The expanse of this journey is almost beyond belief, my training and determination continues to get me me higher but I fear I will not make it. In those moments I pause and take a moment to look around, down and up.

There is always further to go, but each peak passed, each settlement explored, each obstacle overcome makes me more eager to press on. When I feel isolated, alone, lost I only need to reach to Ballast for comfort.

They are a source of calm, direction and share in the wonder as I explore section after section of this abandoned tower. It is pre-Jusant, here before the tide receded and their legacy, tales and remains keep me going, until the end. Just need to get to the end.

This the experience of Jusant, the latest gem from Don’t Nod, where the only task is to climb and keep climbing. Despite the relatively simple premise this is a game that continually challenged, delighted and kept me in a state of awe from start to finish.

Set in a barren world where all the water has receded the task is to climb a massive tower that used to be under water at times as tides ebbed and flowed. Now the entire tower is exposed leaving structures, fossilized coral, shipwrecks and glimmers of the people who had lived there.

How this environment changed so drastically is revealed in bits and pieces as transcripts and messages are discovered throughout the game. Shells are also found which add a memory of past moments through it’s echo in a hauntingly beautiful flashback of sights and sounds.

The only real gameplay in Jusant is climbing and Don’t Nod implemented this in such an elegant way it has to be seen to be believed. All surfaces can be scaled when handholds are available and some can be created with environmental effects.

Multiple surface types, creatures you can grip, gusts of wind and growing surfaces trigger via a pulse from Ballast are all options possible to grip as the tower is ascended. Literally every new environment or area reached felt like there was a mix of natural and man made climbing points which meshed so well with the narrative.

What was truly innovative and a welcome feature is that a rope is automatically secured as soon as a surface is climbed. This eliminates any deaths or critical failures and instead introduces setbacks if dislodged from a climbing point.

This decision to make the journey relatively safe adds a very different vibe to Jusant then I have experienced in any other game this year. The game is about the journey to the top, not whether you will live or die, just the journey and what is discovered on the way. It is a truly beautiful experience that enveloped me each time I picked up the controller.

A big part of what makes the game work is the stunning visuals and ethereal soundtrack by Guillaume Ferran. The world is stunningly realized with each area filled with what feels like the remnants of a real working society. The music ebbs and flows as the journey progresses and I got goosebumps a few times as chords of music hit a crescendo during some key moments.

On the surface Jusant looks like a simple game, but the depth of detail throughout the game and the pure magic of the experience is something that has stuck with me long after I finished playing. This is not a adrenaline fueled AAA release, instead it is a beautiful and thoughtful journey I truly hope as many people as possible get to experience.

We were provided a copy of Jusant by the games publisher for purposes of this review. Jusant is available right now for PC via Steam, Xbox Series X|S and Playstation 5