DEMO PLAY: JUDERO

Bit of backstory and a caveat - Judero is a story that weaves together elements from a few different folk stories typical of the Scottish borders and a hefty dose of creative license.  I am from that area, so I was intrigued.

Judero is something special - whether that makes it good, is something I'll get to.  Unlike most games it's been created with a mix of stop-motion animation on handmade characters, in-engine processing and effects, and hand-drawn segments.  It gives the game exactly what it needs, a folksy, storybook feel, like a picture book you'd read to a child at the village bonfire.  Admittedly, that might just be my village.

One thing it does have that everyone can expect, is a hint of the disturbing.  Folklore isn't nice and pretty, and neither is Judero.  It really leans into the claymation aspect of the enemies to create something fleshy and grotesque, but the designs are very singular.  In character design you have something called a "Silhouette Check".  Your players should be able to recognise each character by just their silhouette, and that mostly works well in Judero. 

Whether it's the horse and baby eating Darlington Brownie or the child drowning Gr'oach, folklore is often downright nasty.  I think the game is pretty in it's grotesquery and I hope it's a design decision to do so.  If not, it's happy happenstance.  It's technically very impressive and the work is very much on the screen.  I mean, look at this horrifying squishy penis monster:   

Controls are basic, which isn't an insult - they NEED to be, as the fights start to really ramp up and get very fast.  Judero has two abilities.  The first is hitting toward wherever the mouse is clicked with a staff.  The second is possession, where he can subjugate the mind of a lesser monster and control it.  This leaves his body vulnerable but can be crucial for getting past the many environmental puzzles, or to give you a pre-battle boost by having a monster injure or kill one of his friends.  Other than that, it's WADS for movement, Shift for dodge and holding Shift to run.

Oh, and you can talk to the humans in the game using E.

I particularly like these sections.  Outside, the characters are claymation.  Inside, they and their environments are hand-drawn.  Judero himself becomes a picture to match.  It's a change in aesthetic that helps to pull together the folklore and storytime feel of the game, and it helps that the npcs have interesting things to say.

Judero may seem strange (it is), but it feels cohesive because it's world-building is very strong.  Being based on existing tales and places really helps, with a rich cultural history at their fingertips the devs have really put it to work, whether that's for washing tub ditties from women, concern over their family members or fear of the monstrous creatures, fae and witches on their doorsteps - it feels real.  It comes from a recognisable human place, a fear of the unknown.

And that fear of the unknown, of death and of grief are all central to Judero's very strange and solitary journey.  It is good, but your mileage may vary due to the art and animation style, the controls being simple and the ramping up of boss fights.  I enjoyed it very much, and like most well-tread stories, it feels like going home.  Though I do recommend trying the demo first to be sure, before you commit to buying.