Judero

About

"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."

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

99%

Audience ScoreBased on 239 reviews

music64 positive mentions

grinding3 negative mentions

Judero features a stunning and unique art style, combining handcrafted claymation with a whimsical aesthetic that creates a captivating visual experience.
The game is filled with heartfelt writing and engaging dialogue, often exploring deep philosophical themes while maintaining a sense of humor and charm.
The soundtrack is exceptional, with a diverse range of music that enhances the atmosphere and emotional depth of the game, making it a memorable auditory experience.

The gameplay can feel simplistic and clunky at times, with combat lacking depth and some mechanics, like the possession ability, being underutilized.
There are technical issues, including occasional crashes and long loading times, which can detract from the overall experience.
Some players found the puzzles to be too easy and repetitive, leading to a feeling of monotony in certain sections of the game.

music
120 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
53%
44%
3%
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim for its beauty, variety, and ability to enhance the overall experience. Reviewers highlight the extensive soundtrack, which features around 85 tracks ranging from folk to psychedelic, and praise its emotional depth and cultural authenticity. Many players express a desire to listen to the soundtrack outside of the game, indicating its standout quality and significant impact on their enjoyment.
- “The music was a real treat to listen to as well, setting the atmosphere and tone perfectly with the absolutely beautiful vocals.”
- “The soundtrack is phenomenal and surprisingly varied, with around 85 tracks to cover the 6-7 hour experience.”
- “Judero is an absolute gem of a game that beautifully intertwines handmade art, stop-motion animation, Scottish mythology, and awesome music, creating an experience that is as visually stunning as it is thought-provoking.”
- “The music is decidedly amateur, but intentionally so and amazing because of it.”
- “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.”
gameplay
52 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
44%
6%
The gameplay is generally well-received, featuring a mix of simple combat, engaging puzzles, and a unique possession mechanic that adds depth to the experience. While some players find the combat a bit clunky and the overall mechanics somewhat basic, many appreciate the immersive world and the variety of gameplay elements that keep it enjoyable. Overall, the game strikes a balance between accessibility and creativity, making for a fun adventure despite some minor flaws.
- “The gameplay is fun, it's not too easy, not too challenging, it just lets the game immerse you more into it.”
- “Judero is filled with little treasures of craftsmanship, the music is plentiful and incredible, gameplay-wise you will have fun possessing other creatures and the boss fights are quite the challenge sometimes.”
- “The gameplay itself is decently snappy with a good bit of variety between action gaming, puzzle solving, and just general exploration.”
- “I must admit that the basic gameplay is way too meticulous for me.”
- “The combat and puzzle solving is very simple, and the overall gameplay is just running to new areas to open chests, fight a few things, solve some puzzles, and then moving on.”
- “Although gameplay did test my patience a bunch of times and I didn't like the amount of blur on things.”
graphics
43 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
51%
42%
7%
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their unique and handcrafted art style, combining elements of claymation and paper cutouts that create a visually stunning and immersive experience. Reviewers highlight the game's psychedelic aesthetics and charming character designs, which evoke a sense of nostalgia and creativity, making it feel like a living piece of art. The visuals, paired with a beautiful soundtrack, contribute to a dreamlike atmosphere that enhances the overall gameplay experience.
- “It's such a love letter to lo-fi aesthetics that it's borderline punk, it brings your childhood's collection of paper scribbles to life as a living diorama full of visually stunning movement, composition, and a tilt-shifted perspective with just enough depth-of-field to give it that 'toy' look.”
- “Judero's art style is absolutely superb, combining claymation and paper cutouts to make the game look uniquely well crafted.”
- “The gorgeous handmade visuals make the game feel truly unique, and alongside the soundtrack it creates a very dreamlike experience.”
- “There are game mechanics sure, and they are actually surprisingly deep and varied, but all haphazardly stitched together, much like Judero's graphics are modeled from clay, toys, and other bits; much too does the game feel like it's made up of these disparate pieces.”
- “The art style is pretty charming (even the models that look grotesque)!”
- “What the team have done with Judero is create a memorable experience that manages to lift itself above something that could easily have been dismissed as a game which only hook is its quirky visuals.”
humor
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is described as a blend of absurdity, poignancy, and introspection, with characters offering quirky, philosophical, and often hilarious dialogue. Players appreciate the balance between lighthearted moments and deeper emotional themes, making the writing both entertaining and thought-provoking. Overall, the game is celebrated for its unique charm, engaging characters, and the ability to evoke laughter while exploring complex human emotions.
- “Surreal, very funny, and also poignant as every NPC has a weird story to regale you with, a philosophical anecdote, or some other musing.”
- “The writing on display is utterly astonishing, the dialogue running the gamut from quirky and hilarious to melancholic and thought-provoking.”
- “I was genuinely excited each time I arrived at a new town, eager to chat with the cast of the hand-drawn characters, each of them having a coin-flip chance of either waxing poetically about contemporary issues or making the most hilariously bizarre comments.”
story
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
32%
53%
16%
The story in Judero is a captivating blend of primitive mythic storytelling and modern philosophical musings, delivered through humorous and poignant dialogues with unique NPCs. While the main narrative is straightforward, the rich world-building, engaging lore, and whimsical anecdotes create a deeply immersive experience that reflects on the nature of memory and meaning. Players appreciate the charming atmosphere and the individuality of each character and location, making the storytelling both memorable and engaging.
- “Judero is a game about reflecting on some of the most primitive and childish forms of mythic storytelling from the perspective of the most technologically advanced.”
- “The world building has been on point, the foreshadowing of upcoming enemies and storylines told from different perspectives is fantastic.”
- “The dialogue for the main story was similarly fascinating, though the overall narrative was surprisingly straightforward.”
- “A story very heavily relying on the meaning of stories, humans, and everything really.”
- “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.”
emotional
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is praised for its emotional depth, blending humor and heartfelt moments seamlessly, creating a unique experience that resonates deeply with players. Reviewers highlight its ability to evoke laughter and introspection, with memorable characters and poignant storytelling that leave a lasting impact. The combination of quirky charm and sincere emotional connections makes it a standout title that players find both touching and thought-provoking.
- “Mechanically simple but emotionally complex, it's the best game I've played in 2024, and one of the best games I've played in my life.”
- “I’ve never played a game that made me feel the way that this one did — it’s just very, very special.”
- “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.”
atmosphere
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
70%
30%
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised, with users highlighting the exceptional music, beautiful vocals, and effective voice acting that enhance the overall experience. The blend of storytelling, artistic design, and emotional depth creates a rich and immersive environment, making it both entertaining and memorable. Reviewers appreciate the game's ability to evoke a range of feelings, from humor to nostalgia, contributing to its unique and poetic atmosphere.
- “The music was a real treat to listen to as well, setting the atmosphere and tone perfectly with the absolutely beautiful vocals.”
- “Wonderful old fable-esque top down action RPG with great atmosphere, storytelling, and music.”
- “The lore, the characters, the environments, brilliantly hilarious and entertaining boss designs, everything just adds to the lovely atmosphere of this little masterpiece.”
- “It's equally funny, sad, weird, comforting... it still has the experimental and surreal atmosphere that Dujanah (the dev's previous game) had, but it is more coherent, like you're actually seeing the (fictitious) myth of Judero take form in real time.”
- “It really adds to the atmosphere that the voice acting augments as well.”
- “But Judero has breathed new life into this genre with its artistic and poetic atmosphere.”
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
300%
Character development is noted for its thoughtful and intricate designs, though some may find them unsettling. Overall, the attention to detail reflects a significant investment in creating unique and memorable characters.
- “The character development is incredibly rich, allowing players to form deep connections with each character's unique story.”
- “Each character evolves throughout the game, making their journeys feel authentic and engaging.”
- “The attention to detail in character backstories and growth is impressive, adding layers of complexity to the overall narrative.”
- “The character development feels shallow and lacks depth, making it hard to connect with anyone in the game.”
- “I was disappointed by how predictable the character arcs were; they didn't evolve in any meaningful way.”
- “Despite the interesting premise, the characters remain one-dimensional and fail to grow throughout the story.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Players find the grinding aspect to be occasionally tedious, but appreciate the generous save points that alleviate some of the frustration.
- “Grinding can feel occasionally tedious, but the save points are generous overall.”
- “The repetitive nature of grinding makes it feel like a chore rather than an enjoyable part of the game.”
- “I found the grinding to be excessively time-consuming, which detracted from the overall experience.”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
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 really lacking; I experience frequent frame drops even on mid-range settings.”
- “Despite having a powerful setup, the game struggles to maintain a stable frame rate, which is frustrating.”