Once Upon a Jester Review: Breaking into Song

Once Upon a Jester oozes charm at every turn. Somehow, an overwhelmingly strong feeling of friendship extends beyond the title itself and into the team developing it. Once Upon a Jester feels like an actual labor of love in the best way. Whether it's an unorthodox yet genuine friendship, a laid-back comical nature, or breaking into song a bit too much, Bonte Avond has legitimately handcrafted a title I won't forget.

Cashmere Scarf

Within the first half hour of Once Upon a Jester, one can deduce what kind of experience is to come. What transpires is an inspired theatrical adventure filled with musical glamor and nuanced jokes that are genuinely hilarious. Some of the most defining and enjoyable aspects of Bonte Avond's little spectacle have to be the character introductions or any instance where a character breaks into song. These musically inclined moments are memorable and unique, with every performance pairing well with the simplistic yet eye-catching art style vaguely reminiscent of a Cartoon Network cartoon filled with an array of characters like tree people, wendigos, and witches.

Crime of The Century

In Once Upon a Jester, you take control of Jester, accompanied by his best friend and partner in crime, Sok. This authentic duo travels the kingdom improvising theatrical shows with song or kooky jokes to impress audiences abroad and gain entry to the famous Royal Theatrical Spectacle.

The humor is always front-facing and successful in terms of the game's writing. However, an ominous through line comes through at the end that I truly didn't expect. While this through line didn't wow me, the fact that it worked as well as it did and made for compelling, heartfelt moments throughout deserves recognition. The game is entirely over the top, and the same can be said for its characters. But, they all come around full circle, feeling like genuine relationships by the game's conclusion, including your compelling rival and his goat companion.

Standing Ovation

Jester and Sok start in one of three towns with the goal of earning fifteen flower bouquets in total in each of the towns. You can make a maximum of five bouquets per theatrical show, and it is easy to earn five out of five per show as it only pertains to your performance in terms of topics covered and a few QTE-type moments. Most of the gameplay is simply going from town to town, walking left to right, and then putting on these shows utilizing timed option bubbles or segments and decorating your show's poster each time. Each show takes no more than a couple of minutes, and the game's length is concise and can quickly be completed in one sitting.

Players can gather information before every show to effectively avoid specific topics and lean into others to get the most bouquets. Topics include romance, drama, action, horror, and song. You can also interact with other side characters or crack stupid jokes. 

Additionally, the other form of gameplay, the shows' QTE type timing segments, act as portions of the show to progress the plot of the performance. These portions could be staying in the air, changing clothes, combat of a sort, etc. Yet, every segment is relatively simple. One segment includes moving your character according to another while also timing a grab. That specific segment is a little trickier, but I still need to attempt them, considering you can choose which topic or theme to present and which QTE segments you take part in.

Breakdown

Game: Once Upon a Jester

Developer: Bonte Avond

Availability: PC, Switch

Reviewed on Nintendo Switch OLED

Pros:

+ Good Humor

+ Genuine Friendship 

+ Short Commitment

+ Breaking into Song

Cons:

-

Final Thoughts

Once Upon a Jester's gameplay isn't going to wow you. Heck, the game's writing and aesthetic might not, either. But the product as a whole comes off as a feat only accomplished by true friends in-game and in development. Getting a title that's so comically inclined, uplifting, different, and laid back in one package is refreshing. You may have noticed I didn't include a flaw, and that's because I don't think there is one. While this title may not include riveting aspects that could pull you in, what it has is genuine and contained in such a small commitment. Once Upon a Jester defines charm and an indie that should be noticed.

Reviewed by Austin Ernst