Jettomero: Hero of the Universe (PC) - Review

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Having gotten a glimpse of Jettomero: Hero of the Universe at this year's EGX 2017 I decided I simply had to buy the game as soon as I got back home. There’s something about playing as a clumsy, gigantic, planet-killing robot that just screams charm, and I do so love charming games. But, for all its charm, is Jettomero worth the price of entry?

The titular Jettomero is the unintentional planet-killer in question - a huge red robot that you attempt to control, initially navigating it around the rocky planet it inhabits. Once you’ve familiarised yourself with the controls (left analogue stick to move, LB/RB to zoom in/out, right trigger to blast off into space), it's time to make Jettomero launch off the starting planet and make its way to a wormhole. 

On the other side of the wormhole you begin your adventure by flying towards the first of many planets. Jettomero will land on the planet with elegant ease upon approach and must then attempt to help the planet's inhabitants by, for example, dispersing storm clouds or putting out fires, all while attempting to acquire enough fuel to launch off to the next planet and help out more small beings. You'll notice fairly quickly how unwieldy Jettomero is, due to his large stature and clumsy feet which are trying to grip the surface of each planet, and this unwieldiness becomes a core part of the game's charm.

Every action you take on each planet usually results in damage or outright destruction of structures and (presumably) their inhabitants. But Jettomero's actions are far from malicious - he'll constantly apologise for this unintended wanton destruction, calling out "Sorry!" or "I didn't mean to do that!" as he lumbers about on his mission to aid the planet and gather up fuel.

Eventually you’ll come across another huge creature on each planet - a monster if you will - that appears to be intentionally destroying the worlds Jettomero visits. Each time you encounter one of these creatures you’ll fight it in a fashion that's somewhat reminiscent of the Guitar Hero games, pressing the appropriate buttons as they appear on the screen in order to deal damage to your opponent. These fights are a fun distraction and allow the game's unique comic art-style and adorable dialogue to shine.

Afterwards, Jettomero will receive a message which needs decrypting. This little puzzle mini-game requires you to go through a list of possible letters that could be used to fill in the gaps in the message, with the puzzles becoming increasingly difficult as the game progresses. Once decrypted, you’re given a little piece of narrative regarding the people that inhabitant the planets Jettomero is exploring. 

Despite being sparse, the narrative and little interactions Jettomero has are intriguing, and further build on the game's cute sense of charm. There's one point in the campaign where you’re presented with two options, and depending on your choice, the game diverges. Once you’ve finished one path you can return after the credits and go down the other path.

Graphically, Jettomero is lovely, with strong comic book visuals and slight cel-shading. The colours palette is stark, and contrasts beautifully with some of the hard lines and contours around objects on the planets. The soundtrack is strong, too, reminding me of Ben Prunty's score for FTL, so much so that I felt the urge to revisit FTL after completing Jettomero. It proves the perfect complement to your exploration of the vast cosmos.  

Jettomero isn't without flaws of course -  it's only a couple of hours in length, for starters, and other than exploring the second of the branching paths there's little reason to return to the game after completing the campaign. My Steam counter was on 2.3 hours playtime by the time I'd achieved every achievement in the game. 

It's also quite repetitive, despite this short runtime. The planets you explore quickly become familiar - in fact they're almost identical and the only major differences between them are the colours, and whether or not they feature an enemy monster or a collectible item of clothing.

Still, Jettomero is undoubtedly a success overall. It's charming and original, with a great sense of style, but whether it's worth the price of entry for you will depend on just how much the concept and aesthetics personally appeal. Despite the very short runtime Jettomero was one of the most surprisingly pleasant games I've purchased in recent years, and I hope others are similarly charmed by the experience.

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