The journey through life is to understand one’s own purpose in the universe and what role we play in the whole scheme of history. In Jettomero: Hero of the Universe, you take control of Jettomero, an indestructible robot that has just awoken from a deep sleep, looking to understand what happened in the past and discover their role in the universe. Will the journey be worth your time, or will you find yourself lost in space?
The Tip and The Top
As you explore the cosmos with Jettomero, you will notice the artistic splendor of this game. Each planet is beautifully procedurally generated; the colors used look and feel like a graphic novel. You’ll find yourself taking a lot of screenshots as you fly through space as Jettomero. The game has a built in photo mode. This is a nice touch you can add filters and take pictures from different perspectives however, if you play this game on the Switch, you may find yourself using the Switch screen capture functionality more often.
The animation throughout Jettomero is superbly done. Jettomero lumbers around like a child just learning to walk, as you try your best to avoid the buildings that surround Jettomero. The humans you are set out to protect do not take kindly to your presence. Jettomero is constantly pelted with a barrage of missiles, lasers, and ropes designed to pull him down. These are fruitless efforts by the humans; after all, you are an indestructible robot. This certainly adds fun to the game and the controls responds to being beaten up or being pulled and dragged by the humans.
As you explore each planet, you start to learn Jettomero’s purpose. In each solar system, there is a monster that you fight. The fights are not difficult. This is a tug of war type of battle, as you shoot your lasers at the monsters and the monster shoots their lasers at you, with the laser beams meeting in the middle.
To defeat the monsters, it will require you to input a series of buttons (A,B,X,Y, or the arrows buttons). With each correct sequence, you will gain ground, and your laser will get closer to the opponent. Fail and the monster’s laser get closer to you. After a series of button inputs, you will overtake the monster as your laser will hit the final blow.
After each battle, you will be taken to a jumbled word puzzle where you turn the analog sticks until you unscramble the phrase. Once the puzzle is deciphered, you are taken to a series of comic panels, which displays the phrases that you just descrambled with comic strip art. Each comic will get you closer to understanding Jettomero’s past and ultimately, his future.
After each boss, you travel through a wormhole to another solar system that you explore.
For those of you that like to collect items in games, there are quite a few different robot parts that you can find throughout the game. This allows you to stylize Jettomero as you see fit; the different outfit pieces that you find throughout the game don’t change any of Jettomero’s abilities, but it is a fun touch to be able to customize Jettomero.
The Flip and The Flop
This game isn’t very long and that’s unfortunate. The game is a nice way to relax and unwind after a long day, and it would be nice to have more that you could do in this game. The game isn’t very much of a challenge to beat. Once you have beaten one boss, the next boss isn’t much different.
Final Thoughts
This game is best described as a comic book brought to life. The intention of this game is to offer a relaxed and chill experience while you explore the beautifully crafted universe, unravel the story of Jettomero, and experience something different than a lot of the games out there today. As stated before, the game doesn’t provide a whole lot of challenge.
That is not necessarily a bad thing, but something that you should consider and know exactly the experience you are in for when you play this game. If you know what the intention of this game is and go into the game with this knowledge, you will enjoy the game for what it offers.
For those of you that enjoy comic books and old school sci-fi stories, you definitely want this game as part of your collection.
Review copy provided by Ghost Time Games