Judero
- September 16, 2024
- Talha Kaya
Get on Steam"Judero is a single-player action/adventure game set in the Scottish Borders, featuring fast-paced combat, the ability to possess enemies, and a rich world to explore with branching dialogues and mini-games. Immerse yourself in its exceptional music and handcrafted landscape, as you uncover an evil force threatening the peace of the land."
Mac OS
PC
Steam Deck
Windows
Reviews
- Judero features a unique and beautiful handcrafted art style, combining stop-motion animation with a whimsical atmosphere that immerses players in a surreal world.
- The game boasts an outstanding soundtrack that enhances the experience, with a variety of musical styles that fit the game's themes and settings perfectly.
- The writing and dialogue are rich and engaging, filled with humor and philosophical musings that add depth to the characters and the overall narrative.
- The gameplay can feel simplistic and lacks challenge, with combat being described as easy and repetitive, which may not satisfy players looking for depth in mechanics.
- Technical issues such as glitches, crashes, and camera problems have been reported, which can detract from the overall experience.
- Some players found the game to be short, with a playtime of around 5-8 hours, leaving them wanting more content and a longer adventure.
- music80 mentions
- 54 % positive mentions
- 43 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its beauty and diversity, seamlessly enhancing the atmosphere and storytelling. With a massive soundtrack featuring around 85 tracks, it ranges from folk to psychedelic, and even includes unique vocal pieces that resonate emotionally with players. Many reviewers noted that the soundtrack is not only integral to the gameplay experience but also stands out as a remarkable work of art on its own, prompting some to purchase it separately.
“The music suits the atmosphere perfectly.”
“The soundtrack is phenomenal and surprisingly varied, with around 85 tracks to cover the 6-7 hour experience.”
“The music is phenomenal and really sets the mood for these great set pieces you encounter.”
“Accompanying it is an absolutely massive soundtrack (eighty-five tracks) that is - just like the game - bold, bewildering, sometimes grating, but always beautiful.”
“The music that plays as you explore areas, solve the puzzles, and beat bosses is ethereal.”
“I'd leave the game open for the soundtrack alone.”
- gameplay33 mentions
- 52 % positive mentions
- 39 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The gameplay is generally enjoyable, featuring a mix of hack-and-slash combat, puzzles, and exploration, with a standout possession mechanic that adds depth to boss fights and puzzle-solving. While some players found the combat to be simple and occasionally lacking impact, the overall experience is enhanced by immersive world-building, unique art direction, and engaging dialogue. Despite some minor frustrations, the game successfully balances fun and accessibility, making it a captivating adventure.
“The gameplay is fun without being too simple or too complex, and there were a few puzzles baked into the boss battles that were interesting.”
“The gameplay itself is decently snappy with a good bit of variety between action gaming, puzzle solving, and just general exploration.”
“This game is full of amazingly hand-crafted world building, great characters to interact with, and fun and engaging gameplay.”
“The gameplay itself isn't very difficult or intense; it does have interesting ideas for ability unlocks, but it's sufficient.”
“Although gameplay did test my patience a bunch of times, I didn't like the amount of blur on things.”
“Nothing groundbreaking in the gameplay itself; it does alright, but you're here for the art.”
- graphics23 mentions
- 52 % positive mentions
- 35 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The game features a stunning and unique handcrafted claymation art style, complemented by quirky characters and beautiful visuals that enhance the overall experience. Players praise the striking aesthetics, charming soundtrack, and the thoughtful integration of Scottish folklore, creating an immersive and heartfelt atmosphere. The combination of artistic visuals and engaging writing makes the game feel like an interactive piece of art, leaving a lasting impression on players.
“Just beautiful all around, beautiful visuals, beautiful writing, beautiful music.. everything!”
“An absolutely phenomenal game which features a very unique and gorgeous art style paired with a really beautiful and extensive soundtrack.”
“The game feels like an interactive piece of artwork, and the fact that each asset was handmade adds to the intimate personal feel of the game.”
“The unconventional visuals are actually the obvious part--hell, any game could do that--but the real rarity here is how the chassis underneath the silly, hokey figurines is also deeply inspired.”
“The game feels like an interactive piece of artwork; the fact that each asset was handmade adds to the intimate personal feel of the game.”
“The visuals are obviously unlike anything else I've ever seen, the music is great (and period/culturally accurate/respectful!), and, man, the NPCs... the gameplay itself is structured like a smooth, simple ARPG style, but then you get into a town and chat with the folks around, and the world just gets turned on its head.”
- humor13 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is described as absurd, hilarious, and deeply integrated into its narrative, blending poignant moments with whimsical dialogue and unique character interactions. Reviewers appreciate the balance of comedy and introspection, highlighting the game's ability to evoke laughter while exploring deeper themes, all set against a backdrop of beautiful art and a captivating soundtrack. Overall, the humor is seen as a standout feature that enhances the game's charm and immersive experience.
“It's absurd, it's hilarious, it's genius and one of the most honest, passionate and personal games I've played in a while - adjectives that are sorely missing from today's gaming landscape.”
“The equal-parts hilarious and touching 'cutscenes' throughout the story immerse you in the wacky world only enough to keep you asking questions, and you are allowed your own leisure to engage with the ontological musings of its denizens at will.”
“Judero is a great game that mixes Scottish folklore with absurd humor and clay-motion art.”
- story11 mentions
- 36 % positive mentions
- 36 % neutral mentions
- 27 % negative mentions
The game's story is a captivating blend of simple yet profound themes, enriched by engaging dialogue and unique character interactions that explore memory, meaning, and human experience. Its world-building is exceptional, with lore and narratives intricately woven into the environment, making each location feel alive and significant. Overall, the storytelling is both atmospheric and thought-provoking, offering players a memorable journey through a beautifully crafted fable-like universe.
“Wonderful old fable-esque top down action RPG with great atmosphere, storytelling, and music.”
“Its story is, at its core, about a feeling that's hard to grasp and even harder to describe and, as such, just really needs to be played.”
“The dialogue for the main story was surprisingly straightforward, despite being somewhat fascinating.”
“The story at its core is very simple, but there is something very human about it, and coupled with the witty and philosophical NPC dialogues throughout the game, the experience was very unique and unforgettable.”
“Its story is, at its core, about a feeling that's hard to grasp and even harder to describe, and as such, it really needs to be played.”
- atmosphere7 mentions
- 71 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 29 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised, with users highlighting the perfect integration of music, voice acting, and artistic design that enhances the storytelling and overall experience. The fable-esque setting, combined with engaging lore and character designs, creates a memorable and immersive environment that leaves a lasting impression.
“Wonderful old fable-esque top down action RPG with great atmosphere, storytelling, and music.”
“It really adds to the atmosphere that the voice acting augments as well.”
“The lore, the characters, the environments, brilliantly hilarious and entertaining boss designs, everything just adds to the lovely atmosphere of this little masterpiece.”
“It really adds to the atmosphere that the voice acting enhances as well.”
“But Judero has breathed new life into this genre with its artistic and poetic atmosphere.”
- emotional6 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game elicits a wide range of emotions, seamlessly blending humor with poignant moments that resonate deeply with players. Its engaging cutscenes and sincere storytelling foster strong emotional connections, allowing players to experience both laughter and introspection. Overall, it strikes a balance between charm and depth, making for a memorable emotional journey.
“At times it can make you laugh out loud, but at others it's really touching.”
“The earnestness and sincerity behind it all bleeds through, and Judero has been one of those games that ended up really resonating and making an emotional connection for me.”
“The game manages to be charming, bizarre, wholesome, and funny, but also has some serious and sad introspective bits.”
- optimization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The game suffers from poor optimization, leading to occasional crashes unless players lower the texture quality, even on systems with adequate specifications like 6GB of video RAM and 16GB of system RAM.
“One 'buyer beware' point - the game has some poor optimization and occasionally crashes unless I set texture quality to low. I have 6GB video RAM and 16GB system RAM.”
“The optimization is a mess; I experience frequent frame drops even on high-end hardware.”
“Despite having a powerful setup, the game struggles to maintain a stable frame rate, making it frustrating to play.”
