When my left hand exerted a little force on the LT button of the handle, feeling the resistance of the fingertip embedded in the rock crevice in the game, it was drizzling outside the window. On the screen, the climber I played was climbing a giant tower straight into the sky, and the water marks on the rock wall seemed to resonate wonderfully with the sound of rain in reality. With the purest climbing experience, _Jusant_ let me find a long-lost inner peace on the vertical rock wall.
At the beginning of the game, I faced a bare rock wall and a bundle of ropes around my waist. The left hand controls the grip force of the fingers, and the right hand adjusts the center of gravity of the body. Every action needs real physical feedback. When I first saw that my arms trembled because of holding for too long, I realized that it was not just a game, but more like a practice about patience and moderation.
The most amazing thing is the shaping of the vertical space in the game. This giant tower is not a simple copy of the map. Each layer of rock wall has a unique texture: weathered limestone needs to find fossils as a fulcrum, the slippery moss area must pass quickly, and the fragile stalactites must be light. Once I climbed in the crystal cave, and the crystals on the rock wall would resonate crisply with my movements, as if the whole tower was talking to me.
Rope management is an art. Every time you anchor, you should think carefully. If it is too dense, it will waste the length of the rope, and if it is too sparse, it may lose protection when sliding. I remember that in a certain section of the inverted rock wall, I made a mistake in setting the anchor point, and my whole body swayed in the air for five minutes to find a new focus point. The tension of life-threatening life made the subsequent safe landing particularly healing.
The wind in the game has become the most poetic navigation. In the foggy cliff section, I need to judge the feasible route according to the direction of the wind; in the narrow rock crevice, the breeze will prompt the hidden passage. The most unforgettable thing is the moment of crossing the Wind Chime Valley. Thousands of wind chimes are playing in the wind. I have to find the rhythm of climbing in the gap of the music, as if I were dancing with the whole mountain tower.
As the altitude climbs, the ecosystem is also changing. The desert vegetation in the low places was gradually replaced by cold-resistant tundra plants, and the ancient murals on the rock walls recorded the footprints of the predecessors. Once I found a faded rag doll at the rest point. It was sitting quietly in the cave, as if waiting for a climber who would never come back. These silent narratives turn the climb into a dialogue with time.
In the evening after customs clearance, I unconsciously began to observe the facade of the building when I went out for a walk. The rust of the fire ladder, the tenacious grass growing in the cracks of the wall, and the winding path of the rain pipe, these vertical landscapes that are usually ignored suddenly came to life. This sequelae lasted for a whole week, and I found myself starting to re-examine this three-dimensional world from the perspective of a climber.
If you are also looking for a game that can calm your mind, _Jusant_ will give you the answer. It will not stimulate you with fierce battles or complicated plots, but invites you to focus on every breath, every grab, and every meter climb. When you finally reach the top of the tower and watch the sea of clouds surging under your feet, you will find that the most magnificent scenery is not the end, but every moment when you are alone when climbing.
