Jawbreaker Review: More Like Jaw-Acher from All the Facepalming
"Jawbreaker," a game that promised to stealthily steal our hearts but instead absconded with our patience. If you've been eyeing this one because you heard it was like playing hide-and-seek with high stakes, well, buckle up—because it's more like playing musical chairs with only one chair and the music is a broken record.
Graphics and Setting: A Pretty Façade on a Crumbling Foundation
First things first, "Jawbreaker" does know how to dress up for the occasion. The graphics? Spot on. The creepy corridors and dimly lit rooms set the stage for what should have been a stealth masterpiece. It's like walking into a haunted house thinking you're going to scream in delight, only to find out the only scary thing is the lack of thought put into the gameplay mechanics.
Stealth Mechanics: About as Subtle as a Bull in a China Shop
Now, let's talk stealth, or whatever masquerades as stealth in this game. Enemy detection is as inconsistent as a weather forecast during spring. Get this—you can be spotted by just a pixel of your character peeking out from behind a wall. And hiding spots? Oh, they're there, but just try getting into one without alerting every baddie in a five-mile radius. It's like the game taunts you with a "You can hide here—just kidding!" every time you attempt stealth.
And the icing on this cake of chaos? Unskippable cutscenes every time you die. Imagine watching the same bad movie clip every time you blinked incorrectly. It's about as enjoyable as getting a root canal.
Enemy AI: I've Seen Smarter Toasters
Speaking of enemies, the AI in "Jawbreaker" could use a few lessons from, well, anything. These guys have the supernatural ability to detect you through walls and, let's not forget, stab you through them too. It's like playing against a psychic who also cheats at cards. Not exactly what you'd call a fair game.
The Illusion of Combat and the Reality of Running
Oh, and if you came looking for combat, keep looking. While the game teases the possibility of fighting back, it throws you into stealth sections that feel ripped from the worst of indie horror. You're better off trying to fight a shadow. At least then you'd have a chance of winning.
The Verdict: A Jawbreaker That's Hard to Chew
In conclusion, "Jawbreaker" is a game that could have been a contender. Instead, it's a frustrating blend of unpolished mechanics and wasted potential. It’s like ordering a gourmet meal and receiving a burnt toast. There's a solid foundation somewhere beneath the layers of issues, but it's buried deeper than the developer's understanding of fun stealth gameplay.
For those who adore punishment and have the patience of a saint, maybe give it a whirl. But for anyone else, this game is a hard pass unless significant patches bring it out of the dark ages of game design.
Overall Score: 4/10
"Jawbreaker"? More like heartbreaker. And not in a good way. It's a game that almost was, could have been, but ultimately, wasn't. Better luck next patch, devs. Until then, keep your stealth cravings satisfied with literally anything else.
We at NLM received a key for this game for free, this however didn’t impact our review in any way.