Joyspring
- August 16, 2021
- Studio Heart Engine
- 1h median play time
Get on Steam
Get on itch.io StoreAscend the peak in search of the Joyspring. Explore every cavern and cave, crevasse and chasm. Hear the wind sing. Keep dashing and find the spring. And when you return, return smiling.
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PC
Windows
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Reviews
- The game features beautiful visuals, a charming aesthetic, and a captivating soundtrack that enhances the overall experience.
- Joyspring offers a challenging and rewarding gameplay experience, especially for fans of difficult platformers, with innovative mechanics that add depth to the gameplay.
- It's a free game that showcases the passion and effort of its developers, making it a worthwhile experience for those who enjoy indie platformers.
- The controls are often clunky and unresponsive, particularly with wall jumping and movement mechanics, leading to frustration during gameplay.
- The game suffers from performance issues, including lag spikes and unassigned controls, which can make it unplayable on certain platforms, especially with controllers.
- Many players feel that the game lacks originality, drawing too heavily from Celeste without offering enough unique elements to stand on its own.
- gameplay27 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 59 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game is characterized by a mix of innovative mechanics and traditional platforming elements, though it suffers from inconsistencies and a lack of fluidity, particularly with wall jumping and character movement. While some players appreciate the visuals and soundtrack, others find the mechanics overwhelming and not as polished as similar titles like Celeste. Overall, the game presents a challenging experience with potential, but it may frustrate players due to its janky controls and unclear instructions.
“I love the visuals, music, overall gameplay mechanics, and the message behind it.”
“The soundtrack is really great, the story is well thought out, and the mechanics in the game are innovative compared to other free platformer games.”
“In general, this game is a pretty nice looking platforming game with all the gameplay mechanics you would expect from the genre, but with a few extra ideas added to the formula to make it a little bit more interesting.”
“The jumping from the wall mechanic was very inconsistent on controller, or maybe I was doing it wrong the entire time.”
“It's a very mediocre Celeste ripoff even beyond that - the swapping mechanic is nothing fresh and mostly just intrudes on what would already be fairly challenging platforming, and there's no way to comfortably map all five action buttons in a way that makes them easily accessible since L2/R2 or the Xbox controller equivalents can't be mapped to on the controller either.”
“Also, wall climbing mechanics make no sense + sometimes you double jump in place instead of directionally despite holding the key down.”
- music20 mentions
- 45 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally praised for its soothing and chill qualities, enhancing the overall aesthetic and gameplay experience. However, some players feel it lacks variation, leading to moments of boredom, prompting them to play their own music instead. Overall, while the soundtrack is appreciated, it is not the primary highlight of the game, which is more recognized for its visuals and challenging mechanics.
“It's a quick play, has lovely, chill music along with beautiful backdrops, and well it's free.”
“The landscapes in the background, together with the feel of the soundtrack, re-inject some serenity after the gameplay has you tearing your hair out.”
“The soundtrack is really great, the story is well thought out, and the mechanics in the game are innovative compared to other free platformer games.”
“The music sounded like the playhouse area of Paper Mario, or it was created in a simple 16-bit program.”
“I wish the music, although soothing, had more variation to it; at times I often felt bored due to the lack of immersion. I think that if it had more exciting music and sound design, it would improve the experience.”
“It even got to the point where I would play my own music over the game rather than the music that came with it.”
- story19 mentions
- 42 % positive mentions
- 42 % neutral mentions
- 16 % negative mentions
The story of the game revolves around a young character's quest to find a mystical spring that can restore joy to a world lacking happiness. While some players appreciate the themes of perseverance and the emotional depth, others find the narrative underdeveloped and overshadowed by gameplay challenges. Overall, the story is seen as a beautiful backdrop that enhances the experience, despite some critiques regarding its simplicity and pacing.
“It's a beautiful story about perseverance, and joy being something worth fighting for.”
“The soundtrack is really great, the story is well thought out, and the mechanics in the game are innovative compared to other free platformer games.”
“Great game with an interesting storyline and fire music.”
“The story in general went nowhere, and was 'deep' for the sake of sounding like there was a message.”
“Also, the plot (however much there is of it) is honestly boring and easy to overlook.”
“Story drops are relatively spaced out though, especially as you spend real-life weeks stuck on one level.”
- graphics11 mentions
- 45 % positive mentions
- 27 % neutral mentions
- 27 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their beautiful art style and captivating visuals, which complement the soothing music and overall aesthetic. While many players appreciate the attention to detail and the game's charming design, some have noted issues with gameplay fluency and controls that can detract from the experience. Overall, the visuals contribute significantly to the game's appeal, despite some minor bugs and challenges in gameplay mechanics.
“I love the visuals, music, overall gameplay mechanics, and the message behind it.”
“The game has a beautiful art style, great story, and awesome music.”
“A 2D puzzle-like platformer with a twist and an interesting story, a simple yet captivating art style accompanied by soothing music.”
“Didn't beat, but good game graphically, just shit controls though”
“A 2D puzzle-like platformer with a twist and an interesting story, a simple yet captivating art style accompanied by soothing music, hard and frustrating at times, but when you manage to pass a level you feel joy as the weight of failing over and over lifts from your shoulders.”
“Altogether, a pretty aesthetic vibe”
- optimization3 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- -33 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has been criticized for poor performance, with users reporting significant lag and rendering issues that detract from the overall experience. Many feel that a greater focus on optimization could have improved gameplay, making it more enjoyable and aligned with its intended inspirations. Overall, the optimization is viewed as severely lacking.
“If the game was more focused on optimizations and simple gameplay, like the game it's obviously trying to follow, I would love to play that game instead of this passion project with no clear goals.”
“Performance was lackluster half the time because I figure the game is rendering the entire screen at once, so some screens were unbearable.”
“If the game was more focused on optimizations and simple gameplay like the game it's obviously trying to follow, I would love to play that game instead of this passion project with no clear goals.”
“Optimized like absolute shit though.”
- stability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game features impressive graphics and a cool soundtrack, but users report occasional bugs that affect stability. Despite these issues, many believe that with some patches, the game has the potential to become great. Overall, it is considered to be in a good state, albeit with some challenges.
“The game has a cool soundtrack and graphics, but it's definitely buggy at times. With some patchwork, I think it could be great, but for now, it's just pretty good.”
