Jazzpunk Reviews
Jazzpunk isn't going to be everybody's cup of tea but it's guaranteed to make you laugh. If one joke doesn't work for you, the one that follows five seconds later probably will. Much of it will depend on your tolerance for silliness, yet it remains a short and sweet experience perfect for when you need to take a break and relax. The replay value is low, but it's a nice distraction while it lasts.
In fact I can't think of anyone who wouldn't like this game, but while I'm excited for the internet to get at it so I can find out what I missed, at two hours long many people might find it hard to justify a purchase. Just keep the meter running, I'll be right back.
It's short, it's bonkers, it's hilarious and it's barely a game.
A hilarious "adventure comedy," set in a cyberpunk universe amidst Cold War frenzy.
Good for a quick laugh, but not much more than that. If you value an evening's entertainment over having a significant chunk of your spare time eaten up, Jazzpunk is for you.
JazzPunk is good for a few chuckles and the novelty of how absurd the game is
Jazzpunk ends up being scatological and surreal, but it's not sublime. Like Meatloaf says, two out of three ain't bad. But when's the last time anyone listened to Meatloaf? Jazzpunk is funny in its own peculiar way, but that's about all it is.
This might be the central recognition that tips Jazzpunk toward working as a comedy. It's a ridiculous world, and we run ridiculously through it.
Developer Necrophone Games and publisher Adult Swim deliver the ultimate playground in 'Jazzpunk', a game that lacks polish but makes up for it with a focus on fun.
Not quite Scary Movie but certainly not the video game equivalent of Airplane, although the fact that it even tries to be is almost recommendation enough.
In many respects, Jazzpunk's systems are unremarkable. Its puzzles are rudimentary, its interactions mostly basic and its tasks are often wilfully mundane. At times, it attempts jokes that miss their target, sometimes by a distance. And yet such is its fearless, relentless commitment to amusing you and surprising you that you'll know something better – or perhaps just something weirder – is just around the corner. Anarchic, baffling, sometimes downright silly, and often inspired, Jazzpunk works tirelessly to make you laugh and gasp. The frequency with which you'll do both is a testament to a bold new talent, and Necrophone Games deserves all the plaudits that will be thrown its way in the coming weeks.
Jokes fly at the player like angry hornets from the hive, hinging on intimate knowledge of games like Warcraft II or Quake, and the references swarm and sting. There are more than enough punchlines, but there's too little setup.
When all's said and done, that's a fantastic way to take a break from reality for a couple of hours. For all my gripes, I'll be surprised if any other game this year makes me laugh as much as Jazzpunk did.
Jazzpunk ends with an unconventional boss fight culminating in an excellent subversion of boss-battle tropes. If the whole game were as smart as the final confrontation, it'd be a much easier recommendation. As it stands, I still don't know whether its worst jokes are intentionally bad or not.