My thunks: Jazzpunk

I only really found out what Jazzpunk was the day it was released, I knew PC gamer had given it a shining review but apart from that I knew nothing. After 10 minutes of Giantbomb's quick-look I was sold.

Jazzpunk is bright, bold, hilarious, confusing and garish at the same time. Mind, I don't mean garish in a bad way in this instance. It is a game best played completely blind. Some aspects are still fun and comedic the second time round, but a shock factor is a huge part of the enjoyment while playing Jazzpunk. With that said, there's no need to worry I won't be the one spoiling anything for you.

Jazzpunk is totally rife with references, be it games, TV or otherwise. It is obvious those familiar with the culture of video games will get the most out of this title. However there is still much to enjoy without the knowledge of anything it references. This is due to Jazzpunk being so utterly bizarre, many scenarios will leave you in a state of hilarious confusion. It really doesn't matter if you get the reference or not, it's random nature and constant moving forward won't keep you in an awkward state of "was that a joke I didn't get?".

For better and for worse there are times which can be very overwhelming. You are often presented with a large open space full of many interactions, the majority of these interactions are optional too. This could be a problem for those who don't have the patience to explore as huge sections of the game can be missed entirely. Of course this is great for those you that enjoy second play-throughs, or exploration but that isn't to everyone's taste.

While the surface value of Jazzpunk is enjoyable, for those who like deep analysis of games there is something of interest here too. There is a huge amount of meaning behind some of the strange rambling characters. I don't think I've experienced a game which truly works on as many levels as Jazzpunk.

This is where we get to the general aesthetic of Jazzpunk. It is certainly something brilliant to behold, everything, even the blemishes seem with purpose. Somehow with it's multitude of video game references it's actually a very absorbing and atmospheric game. I wish I could tell you how this works, but believe me it's very easy to get caught up in the obscure world only to realize you're 30 minutes late for work. This is where everything truly comes together for Jazzpunk. It doesn't feel like a random mix of mini-games, it manages to stay consistently inconsistent.

In many ways Jazzpunk could make anyone laugh out loud or at least smile, but is 3 hours of gameplay worth £12? That's for you to decide.

I give Jazzpunk a "OMGWTFBBQ out of ten".