Randomness is the Best Medicine | Jazzpunk Review

When games dare to be different and put a new spin on gaming, we all should pay attention. Unfortunately, it has become commonplace to see the same genres of games come out over and over again. Luckily, Necrophone Games decided to buck the trend and release a game that is way different than anything else you can play today. It also happens to be an excellently designed, and just outright randomly hilarious to boot. While the humor may not suit all audiences, and that is where this game really shines, the game is doing something that we really need to see more of in today’s gaming landscape.

Jazzpunk takes you on the journey of a Cold War era spy in an alternate version of the 50′s and 60′s. While the main objectives have you infiltrating Soviet secrets and intercepting communiques, the game really isn’t about the story. You’ll find that the game has so much more to offer when you explore every nook and cranny. The more you look around, and do what you are not explicitly told to do, the more you’ll see that the story is just a setting while the fun of the game is everywhere else. While playing the game to the objectives will only last a few hours, with all the extra content that was placed in the game, this is a much more enriching and fun experience than meets the eye.

Visually, Jazzpunk is a pop-art inspired world. All the people look like the stick figures used on bathroom doors, but yet in its simplicity, the game looks great. All the animations and models are smooth and work seamlessly with one another. The game seems to jump around quite a bit, but the visuals always keep a sense of continuity through the whole journey. It is all very well put together, and while it may not win any ground breaking visual awards, it is as an effective use of art style as we’ve seen.

The gameplay is relatively straight forward point-and-click adventure. You’ll be placed in a small level with several objectives to accomplish. However, the level is filled with characters, inactive objects and side missions that can be completed in any order you wish. The game doesn’t punish you for playing the “wrong way” nor does it deal with death in any real way. It gives players the confidence and encouragement to explore. In addition to the side missions, there are several mini-games hidden away that pay homage to some of gaming’s most storied franchises including nods to Frogger, Street Fighter and Space Invaders. However, these mini games aren’t along the main path, so you’ll have to do some exploring.

This brings us to the humor found in the game. When you are playing Jazzpunk, you’ll immediately get the feeling that everything is completely random, with a rapid fire joke machine throwing jokes at you left and right. It isn’t until you played the game all the way through that you start to get a sense of the story as a whole and how everything you experienced is connected. Think of it like learning a new language. It will take some learning at first, but once you get over that learning curve you’ll get more out of it with every new situation. While this game isn’t quite as chaotic as titled like LSD and Work Time Fun, it has the same sense of humor similar to an episode of Ren & Stimpy.

Overall, Jazzpunk is a wonderfully constructed, seemingly random, yet irresistibly addictive game. It’s manages to capture the nostalgia of point-and-click adventure games and it mixes in a tons of jokes both visually and audibly . Some you’ll get, others you wont, but you’ll definitely laugh at something. Comedy isn’t something that is found in a sea of serious, dark and brooding games and it makes this title stand out like a beacon of light. If you are looking for something completely different and you enjoy some random humor from time to time, you need to go out and play this game. We’ll admit that the game may not be appreciated by everyone and it could be confusing at first, but if you roll with the punches and let Jazzpunk convert you, you’ll be a fan within no time at all. A game that can prove itself to be great, just with a little patience, is definitely worth playing.

This review is based on a review code of the PC version of Jazzpunk developed and distributed by Necrophone Games