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Published on September 23rd, 2024 | by Nay Clark

Cricket: Jae’s Really Peculiar Game Review (Switch)

Take a journey with Jae and his friends on a trip to the moon to make the most fantastical wish you can think of. Cricket: Jae’s Really Peculiar Game is a JRPG developed by Studio Kumiho, published by PM Studios, and released on September 19th of 2024. The game pays homage to classics like the adventurous storytelling of EarthBound and the battle structure of the Mario and Luigi RPGs. The clear inspiration here is only the framework for Cricket: Jae’s Really Peculiar Game, as it easily shines in its own specific way. Experience what true strength is while building bonds, forming friendships, and using this comradery to fulfill your dreams.

In Cricket: Jae’s Really Peculiar Game, you play as the soft-spoken and big-hearted Jae; a young boy who is dealing with the trauma of the death of a loved one. Jae’s bestfriend Zack is a lot more feisty and hardheaded than Jae and the two are the perfect pair of pals to either hype each other up when they need to be brave or to calm each other down during moments where talking would normally come first before fists. After accidentally saving their town, a mysterious girl crash lands right in front of them. She tells the two that she is on a mission to Yimmelia, a fabled land set on the moon that can grant any wish. Jae and Zack join in her quest ardently for their own reasons and find themselves in otherworldly events that they could never imagine.

The story in Cricket: Jae’s Really Peculiar Game seems very flat at first, but the more you get into it, the more magical it becomes. There is always some new element being introduced that fleshes out the world and as chaotic as it might be, it always seems to make sense and doesn’t feel haphazard at all. There is a giant talking boulder that sneezes out smaller rocks, magic watermelons are used to power up alligators, and you face-off against an underground gang of sharks. Whether you are running into flying rats or birds that balloon up and float away, the absurdity of the world and story in this game creates an earnest throughline with a clear vision that keeps you interested. 

Gameplay is straightforward and not really rewarding. You run around with Jae in different areas and you can talk to people or interact with some objects like trash cans that you can throw around. Jae can also sprint which makes moving around an area a lot faster and there is some cool interactivity with this ability like running into a column to knock a platform down or running into a vending machine to get a free item. You can buy items at shops or find equipment and other trinkets in cookie bins found hidden throughout your environment. There is a small decision making component in the game, but it never had a serious impact on my overall gameplay experience. Characters will get mad if you run into them, throw things at them, or walk away from them while they are in the middle of a conversation, but the meter that this runs on seemed to constantly reset which made these decisions never have an impact during my playthrough of the game. 

While the game is fun to play, going through the frequent motions of tackling each new area can get repetitive. The areas all look great and the hand drawn style the game has is beautiful and has a unique finish to it that makes this game stand out with just that fact alone, but most of the areas feel too monotonous to each other. A lot of the times you are running through flat areas. Sometimes the design of these places are interesting and dense, but a lot of the cool designs are just set dressing. Enemies are scattered almost too frequently at points and you are constantly in and out of combat too much. Enemies also respawn as soon as you move a bit off screen from their original position so backtracking or trying to solve environmental puzzles becomes a drag when you are constantly trying to avoid combat.

Coming into contact with enemies will activate the turn-based combat. Each member of your party has their own abilities and team attacks with other characters so it’s a good idea to swap between different characters and to switch up your party to discover useful attacks. There are also DP points which dictate any special kind of movement like using a special ability. Jae is pretty well balanced between attacks and defense, but can also use his DP to heal. Zack is a heavy hitter, Symphony has some good skills that damages multiple enemies, so on and so forth. Positioning your party between the front and back lines also plays a factor and you can use items like candy bars to replenish health or tissue paper to recover from the damage of the “sneeze” effect. Finding enough character tokens out in the world will let that character learn a new ability to use in combat.

There is a tug-of-war-like power dynamic during encounters that you can use to power your attacks up. With every attack released onto the enemy, you can press a button to amplify its effect. You can also do this to nullify the enemy’s attacks. Succeeding in this extra bout, raises your side of a meter that you can then use to make your attacks even stronger or to slow down time to make it easier to flourish in these quick time events. Some of them go by quickly and often you may feel cheated because the room for error feels off just a bit. Your adversaries can also take advantage of this meter which can make taking on some battles pretty risky if you aren’t fully prepared.

Although there are a lot of things you can do while fighting the crazy creatures you come across, the combat is so easy that the variety of layers the game gives you to play with is almost meaningless. Other than boss battles where the fight is dragged out into multiple phases, a lot of fights can be completed by just performing normal attacks over and over. By the time you can use the meter to activate stronger attacks, the fight is already over. Oftentimes I would sit there and ponder if it’s even viable to use my DP for stronger attacks when I could just pummel the tiny robots in front of me into the ground with ease with my most basic attacks. There is some strategy where it makes sense to lash out an attack that damages multiple targets, but that’s the most strategic decision you will face that overlays any situation that’s not as simple as simply using your normal attacks. There is little nuance with some characters, but even that just deals with their specific powers only and not the overall design of the combat situations. 

I also bought a lot of items for “just in case” moments so I would be prepared for any situation, but I ended up having a lot more items than I thought I would. If you extensively scour the environment, you will come across a plethora of items that will safely guide you throughout your entire journey. Jae can also use his DP outside of battle to heal your party members so there was never any stress when it came to surviving. Your health and DP also get refilled before or after particular story battles so there is never a sense of urgency or stakes at all. While the game obviously gets harder and more complicated later on with enemy strength and layout, the fun factor of strategizing in this JRPG felt rather lackluster due to never feeling like I was in danger. The abundance of ways to go about a battle is moot when there is absolutely no reason to use them.

Cricket: Jae’s Really Peculiar Game has a remarkable vibe like no other which is shown through its graphical prowess and upbeat music that I still hum days after completion. The silliness of the characters and the way they are animated are shown beautifully through the awesome 2D art style. Some events are reminiscent of something you may see in Cuphead for example. Wacky sounds like the bonk of a traffic cone and funny situations like helping a goat with its boat create a quirky world that melds perfectly panoptically. The games creativeness through cell phone menus, naming conventions, and thoughtful dialogue make this escapade to the moon one of a kind. 

Final Thoughts?

Cricket: Jae’s Really Peculiar Game is not your typical JRPG. It is a perilous and heartwarming enterprise where makeshift friendships turn into indestructible alliances. There is a great time to be had in this rich and peculiar world and the graphics and audio design sell this kooky vibe exceptionally well. The game is fun to play but becomes a chore faster than you would want it due to flat environments and a easy streamlined combat system that gets annoying with the constant onslaught of respawning enemies. The dialogue and overall comedy enriches the diversion and produces a delightful time that you won’t forget. Munch down on a Dwix Bar and make your way across this animated world to wish for your greatest desire.

About the Author

Nay Clark Gaming holds a special place in my heart and I never stop talking about video games. I really love all types of games and have an interest in games that have complicated stories and lore because I enjoy untangling the mystery of it all. When I'm not gaming, I unsuccessfully try to control three amazing and incredibly bright kids.

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