Jet Island
- September 21, 2018
- Master Indie
- 7h median play time
Get on Steam"Jet Island" is a VR-based game set in a vast open world, where players can explore and travel at extreme speeds using a hoverboard, jet thrusters, and grappling hooks. The game features giant boss fights, physics-based gameplay, and optional multiplayer. Players must defeat drones to unlock higher stats and can experience complete freedom of movement in VR. The game supports Valve Index controllers and offers four massive boss fights, with no limits to how far and fast players can fly.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- Incredible sense of scale and speed, making players feel like superheroes.
- Unique movement mechanics that combine elements of various games, providing a fun and exhilarating experience.
- Engaging boss fights that evoke feelings similar to Shadow of the Colossus, with a rewarding exploration aspect.
- Graphics are simplistic and may deter some players, resembling older gaming aesthetics.
- Occasional clipping through walls and floors at high speeds can disrupt gameplay.
- Limited content with only a few bosses and enemies, leading to a short overall experience.
- gameplay490 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 55 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The gameplay of this VR title is widely praised for its innovative and exhilarating movement mechanics, combining elements reminiscent of Spider-Man, Iron Man, and Tony Hawk. Players appreciate the fast-paced, fluid traversal and the challenge of mastering the mechanics, which provide a rewarding experience despite some graphical limitations and occasional collision issues. While the game lacks a narrative and has a simplistic design, the focus on gameplay and exploration creates an engaging environment that keeps players hooked for hours.
“The gameplay is incredible with an awesome vibe and incredible boss fights.”
“The mechanics are fun and intuitive while also having a level of challenge to master it.”
“The extremely satisfying movement mechanics and the absurdly large bosses and environments you have to traverse make for an amazing experience, and I think this is now one of my favorite VR games.”
“Only negative point I had to say during gameplay was that I had many problems with collision.”
“Spent twenty minutes trying fifty different ways to get across a pool of water and nothing worked, so it essentially ended my gameplay.”
“My main complaint with the gameplay is that it’s pretty hard to master.”
- graphics422 mentions
- 21 % positive mentions
- 64 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many players noting that they are simplistic and reminiscent of early 3D titles, often likening them to PS1 or PS2-era visuals. While some find the low-quality graphics off-putting, others appreciate the retro aesthetic and argue that the gameplay experience compensates for the visual shortcomings, creating a unique charm. Overall, the consensus suggests that while the graphics may not be impressive, they do not detract significantly from the fun and immersive gameplay.
“Not just the graphics, but the physics is the best of any VR title I have ever played, and it's just so cool to feel like every superhero out there while also supporting an incredibly talented indie developer.”
“The graphics are simple (similar to a 90's FPS game, maybe) but that only adds to the charm, and makes sure that the performance is never an issue (no stuttering or other issues for me, just pure smooth speed).”
“Don't let the graphics fool you, I promise, when you are in the game it just works and the art style makes you feel like you are really in some kind of alien cyber world or something.”
“The graphics are incredibly primitive.”
“The only true downside of this game is the graphics, which feel like a throwback to PS2.”
“I was put off by the genuinely awful graphics (I could make a much better looking game than this) but the movement is so satisfying and liberating like nothing else.”
- music141 mentions
- 39 % positive mentions
- 55 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with some players finding it atmospheric and fitting for the gameplay, particularly during boss battles, while others describe it as repetitive and lacking variety. Many users suggest enhancing the experience by playing their own music, which they feel complements the game better than the default soundtrack. Overall, while the music contributes to the ambiance, it may not be memorable enough for some players, leading to a preference for personal playlists.
“The music is good and what you can do once you get a feel for it is absolutely amazing.”
“The movement is so incredibly satisfying, the bosses are fun and rewarding to beat, the visuals are simple, maybe even low quality, yet incredibly stunning, the music is nothing short of incredible and the tools you have to work with all work together to make Jet Island one hell of an experience to learn and master.”
“I especially liked the epic music that started to play before you fight the final boss; I felt like I was flying around in some movie and got real strong Attack on Titan vibes.”
“The music is drab.”
“The music is also very weak; I don't like when games make you feel like you are in an empty void and just feels depressing, at least for me.”
“Only critique is textures could be nicer and the music is a bit repetitive.”
- story108 mentions
- 23 % positive mentions
- 64 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The game features minimal storytelling, primarily focusing on gameplay mechanics and boss battles rather than a traditional narrative. Players engage in a progression system by defeating large mechanical bosses, but many reviewers feel that the lack of a deeper story or lore is a missed opportunity. Overall, while the absence of a compelling narrative doesn't detract from the fun, it leaves players wishing for more context and character development.
“The heart and soul of Jet Island isn’t the story; however, it is the physics sandbox aspect, coupled with exploration and epic boss battles.”
“I experienced a full story - from learning the controls, to mastering movement, to defeating bigger and bigger bosses, to finally tackling the big worm that was intimidating you this whole time... it's a sort of natural progression that is achieved by having controls that offer enough depth for you to be able to continue to master them, all while going against larger and more complicated foes.”
“There is also a fun storyline where you hunt these large cyberpunk-type robot monsters that roam the map.”
“The story in this game is essentially nonexistent, and I felt like this was a bit of a missed opportunity.”
“The lack of any story or lore doesn't make the game worse per se, but I feel like it would have been better with one.”
“It's certainly no combat game; the fights are easy to cheese, and there isn't a story to speak of.”
- atmosphere62 mentions
- 71 % positive mentions
- 24 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its eerie beauty and sense of scale, reminiscent of titles like "Shadow of the Colossus." Players appreciate the combination of atmospheric music, vast environments, and engaging movement mechanics, which create an immersive experience despite some criticisms regarding graphics and occasional emptiness in the landscape. Overall, the game's unique identity and atmospheric design contribute significantly to its appeal, making it a standout in the VR genre.
“Eerie and beautiful atmosphere; you feel a sense of tragedy taking down these majestic mechanical monsters.”
“Perhaps the best feeling VR game to me, I find this game utterly awe-inspiring from the atmospheric music to the beautifully crafted boss fights and mechanics. I genuinely find this game to be a masterpiece that effortlessly blends fast motion into a VR space while somehow not inflicting nausea.”
“I was absolutely blown away by the scale and atmosphere the game presents from the very beginning.”
“I wasn't a fan of the controls and the atmosphere wasn't there for me due to the graphics.”
“I do wish the game had a more badass soundtrack and a bit more attention to detail in the landscapes; the atmosphere is pretty empty at times.”
“Something that would have made the game better for me is to improve the visuals; grass, atmospherics, and light sources would be nice to have in this game.”
- replayability48 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 58 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
Overall, the game offers high replayability due to its engaging mechanics, modifiers, and multiplayer features, despite being somewhat short. Players appreciate the sense of scale and speed, as well as the potential for future content updates to enhance replay value further. However, some reviews note that certain aspects, like boss encounters, may lack replayability, indicating a mixed experience in this area.
“Besides that, I have no problems with the game, and with the upcoming level editor, the game's replayability will skyrocket.”
“There are also modifiers you can find in the world that will change how the game plays, adding lots of replay value.”
“Criminally underrated, play this game if you like Shadow of the Colossus or large scale boss fights. Mastering the controls feels like accomplishing the best achievement of your life, and the landscape is stunning. The hidden modifications make the game replayable, and the multiplayer only adds to the replay factor.”
“It is a somewhat short experience and I can't say that it has much replay value.”
“The bosses have little replayability.”
“Little replayability.”
- optimization36 mentions
- 44 % positive mentions
- 47 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization is praised for delivering very good performance and stability, with most players experiencing smooth gameplay and minimal bugs. However, some users noted issues with collision detection at high speeds and suggested that while the graphics are simple and reminiscent of 90s games, they contribute to the game's solid performance. Despite some calls for more polish, the general consensus is that the game runs well, even on less powerful systems.
“The game is absolutely solid performance-wise.”
“Lastly, I am impressed with the performance of the game.”
“This is one of the best optimized for it, and with its simple premise, you can have such fun with this game.”
“Might be a performance trade-off or an actual bug, but when the player is moving at medium to high speeds, head-on collisions against any surface have a chance of simply not happening, making the player go straight through the wall, which can range from oddly convenient at times to really off-putting and frustrating, especially in underground areas, where going through a wall could mean leaving the map for good.”
“It's a good game but the performance isn't great (even with the 90's graphics), which causes me to get motion sick very quickly.”
“Performance: with a 1080 Ti video card and an i5-5820K processor, I was unable to run the in-game settings above 1.0 without hitching.”
- emotional31 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by players who report intense feelings ranging from exhilaration to genuine tears, with many describing it as one of the most emotionally impactful VR experiences available. While the gameplay evokes a strong sense of heroism and epic adventure, some players also note that the movement mechanics can induce feelings of sickness, complicating their overall emotional response. Overall, the game successfully elicits powerful emotions, making players feel both heroic and vulnerable.
“This will be one of the most emotional experiences in VR you will have.”
“Few games these days can get a genuine emotional reaction out of me.”
“Absolutely nails the emotional response/'hero fantasy'.”
- stability26 mentions
- 15 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 85 % negative mentions
The game is generally described as "buggy," with issues primarily related to collision detection and occasional glitches that can be exploited for gameplay advantages. While some players find these bugs to be a minor inconvenience, they do not significantly detract from the overall enjoyment, and many report that the game runs smoothly without major performance issues. Overall, it is seen as a fun and experimental experience, albeit with some stability concerns.
“The game is fun and enjoyable and now is mostly bug-free.”
“Technically, this game runs great with no stuttering (Vive Pro, 1080 Ti, AMD Ryzen 5 1600X).”
“It's like kinda buggy; you can clip through walls and sometimes the boss barriers don't visually disappear even though they're actually gone. It's not super intuitive at times, but like it's so peak, genuinely holy shit.”
“The game is ugly, the controls are hard to grasp, it's super buggy, and there is probably less than 8 hours of content (I'm at 32% after 1 hour and 30 minutes).”
“Despite this, I will admit it's quite the buggy game.”
- humor14 mentions
- 86 % positive mentions
- 14 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is highlighted by its absurd movement mechanics and the hilarious reactions they provoke, especially for new players. Reviewers find the experience thrilling and rewarding, often laughing joyfully during gameplay, despite some initial adjustment needed. Overall, the humor enhances the gameplay, making it a memorable and entertaining experience.
“So funny to put someone in this game for the first time and watch them damn near fall over once the movement starts.”
“Just played first 15 minutes, incredible, mellow vibe but completely intense experience, I was laughing with joy in places.”
“Thrilling, oddly hilarious, terrifying and hugely rewarding.”
- grinding8 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, often feeling forced into monotonous tasks rather than engaging in exploration. The linear tutorial and death penalties contribute to a sense of annoyance, making the experience feel more like a chore than enjoyable gameplay.
“I expected to be thrown into a vast open-world to explore, but instead was forced to do a boring, tedious linear tutorial.”
“Going up in this game is tedious and annoying.”
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
