Jett: The Far Shore - Final Impressions

There aren't many games that truly leave me uncertain these days. Whether a title is remarkable or the polar opposite, I usually have plenty to say about it, but Jett: The Far Shore, by Superbrothers (previously known for 2011's Sword and Sorcery) has left me pretty bewildered.

Set to release in around six weeks, on October 5 to be exact, this unusual game follows Mei, an explorer whose duty it is to take to the stars to scout out a new hospitable planet for her people, who are facing oblivion on their own world. Landing on an ocean planet, Mei commands a Jett, a vehicle designed to skim the waves at speeds, analysing and collecting data and information on the unusual life forms that call the planet home. Using the Jett, you, as Mei, have to traverse this unfamiliar world to determine if it holds a future for your people.

Jett: The Far Shores is a very unusual game. The world is impressive, broad, and features a lot of depth in its visual variety and ecology, but at the same time, it often feels too big for its own boots. Determining whether a planet is right for a colonisation attempt means you have to travel a lot, and over the preview build's duration, I've spent hours skimming the landscape of this massive planet completing a variety of research assignments. For the first hour or so, it'll all felt quite fresh and unique, and despite being a very low pressure game, made up for that with its atmosphere and relaxing nature. But, then I reached the first moment where the game's momentum really ground to a halt: I was asked to patrol and research a small set of sandy islands for 20 minutes while waiting for a storm to hit. Needless to say, after around five minutes, I found myself desperate for things to do and became rather bored.

This very situation worries me with Jett: The Far Shores, because, as an exploration game at the forefront, this sort of gameplay seems like it could be quite prominent. Yes, the landscape is impressive. Sure, there is a ton of ground to cover. But, being rooted to a certain area for a chunk of time with no actual objective, bar assessing geological formations and life forms by pressing a button while in your Jett is far from engaging gameplay.

With this being said, the mechanics of piloting the Jett itself is incredibly satisfying. The fluid feeling of gliding over the treacherous ocean at high-speeds is a highlight, and it's an activity that will require your attention as you have to manage a bar of energy that fills up as you use your boosters for a longer duration, else the engine will overheat. Stack this up with the ability to barrel roll and pop (essentially aiming your ship upwards and using your booster to leap), and you get a very unique and enjoyable movement system.

Yet it isn't all hunky dory aboard this nippy vessel, as the mechanics when you turn the boosters off, and instead use the slower speed to analyse objects and gather data or use a grappling hook to snatch up objects feels far less engaging, and often dull. The polarity is rather unusual, and serves as a great example of the peaks and dips in general that Jett: The Far Shores seems to display.

This variation in gameplay isn't helped by the stages where you are able to land your ship and explore on foot. The times where you meet other explorers and get to hear their stories and chat with them adds a level of personality and charisma to the game, but at the same time, I often felt no obligation to get out of my Jett any other time, since the large world feels far too massive to warrant exploring via foot.

But, with all of this being said, Jett: The Far Shores does excel in many areas. The soundtrack is exceptional and does a fantastic job of bringing this sci-fi world to life. Matching this with the visuals and atmosphere that presents a unique alien planet, splashed in colour, does make you want to explore the world - even if the humanoid characters do have the rather off-putting build of a Playmobil figurine. Furthermore, PlayStation 5 players can look forward to another excellent showcase of the DualSense features and abilities, which work fabulously at bringing the world to life that little bit more through the usage of haptic feedback and the adaptive triggers.

While I have my vices about Jett: The Far Shore, there's enough positives to keep me enticed for the time being. This is an adventure that will likely be made or broken by its pacing further in the story, because even with the great soundtrack, memorable visuals, and impressive DualSense integration, it's the gameplay that will end up being the deciding factor in the long run. Sure, the Jett itself is fun to pilot, but can it occupy my attention for hours upon hours? Well that remains to be seen.