Roger Ebert is rolling in his grave right now. Talk of games being an artistically invalid medium now finally seems to be in the minority, and the unfortunate layoffs and implosions of the AAA industry has left 2024 with a vanguard of excellent, artistic indie game developers who are now making games about exploring complicated human truths, and Judero is one of the best.

Judero is a simple top-down Zeldalike exploration game that's not just about what it's like to grow up as a kid under the influence of Zelda, but about what it's like growing old and mature under the influence of 6,000 years of art. Poetic, honest, and individually unique NPCs talk in thickly veiled poetry about the truth behind mythology and nationalism, referencing a reading list of ancient Celtic tomes the game developer shared with me behind the scenes, legends that are themselves the product of an infinite chain of human expression.

Judero is technically unpolished and visually aggressive. There might be occasional crashes and awkwardly long loading times. The game engine virtually spews smoke as levels load in ugly, jagged barren layers of empty textured surfaces you might think you're not supposed to see... But that would be like saying you're not supposed to see the human thumbprints on the claymation models, or hear the human man "caw!" when a bird flies out of your way. It's a reminder that it was made by just 2 individual humans with lives just as hectic and busy as life as yours. It's such a love letter to lo-fi aesthetics that it's borderline punk, it brings your childhood's collection of paper scribbles to life as a living diorama full of visually stunning movement, composition, and a tilt-shifted perspective with just enough depth-of-field to give it that "toy" look. It executes all this imperfection with so much confidence that it's impossible not to feel inspired by the message: that one of the most fundamental activities of being a human has always been tackling imaginative, grand huge projects beyond our immediate means.

Judero is a game about reflecting on some of the most primitive, and childish, forms of mythic storytelling from the perspective of the most technologically advanced. Mechanically simple but emotionally complex, it's the best game I've played in 2024, and one of the best games I've played in my life.

This game is truly beautiful and poetic. beautiful soundtrack and songs as well

One of the most surprising and enjoyable games I've played this year. Surreal, very funny, and also poignant as every NPC has a weird story to regale you with, a philosophical anecdote, or some other musing. The game is mostly played from an old-school PS1-style top-down perspective, though darts off into SCHMUPs, runners, and other genres as it pleases. The psychedelic aesthetic feels like it's pulled straight from the subconscious of a brilliant mind, and I'm staying tuned for what this studio is doing next. We need more games like this!