Jettomero: Hero of the Universe (PC) Review

For anyone that has ever owned a big dog, you know they have a tendency to think they are as small as cat. Due to this, they try to force their bodies onto things they have no business being on. Perhaps the coffee table or the kitchen counters, but more than likely your lap. Jettomero is the videogame fighting robot equivalent of this, and, if nothing else positive can be said about this game, he's instantly loveable and ridiculously endearing. Fortunately, plenty of good things can be said about Jettomero: Hero of the Universe, so here they are…

First off, if you couldn't tell from the screenshots, this game is stunning. The cel-shaded graphics are captivating and alluring, and give a very crisp look. A lot of the visuals are inspired by comics, as well, as is noticeable during the story segments. Jettomero: Hero of the Universe is also very pleasant to listen to, almost like a greatest hits of space collection. Jettomero's beeps and bloops even manage to be tolerable, as they aren't overwhelmingly loud and function more as background noise to his speech bubbles.

The galaxy, at least while your cruising in-between planets, is exhilarating. Moving around the galaxy is fluid and every new beautifully coloured sun or ring of planets feels fresh when you explode through each new galactic frontier. Out here, where apparently no one can be heard screaming, there are some simple side objectives that can be completed, such as a ring game where the player must coast through several rings in order, as you've probably played before. It's such a wonderful universe, both to ogle at and move in, that it's a real shame it manages to feel so empty.

The primary objective of Jettomero is to land on planets, occasionally kill a monster, and collect fuel and accessories to change Jettomero's appearance. The problem isn't the landing or moving, though. The controls while flying are extremely tight, and even when the colossal robot is lumbering around clumsily, it still works despite his predisposition to wobble around. To put it another way, walking with Jettomero would be as daunting to platform or adventure fans as Katamari Damacy would be to fans of racing games.

The problem is that each planet is apparently procedurally generated, as is each universe. In the universes it's not so bad, as it means a lot of bright colours and an easily managed roster of planets to explore. On the planets, however, it leaves most of them looking remarkably similar, and never once does a planet feel unique or memorable.

Combat, when it does occur, is handled through an intense QTE that appears to utilise the entire keyboard. The player, if they find themselves struggling, is welcome to reduce the difficulty. This feature is actually very impressive, and it can get tricky as the time limit to enter the responses to the QTE can be extremely short.

Afterwards, you collect a piece of the story, but not before deciphering it. Deciphering is done by unscrambling the story using a few knobs to change the values of specific letters. As a knob is deleted once it's been set to the right value and tested, this can be a bit too easy to phone-in. It is a nice distraction for a bit, but it doesn't feel truly meaningful.

Perhaps that's the point, though, right? There is too much emphasis on meaning instead of living in the moment. Look at the collectibles, for instance. It's possible to collect replacement parts for feet, hands, body, and head. However, they are all the same colour as Jettomero, and it can be hard, especially on the torso, to tell if you're even wearing anything new, or even worse, what that new thing could possibly be.

Jettomero: Hero of the Universe is still good, yet it's just not particularly deep. The story is surprisingly interesting, and a photo mode is included with a number of filters to apply to your special universe. These special features can even be applied directly to the game, giving the whole experience a completely different look that suits personal tastes.

The problem is, however, that this feels more like a sandbox without much in the way of toys. It's pleasant to explore this universe, but there's just not much to do there. It feels like a cult classic in the making and, frankly, good for it. A lot of love was obviously poured into this experience. For those looking for something deeper and more meaningful, though, this simply isn't it.