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Last week, Nintendo had an Indie World Showcase. It's like a Direct but primarily for indie games from developers all around the world. A lot of cool games were shown (Have a Nice Death, Pepper Grinder, and Oni, to name a few) but the one that really grabbed my attention was this weird looking game that was released on the same day. Once Upon a Jester. It's about these two friends, Sok and Jester, and their quest to win a chance to perform at the kingdom's Royal Theatrical Spectacle. This, however, is a ruse so they can steal the Royal Diamond! A game where two idiots perform improv theatre so they can steal a big jewel? Sign me up!
The game itself was really fun! The developers, Bonte Avond, recorded most of the dialogue in one take. It definitely shows. But this is by no means a criticism. In fact, the way the dialogue is recorded makes the improv in the game feel much more authentic. Plus it's really funny to see what they came up with. The gameplay is pretty simple, with the player needing to complete quicktime events during the performance to get a good score. The main goal with each performance is to get 5 bouquets from the audience, with a total of fifteen in each town you perform in. If can't get five in one performance, no worries. You can keep trying as long as you need. The plot isn't going anywhere. Also, since the developers are primarily musicians, the music slaps. As someone who spent all of high school and college doing theatre, I can't recommend this game enough.
This isn't so much a review as much me wanting to talk about this really charming game. If you have a Switch or Steam and an appreciation for theatre, then Once Upon a Jester may be for you.
Oh, also Corpse Husband has a cameo in the game. It's hilarious.