Judero (opens in new tab) made an immediate impression on me. Its stop-motion animation struck me at first as it reminded me admirably of the work of Ray Harryhausen and Phil Tippett. As the developers themselves put it, "For us, this art style evokes something nostalgic.

Each character is made from a real-life model, combining classic G.I. Joe "kung fu grip" style ball-jointed figures with hand-carved and painted epoxy clay. The effect is absolutely eye-catching, recalling not only 2015's "Hylics" (opens in new tab), but also classic examples of spritzed models (digital or real) such as "Doom" and "Donkey Kong Country."

This aesthetic coup underlying the game seems to be the forte of Jack King-Spooner, co-creator and developer of Dujanah (open in new tab), but it evokes a laconic sword-and-sandal barbarian fantasy and the epic poetry inspired by it, eerie The game's free demo is a bare-bones, bare-bones game. In the game's free demo, you play as Judeo, a bare-chested, stick-wielding wandering warrior and saint who finds himself in a small village surrounded by unnatural forces.

The demo's storyline recalls the best of The Witcher's self-contained, twisted little tales, and feels almost primal and uncanny as small-scale, personal tragedies give way to supernatural horror stories. Passing through town, for example, one hears of twin brothers who have turned feuding and acrimonious since their mother's death. When you find them outside the village, they have become (or were they always?) grotesque two-headed demons.

The combat, which seems to be co-developer Talha Kaya's forte, is really interesting: the regular combat in Judero's demo is pretty good, with engaging enemy possession mechanics and a focus on puzzle solving, but hit stops and enemy stagger when you block an attack, or perfectly timed parry would make the combat even better.

As it stands, you have to do your best to maintain your block or resort to dodging. However, the two bosses really come alive, and the bullet hell flying dodges really keep you on your toes. The rhythm reminds me of "NieR" and 2016's "Furi" (open in new tab).

But far worse gameplay is acceptable for the sake of Judero's impeccable atmosphere. The soundtrack consists of acoustic renditions of English folk songs, and a jaunty rendition of "The House of the Morning Sun" begins as you step into the house, a touch of anachronism that hits home. It was not a very Hollywood trailer version with bleak vocals and kinky piano tones, but more true to the roots of the folk song. I'd like to go on, but I'm more interested in the townspeople "Surprised Man"

"Judero! On this water's edge I saw a vision. The water became still and glassy. Salmon swimming from the sea were vivid in my eyes. I saw clearly in my eyes the salmon swimming from the sea. Silver sands, golden rocks, a maze of blue paths. And then a boat approached, with a vision of a beautiful woman rowing out from under it. She told me about the Fomolii, a cruel and misshapen tribe of sea gods. She told me that she was their princess and that she was being hunted by the Dark Lord Tigearna Dubu, who wanted to take her as his bride. Her name is Mürgen. She was born of the sea. Judea, if you meet a pretty girl of that name, do not let her marry into that filthy Tigearna Dubh. Her heart belongs to me here in Blyth."

What in the world am I supposed to do with this ...... I will never know, I just want to know more about it, you can wishlist Judero on Steam and check out the free demo yourself or check it out on itch.io.