Juggernaut

"Like MYST...with a twist!"

Juggernaut by TonkinHouse/Jaleco is a 3-disc game that's hard to categorize & even harder to accurately describe. It's mainly 1st-person exploration, owing to the classics Myst & "D". But it has definite survival-horror ingredients: eerie music & effects, creepy locales (including a spooky mansion- an obvious nod to Resident Evil), copious blood & gore, & an M-rating, but you aren't a weapon-toting hero blasting monsters- it's much more cerebral.

The game begins as you receive word of your girlfriend's possessed condition, & are summoned by a priest watching over her. He explains "Pure Evil" has taken over her & it's YOUR job, of course, to vanquish that evil inside her. What follows is an enthralling, interesting journey of & through the psyche, complete with freaky images, bizarre effects, & a general feeling of uneasiness & confusion.

Once you're in the aforementioned mansion, most of your time is spent moving around via a unique method using different-sized bodies- & at times, none at all! Long story short: it's ingenious, it works (if only to prolong the game), & I don't recall such a gameplay device in any other game. The latter part(s) of Juggernaut has you visiting each of 8 "microcosms" & defeating the evil there. Environments include jungle islands, a prison, a building where strange experiments occur, & a place where people suffer "a lack of vision." Though areas are varied, you're pretty much left only to wander around exploring/investigating things (using a pop-up reticle)- most ingame actions are handled automatically in triggered cutscenes. There are also simplistic puzzles of the "find this & use it here" & "listen & repeat the sounds" ilk- though I defy you to solve the early "record player" puzzle in one try!

Graphically, Juggernaut really shows its age. Environments are often visually interesting but can be quite blocky. Human characters are like plastic "bendy"-type figures, resembling wire skeletons with rubber molded skin, bulgy eyes, & thin lips. Another aspect which may turn gamers off is that most communication appears in dialog boxes- there are virtually no spoken words at all. Maps & ingame options are both no-frills; in fact, the only adjustable option is turning the vibration on/off.

In sum, if you like, appreciate, or even tolerate Myst-type games with plenty of gore & weirdness mixed in, Juggernaut won't disappoint you.

PROS: creepy atmosphere; unique, lengthy, intriguing
CONS: a bit confusing, outdated graphics, little "action", lots of reading

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 08/19/05