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Julian & Friends

Julian & Friends Game Cover
88%Game Brain Score
Most mentioned positive aspects:story, gameplay
Most mentioned negative aspects:graphics, stability
88% User Score Based on 196 reviews

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PCWindows
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Julian & Friends Game Cover

About Julian & Friends

Julian & Friends is a single player puzzle game with horror and comedy themes. It was developed by JacksonGameStudios and was released on January 3, 2025. It received positive reviews from players.

Join Julian and his friends in this psychological horror experience inspired by point-n-click computer games from the early 2000s. Witness many shenanigans with characters from the infamous...

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Julian & Friends screenshot
Julian & Friends screenshot
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Reviews

88%Audience ScoreBased on 196 reviews
story16 positive mentions
graphics3 negative mentions
  • Unique psychological horror experience blending cute, nostalgic visuals with deeply unsettling and creative storytelling.
  • Engaging ARG elements with rich lore, multiple endings, and interactive puzzles that encourage exploration and replayability.
  • Effective use of fourth wall breaks and PC interaction mechanics to create immersive and genuinely scary moments.
  • Some minigames, especially Darcy's dancing minigame, are overly difficult and frustrating to complete without help.
  • The story can be confusing or fragmented, often requiring knowledge of the prequel and extensive puzzle-solving to fully understand.
  • The later parts of the game rely heavily on familiar analog horror tropes and jump scares, which some players found underwhelming or poorly executed.

  • story

    36 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    44% positive mentions, 48% neutral mentions, 8% negative mentions

    The story is praised for its intriguing, mysterious, and layered narrative that combines glitch horror, ARG elements, and meta storytelling, rewarding players who enjoy deep exploration and puzzle-solving. However, some find the plot elusive, requiring prior knowledge of a related title and significant effort to piece together, which can lead to confusion for casual players. Overall, it is celebrated for its atmosphere, scares, and unique tone, though opinions vary on its coherence and accessibility.

    • “Storyline is a 10/10 props to the devs”
    • “The contrast between the childish visuals and the darker discoveries gives the game a unique tone, one that fans of glitch horror and ARG-inspired storytelling will appreciate.”
    • “Dedicated players have gone so far as to analyze audio spectrograms, hidden files, and cryptic in-game codes to uncover secrets, and this meta-layer of storytelling adds a sense of mystery and community-driven discovery.”
    • “No story and the plotline was all over the place.”
    • “The story, even after completing the ARG, is near nonsense narrative-wise.”
    • “To try and understand the story, you have to fill in a lot of blanks, and even then, the story remains unclear to the average player.”

  • gameplay

    19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    21% positive mentions, 63% neutral mentions, 16% negative mentions

    The gameplay is generally minimal and simple, with some players appreciating its ability to build tension and support the horror atmosphere, while others find certain minigames clunky or repetitive. Despite occasional mechanical flaws, the gameplay effectively complements the game's story and emotional themes, serving more as an interactive experience than a traditional game focused on complex mechanics.

    • “It took me by surprise due to how much there was to uncover alongside how likeable the characters are, how simple the mechanics are, and how good it is as a game to pass your time or distract you for just under 4 hours.”
    • “As a fellow Clickteam developer, this game was a big surprise to me both from its visuals, gameplay, and the limits it was able to go!”
    • “Tl;dr: the gameplay is minimal, and the story isn’t focused on enough to make up for it, and it is not very scary.”
    • “While some minigames can feel unforgiving or mechanically clunky, they serve a larger purpose: they destabilize the player’s sense of comfort, echoing the game’s overall shift from innocent fun to uncanny horror.”
    • “While some of its mechanics may feel unpolished and certain minigames can be frustrating, the emotional payoff and thematic depth outweigh those bumps.”

  • graphics

    10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    20% positive mentions, 50% neutral mentions, 30% negative mentions

    The game's graphics are praised for their unique, charming, and authentic weirdcore and early 2000s aesthetic, enhanced by clever visual distortions that contribute to a distinctive glitch horror tone. While some find the bright, nostalgic visuals appealing and fitting for the game's style, a few feel certain graphic choices can disrupt immersion. Overall, the art effectively supports the game's atmosphere and storytelling, especially for fans of ARG-inspired experiences.

    • “Dev is truly someone who fully understands the weirdcore and similar cores alongside 2000s space instead of just borrowing the aesthetic without putting soul into it.”
    • “The contrast between the childish visuals and the darker discoveries gives the game a unique tone, one that fans of glitch horror and ARG-inspired storytelling will appreciate.”
    • “Worst game I ever played, sucks story, bad graphics.”
    • “The game could create a great amount of tension through invasive mechanics and tone but then it'd throw some deep fried YouTube poop style graphics that pulled me out of it more than made it scarier.”
    • “The game corrupts its own aesthetic in clever ways—backgrounds flicker, characters briefly distort, and audio clips warp into dissonant noise.”

  • humor

    9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    The humor in the game is generally praised for being funny, cute, and charming, often providing lighthearted relief amidst the psychological horror. Characters like Princess Angelica and Darcy contribute to the comedic appeal, making the experience enjoyable, especially when playing with friends. However, some players felt the humor diminished as the narrative became more cryptic and darker.

    • “There's some light, genuinely funny humor sprinkled throughout the game as well.”
    • “Princess Angelica is very funny, and Darcy is super sweet!”
    • “I loved the humor and it made me feel crazy with the horror!”

  • atmosphere

    8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    38% positive mentions, 37% neutral mentions, 25% negative mentions

    The game features a distinctive atmosphere that juxtaposes bright, cartoonish visuals with underlying dark, psychological horror elements, creating a compelling and eerie experience. While the early parts effectively build suspense and mood, some feel the latter half doesn't fully sustain this atmospheric tension. Overall, the blend of retro style and unsettling tone keeps players engaged and intrigued.

    • “The story, atmosphere, and gameplay kept me hooked.”
    • “The bright, cartoonish art creates a friendly, welcoming atmosphere that perfectly masks the darkness beneath.”
    • “Overall, Julian & Friends succeeds as a compact yet deeply atmospheric psychological horror experience disguised as a harmless adventure game.”
    • “I think this game has a lot of potential, but unfortunately, in my opinion, the second half of the game fails to live up to the atmosphere and anticipation it builds up throughout the first half.”
    • “Sometimes showing isn't as good at scaring people as atmosphere and tone.”

  • music

    7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    43% positive mentions, 57% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    The music in the game is widely praised for its upbeat, nostalgic charm and strong contributions to the retro atmosphere, with standout tracks complementing both the cheerful and creepy tones. Reviewers highlight significant improvements in the soundtrack compared to previous titles, noting its role in enhancing immersion and story progression. Overall, the music and sound design are considered standout elements that add depth and enjoyment to the experience.

    • “With bright visuals, upbeat music, and a town full of eccentric characters, the early moments feel like a charming throwback to early 2000s point-and-click titles.”
    • “I purchased the game just recently, but I still can't believe the massive improvement in this compared to 98xx: the animations, character models, and soundtrack are jaw-dropping considering how cheap they all were in the previous game; the voice acting's amazing and so are the new lore drops for the series.”
    • “The overall feel of the animation and music were fantastic.”

  • emotional

    7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    The game delivers a heartfelt and emotionally rich experience, revealing deep themes beneath its simple birthday-party premise. Despite some rough mechanics, players appreciate its wholesome tone, humor, and impactful moments that inspire reflection and personal growth.

    • “Each playthrough offers pieces of a larger puzzle, and discovering all endings reveals how much emotional weight is hidden behind the birthday-party framework.”
    • “While some of its mechanics may feel unpolished and certain minigames can be frustrating, the emotional payoff and thematic depth outweigh those bumps.”
    • “I'm now touching grass more frequently and showing more love and care to my family.”

  • stability

    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    0% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 100% negative mentions

    The game's stability is notably problematic, with frequent glitches and bugs—especially in certain minigames—leading to frustrating experiences and impeding 100% completion. However, many of these issues appear intentional, enhancing the game's theme of an unstable, mysterious world.

    • “Many of the meta aspects of the ARG straight-up did not work as intended, creating an incredibly frustrating experience full of troubleshooting.”
    • “The game is okay at best, but if you plan on completing the game 100%, it's impossible. Darcy's minigame is too buggy to complete without an error. I don't know if it's just me, but I can't complete it for the life of me.”
    • “Even small failures often lead to odd visual glitches or unexpected dialogue that subtly hints at a deeper narrative thread.”

  • monetization

    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    0% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 100% negative mentions

    The monetization is criticized for making the game feel like an advertisement for its sequel, suggesting an intrusive or overly promotional approach that may detract from the player experience.

  • replayability

    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    The game offers excellent replayability, encouraging players to explore multiple endings and discover the fates of all characters, making it highly engaging and rewarding.

    • “This game's replayability is excellent; I just want to get all the endings and see what happens to everyone in each ending. 10/10!”
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Frequently Asked Questions

Julian & Friends is a puzzle game with horror and comedy themes. Common tags for Julian & Friends include indie, psychological, psychological horror, cartoon, retro and others.

Julian & Friends is available on PC and Windows.

Julian & Friends was released on January 3, 2025.

Julian & Friends was developed by JacksonGameStudios.

Julian & Friends has received positive reviews from players. Most players liked Julian & Friends for its story but disliked it for its graphics.

Julian & Friends is a single player game.

Similar games include Amanda the Adventurer, Endacopia, At Home Alone Final, Amanda the Adventurer 2, TELEFORUM and others.