prominent on the app stores it was designed for.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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Play time

4hMedian play time
4hAverage play time
4-4hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 1 analyzed playthroughs

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