JYDGE (PC) Review

Shooting games come in many varieties. JYDGE plays to the strengths of mobile games, by focusing on action. There's little to no story, cut-scenes, emotions, or consequences of actions… other than the death of nameless characters. Of course these features have their place in games, and can add a lot when done well, but it is somewhat refreshing just to be dropped somewhere with a gun and told to get on with it. This simplicity continues with the weapons.

Many games allow players to choose weapons, or require the finding of other weapons, each with its own pros and cons. JYDGE has no such subtlety, and as such, it harks back to shooting games from decades ago. In short, it is a simple experience, that allows everyone to jump right in. That's not to say that it's particularly easy though.

Enemies fight hard, and are prone to give chase and team up. Many levels require several attempts to clear, but it's certainly not a case of luck or merely improving ones shooting skills. Scouting out levels is important, and learning where enemies are placed and exactly how they behave pays dividends. Running in gung ho every time will lead to multiple deaths. To make progress, it's necessary to learn from each missed opportunity and try different approaches when the initial attempt fails.

The AI and level design in JYDGE could hardly be called groundbreaking, but it is clever enough to encourage thought and care, in addition to the "let's just run in and shoot everything" mentality. There's a good balance to it all in this respect. Once a level has been mastered, harder missions can be attempted, like completing it in a certain timeframe, or without being hit. This is a nice addition that plays to the game's strength of figuring out what to do: often an approach to merely complete the level will fail when more specific criteria are added, leading to more exploration and experimentation.

As for the flaws, the graphics are pretty mediocre for those who care about it, but fundamentally they get the job done. The top down perspective does surprisingly well at showing what's going on, even if the visuals themselves are pretty uninspiring.