Superbrothers gained some notoriety back in 2011 with their first game, Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP. It was a game that was truly one of kind, being a music-inspired cosmic adventure that was well received from fans and critics alike. You have to hand it to them, they certainly know how present a game that doesn’t fall into the mainstream. They have now released their next game, JETT: The Far Shore, which once again doesn’t look quite like anything else on the market. Unfortunately, it doesn’t deliver as memorable of an experience as Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP.

The premise for JETT: The Far Shore is actually pretty interesting. You play as Mei, an anchorite of a religion based around a prophesy claiming that new life will be found on some far away planet. With her current world dying, Mei is tasked with finding a new planet in the hopes that it will prove to be inhabitable by what will remain of her people after catastrophe strikes. After bidding her family and friends goodbye, she gets aboard her jett and flies off to find the source of the “Hymnwave”, the mysterious call from across the stars that will hopefully lead to their salvation.

Believe me, I’m actually making this sound a lot more intriguing than it is. While the game does have a promising opening with a poignant concept, it almost immediately becomes a tedious mess. After waking from cryosleep one thousand years in the future, Mei has reached her destination at an ocean covered planet. Her job is to study the indigenous flora and fauna to determine if the area is inhabitable.

In this regard it reminded me of No Mans Sky, where exploring each planet, and inspecting their flora and fauna was the main source of its gameplay. JETT: The Far Shore is a lot more focused on this aspect though, which isn’t necessarily a good thing. For starters, you can only leave your jett at certain locations during specific times. Even then, it’s not really for exploring purposes, but rather to initiate a cutscene. There’s really no exploration on foot, which is a shame. Instead, all you’re really able to do in terms of exploration is fly around in your jett, target the flora and fauna as they appear, and scan them repeatedly. It’s not the most riveting of gameplay loops.

You’ll spend most of your time flying in JETT: The Far Shore. Unfortunately, piloting your jett isn’t very fun. There’s a bit of a casual catharsis when skimming over the waves across long stretches of water, but that’s about the only time flying gives any sort of enjoyment. You’ll have to be ever mindful of your energy meter so you don’t overheat your engine. Because of this, you never really get the chance to zip all over and mess around with your jett.

Turning is a cumbersome nightmare as well. There are many sections where you’ll have to evade fast enemies or take cover in the shadows to regain your jett’s shield, but maneuvering is awkward and unreliable. It’s shame that the controls are so unwieldy, especially considering how much time you’ll have to spend flying.

Visually, JETT: The Far Shore is a mixed bag. There are some truly impressive moments when you’ll see grand views of expansive vistas, which are when the game shines brightest. However, the visual beauty often times falls apart whenever you either get up close to something or when you’re viewing it from far away while flying. The character models are purposely remedial, which is certainly conscious a stylized choice, but they simply look laughable when next to some of the splendor of the environments around them. JETT: The Far Shore also suffers from some horrible framerate dips, which are especially problematic when trying to evade enemies.

The sound effects are decent throughout, with the sounds of the jett’s engines, the crashing of waves, and the ambient sounds of nature being convincing. I also really enjoyed the voice acting. The characters speak in a language created just for JETT: The Far Shore, and it’s actually believable. The synthwave soundtrack fits the tone of the game well.

Many fans have been eagerly awaiting the next game from Superbrothers, but unfortunately, JETT: The Far Shore didn’t live up to the fun, bizarre experience found in Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP. It seems to be at odds with itself as to what kind of game it wants to be. There are calm moments of catharsis and reflection, but this is undercut by enemy encounters and poor flying mechanics. Even the brief sections where you are allowed to walk around are frustrating because Mei moves like she’s wading through honey. There’s an interesting concept in here, but it’s lost under the shortcomings of the rest of the gameplay. There’s simply nothing memorable about JETT: The Far Shore.

 

Graphics: 6.5 The grand views of the vistas are truly a sight to behold, especially due to the dramatic lighting effects. However, the visual beauty falls apart whenever you get close to anything. The character models are laughably remedial and the framerate is all over the place.	Gameplay: 6.0 The game is most enjoyable when you’re coasting over long distances on your ship. Turning can be a nuisance through, so navigating tight pathways can be troublesome. There’s a strict energy meter for your jett’s boost and you can’t really explore the worlds on foot.
Sound: 8.0 The sound effects are pretty decent, as is the dialogue from NPCs. The synthwave soundtrack fits the game well.	Fun Factor: 5.0 It starts off with an interesting premise, but that is quickly overshadowed by awkward flying mechanics, lack of actual exploration, and an overabundance of scanning wildlife.
Final Verdict: 6.0

JETT: The Far Shore is available now on PC, PS4, and PS5.

Reviewed on PS5.

A copy of JETT: The Far Shore was provided by the publisher.