The Tarnishing of Juxtia

Tarnishing of Juxtia is an interesting if unoriginal entry to the genre. It’s hard to recommend over other entries, as it feels a little bareboned compared to the atmosphere of Hollowknight, the fluidity of Dead Cells or the world design of Tails of Iron, nevermind the epic expanse of Elden Ring. But if you’re looking for another challenge (or if it’s on sale) you might find something to pique your interest in its workmanlike but enjoyable combat, or the hidden depths to its world-building and narrative.

73%Game Brain Score

gameplay, story

grinding, stability

77% User Score Based on 216 reviews

Critic Score 60%Based on 2 reviews

Platforms

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About

The Tarnishing of Juxtia is a single player role playing game with fantasy, dark fantasy and violence themes. It was developed by Actual Nerds and was released on July 26, 2022. It received neutral reviews from critics and mostly positive reviews from players.

As the final creation of the Goddess, Juxtia, journey through the ruins of two divine kingdoms, overrun by the Tarnishing. Challenging combat, a hauntingly beautiful score, and a sinister narrative work in unison to make The Tarnishing of Juxtia an unforgettable 2D dark fantasy action RPG.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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77%

Audience ScoreBased on 216 reviews

gameplay27 positive mentions

grinding4 negative mentions

The game features beautiful pixel art, atmospheric visuals, and an evocative soundtrack that enhance the dark fantasy setting.
Combat is challenging, methodical, and rewarding, successfully translating Souls-like mechanics into a 2D platformer with a distinctive Energy Rush system that encourages aggression.
Boss fights are creative, varied, and memorable, providing satisfying challenges and rewarding victories.
The progression system allows for character and weapon customization with multiple stats, relics, and gifts contributing to build variety.
The world and level design, while mostly linear, are well-crafted with strong environmental storytelling and distinct thematic areas.
The game runs well technically with generally smooth performance and responsive controls, especially notable for an indie title.

Combat can feel clunky with poor hit detection, slow and uninterruptible attack animations, limited defensive options (lack of reliable blocking or parries), and awkward dodge mechanics with minimal invincibility frames causing frustration.
The pacing is hindered by frequent unskippable cutscenes including boss intros and dialogue, as well as elevator rides and lengthy death animations, which interrupt gameplay flow and can be tedious on repeated attempts.
Weapon balancing issues arise as heavier weapons are slow and often suboptimal compared to faster options; weapon upgrades are restricted by scarce materials, limiting experimentation and build diversity.
Exploration is largely linear with minimal true Metroidvania elements; environments often contain empty rooms and lack meaningful secrets or backtracking incentives.
The story and lore are underdeveloped and delivered through sparse exposition, with many NPC interactions feeling generic and some plot elements predictable or incomplete.
Technical problems such as occasional crashes, animation stuttering, and inconsistent controls further detract from the experience.

gameplay
110 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
68%
7%
The gameplay of The Tarnishing of Juxtia offers a challenging yet rewarding 2D souls-like experience, blending fluid combat, strategic use of energy rush mechanics, and diverse weapon styles. While praised for its unique mechanics, boss designs, and RPG elements, it is often criticized for clunky controls, problematic dodging, inconsistent level design, and pacing disruptions that can hamper the flow. Overall, the game appeals to fans of metroidvania and souls-lite genres but requires adaptation to its distinctive, sometimes frustrating combat systems.
- “Dodging, parrying, and conserving stamina are key to survival, yet the game introduces its own distinct mechanic through the energy rush system.”
- “The player has a lot of agency and variety in what and how to use; it's meaningful as it changes the way you play the game, both visually and mechanically.”
- “The combat features a bit of a difference in the genre though and that is that getting combos gives power and restoration properties, this encourages a more aggressive gameplay style compared to other games of its type, and it works pretty well.”
- “The dodging mechanic in this game is one of the worst I've dealt with in a 2D sidescroller, covering a short distance and having such a small iframe that you end up taking damage before or after the dodge nine times out of ten.”
- “Tl;dr - decided to make a Souls-like, cut certain mechanics without knowing why they existed in the first place, ended with something that clearly wants to be Souls-like but it's just clunky and frustrating for no reason; just a bad time.”
- “Unfortunately, I felt like I trivially one-shotted nearly every late-game boss with the exception of the true ending boss, despite basically ignoring mechanics and mashing attack.”
story
70 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
63%
4%
The story is generally described as standard and somewhat predictable for the genre, with familiar dark fantasy and "save the world" tropes. While some praise its environmental storytelling, lore depth, and engaging characters, others find it dialogue-heavy, loosely conveyed, and occasionally disruptive to gameplay flow. Overall, it serves its purpose but lacks originality or strong emotional impact for many players.
- “While the level design lacks the intricate interconnectedness of a full metroidvania, it makes up for it through strong environmental storytelling.”
- “The locations and bosses are diverse and challenging, the combat is satisfying, the story and exploration are engaging, and the visual style is gorgeous.”
- “The story is very good, the graphic quality, the animations, the music, the RPG elements... everything has been beautifully created.”
- “Story segments, which I found to be uninteresting and dialogue-heavy, along with the beginning intro, boss introductions, and various story events like activating monoliths or slowly walking to characters, disrupt the gameplay flow.”
- “I don't feel like the story is well-explained, even though there's far more exposition and explanation than something like Dark Souls or many similar style games.”
- “Plain white text with a bunch of exposition word salad while listening to the same repeated fake voiceover did not particularly make me excited for the game or care about its story.”
graphics
59 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
53%
42%
5%
The game features a stunning pixel art style that is widely praised for its detailed, atmospheric visuals, smooth animation, and unique world design. The graphics effectively complement the dark fantasy tone and contribute significantly to the game's memorable and immersive experience. While some find it basic or unremarkable beyond the art style, most agree the aesthetic is one of the game's strongest aspects.
- “Beautiful pixel graphics, beautiful locations, atmospheric music, good sounds, varied and interesting enemies, pleasant controls.”
- “The artwork is astounding for being pixel art; the animation feels like absolute butter, the music is mind-blowingly fantastic (especially during the first boss), the environments feel like you're traversing different parts of the world that intertwine based on the plot, and the combat feels great.”
- “The game’s pixel art visuals combined with ambient lighting made for some beautiful vistas, many of which I captured in screenshots.”
- “Graphics and audio are fine if you're into pixel art.”
- “It is very basic and could have more charm from the general aesthetics and art style of the game.”
- “The visuals are good, the audio is mediocre.”
music
51 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
51%
41%
8%
The music in this game is widely praised for its high quality, atmospheric compositions, and strong complement to the pixel art and overall aesthetic, particularly shining during boss fights with epic, haunting melodies. However, many reviewers note a significant drawback: the soundtrack is sparse outside of key encounters, with large portions of the game lacking music, which some feel diminishes the immersion. Overall, the music is considered a standout feature but is hampered by limited in-game use.
- “The soundtrack complements this aesthetic with haunting melodies and somber undertones, reinforcing the sensation of wandering through a fallen realm where the echoes of holiness still linger amid the ruins.”
- “The artwork is astounding for being pixel art (I mean, just look at those screenshots tbh), the animation feels like absolute butter, the music is mind blowingly fantastic (especially during the first boss might I add), the environments feel like you're traversing different parts of the world that intertwine based on the plot, and the combat feels great.”
- “The standouts are really the boss fights though, every single one I felt was very fun and unique with music that puts you in the rhythm of the fight's pace.”
- “The game is not without its flaws, however, the biggest one being the lack of music in most places, which is a real shame as the soundtrack is really good when it does play (during bosses and some arenas).”
- “No music other than boss-battle music.”
- “The environments are bland, with no background music except for bosses.”
atmosphere
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
71%
11%
18%
The game boasts a strong, immersive atmosphere characterized by beautiful pixel art, a muted yet striking color palette, and atmospheric music that enhances its dark fantasy, soulslike vibe. While some find the ambience and world design polished and compelling, a few note a decline in story and atmosphere quality as the game progresses, making it feel less expansive compared to genre classics. Overall, the atmosphere is praised for its sincerity, eerie mood, and rewarding exploration.
- “The muted color palette, punctuated by flickers of gold and crimson, creates an eerie contrast that sustains the atmosphere throughout.”
- “Despite these rough edges, the game’s craftsmanship and atmosphere shine through, making it a work of ambition and sincerity rather than imitation.”
- “The game has a lot of atmosphere, and the art style plays into it very well.”
- “The atmosphere is suitably depressing.”
- “It’s hard to recommend over other entries, as it feels a little bareboned compared to the atmosphere of Hollow Knight, the fluidity of Dead Cells, or the world design of Tails of Iron, nevermind the epic expanse of Elden Ring.”
- “Combat feels Souls-like with tight dodge timings and punish windows, and it has the atmosphere of a dying world corrupted by proud gods.”
optimization
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game is well optimized, delivering a consistent 50-60 FPS at 1080p on mid-range PC specs with rare, nearly unnoticeable frame drops. Users report smooth performance, fast loading times, and no issues such as screen tearing or input lag.
- “Performance was great with steady frames throughout and fast loading times.”
- “I've had absolutely zero performance issues, screen tears, fps drops, unresponsive inputs, etc. The game works well and seems fairly well optimized.”
- “The frame drops were rare and I would not notice them without the Steam overlay showing them to me, so the optimization is excellent.”
grinding
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Grinding is a necessary part of progression, particularly for leveling up and easing boss encounters, though bosses still require pattern recognition and strategy. However, the farming for upgrade materials is considered extremely tedious by some players, making the grinding feel more frustrating than rewarding.
- “Straight up grinding for levels and then DPS-rushing them feels like the best solution, which does not make for a good boss fight challenge.”
- “No item boost and other buff; this game has the most miserable upgrade materials farming I have ever experienced compared to others.”
- “Be prepared for some grinding.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Replayability opinions are mixed: some appreciate the game's surprising depth and boss battles for multiple playthroughs, while others find it short and shallow with limited incentive to replay compared to similar titles.
- “This game is a tight 12 to 14 hour souls-like with surprising depth, killer bosses, beautiful art and a ton of replay value.”
character development
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The character development system is classless, allowing flexible progression, and is complemented by impressive early character designs. Overall, the art, sound, and music greatly enhance the experience.
- “The character development system is classless.”
- “Some of the early character designs are really cool.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users find the humor in the game to be amusing, particularly enjoying moments like instantly defeating the last boss, though some feel that unbalanced weapon variety undercuts its overall impact.
- “It was funny to insta kill the last boss.”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is generally stable mechanically but experiences occasional glitches and input lag.
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users find the game emotionally unengaging, citing a lack of excitement in combat and frustrating navigation that feels more like a chore than an immersive experience.

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60%Critics’ scoreBased on 2 critic reviews

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5h Median play time

7h Average play time

5-11h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 3 analyzed playthroughs

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Frequently Asked Questions

The Tarnishing of Juxtia is a role playing game with fantasy, dark fantasy and violence themes.

The Tarnishing of Juxtia is available on PC, Steam Deck and Windows.

On average players spend around 7 hours playing The Tarnishing of Juxtia.

The Tarnishing of Juxtia was released on July 26, 2022.

The Tarnishing of Juxtia was developed by Actual Nerds.

The Tarnishing of Juxtia has received neutral reviews from players and neutral reviews from critics. Most players liked this game for its gameplay but disliked it for its grinding.

The Tarnishing of Juxtia is a single player game.

Similar games include The Last Faith, Moonscars, Salt and Sanctuary, Gestalt: Steam & Cinder, Vernal Edge and others.

The Tarnishing of Juxtia

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