Jengo is a new point and click adventure game by global game publisher Playdius and independent studio Robot Wizard, with an experience not so different from titles like Pajama Sam, The Curse of Monkey Island, and Spy Fox. Though, the content is way more mature than those other titles. While Jengo itself is a video game, it also acts as a commentary of how the gaming industry has changed since those incredible titles from decades ago.
I really like the demo so far, especially with all the animations. The best way I can describe it is that it’s surreal, it’s gritty, and it portrays all the caricatures as tired and/or insane. It has such a weird style to it, but it’s consistent and the game really owns it. I felt like the artwork really ties into the adventure thus far, satirizing the video game industry and community as a whole.
Plot-wise, I only wonder if the story could be driven better. Essentially, you play as Jeff, a gamer who is disgruntled by modern games, and he is looking for a fresh experience. He is so desensitized that, when someone steals his moped, he hardly complains about it. When he gets stuck in Old Meta, he doesn’t really seem too worried that a portal sucked him into this mess. I don’t know if he’s just super laid-back or is just apathetic because he sees everything around him as a trope.
Jengo really tries to make all the stops when it comes to making fun of all things related to video games and pop culture. The beginning takes place in the real world, and Jeff encounters three stereotypes: The indie developer, the Youtuber, and the industry loyalist. The developers manage to make fun of MOBAs, Call of Duty, DLCs, pre-orders, and reinventing the wheel via indie games. I like it. The developers aren’t afraid to address the PC element in modern games, and they keep the dialogue about it pretty civil. I would say the industry’s profiteering is more in your face than the cultural aspect of it.
When Jeff encounters the strange shop that has a baby nazgul in a jar and a starving gremlin in a cage, he embarks on his quest to Old Meta. Just as the name suggests, this is where the game starts getting really meta, making fun of all kinds of clichés. Even Dr. Robotnik (look alike) is having drinks at the bar. The bar tender, Tito, is a cliché and he is very open about it. You can even find his car broken down in the desert. Though, even with all these tropes wandering around, Jeff subverts them as he makes his way through Old Meta. There is a prince, who is searching for a princess, and you can point him in the direction of the prostitute or the Lara Croft archetype (who apparently has Kratos’ blades).
The item gathering and combinations is pretty straightforward. At first I thought I needed money to bribe the goons in the back of the bar, but it turns out I just needed it to buy a drink from Tito. The interaction with items has far been pretty limited. We can probably expect a lot more as the game goes through development.
Overall, I like what I’ve seen so far and I am excited for the future of the Fig campaign. If you haven’t seen the trailer for Jengo, I would definitely recommend checking it out. It gives us a small taste of what’s to come.
Check Out the JENGO Video:
You can help support Jengo’s crowd funding campaign right now on the official Fig campaign page.
Related: JENGO Point & Click Adventure Game Needs Your Support on FIG Crowdfunding Campaign
I like to think of myself as the average Joe who grew up alongside video games. I have fun playing strategy games, RPGs, shooters, sandboxes, the whole shebang! Every game provides an experience whether it strikes you as profound, mundane, or someplace in between. I'd like to weigh in my two cents before you spend a single penny.
Thanks so much for the review 🙂 Early days still for the demo as we only wanted to give a small slice of the game without spoiling anything. The full game will feature a lot more writing about Jeff’s turmoils in the world of Old Meta. His fear will be a lot more real when the game is fully voiced.
Thanks so much for taking the time to write about the game, most appreciated.
-Graeme
Robot Wizard