Zero Punctuation Season 12 Episode 44 The Missing: J J Macfield and the Island of Memories

Zero Punctuation is a fast-paced video game review show presented by Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw, known for his rapid-fire commentary and hilarious wit. Season 12 episode 44, titled "The Missing: J J Macfield and the Island of Memories," finds Yahtzee taking a look at the latest indie offering from developer Swery65.

The Missing: J J Macfield and the Island of Memories is, at its core, a puzzle-platformer with a dark, emotional storyline. The game's protagonist, J J Macfield, is on a quest to find her friend Emily, who has gone missing on a mysterious island. As J J searches for her friend, she must navigate a series of increasingly challenging puzzles while also coming to terms with her own inner demons and the trauma she has experienced in her life.

Yahtzee is immediately drawn in by the game's striking visuals, which combine bright, colorful landscapes with eerie, unsettling imagery. He praises the game's use of lighting and camera angles to create a sense of tension and unease, as well as its effective use of sound design to heighten the emotional impact of certain scenes.

The gameplay, meanwhile, is a mix of traditional platforming mechanics and inventive puzzle solving. Yahtzee notes that the game's puzzles are not always intuitive, but praises the developers for finding creative ways to challenge the player's problem-solving skills. He also commends the game's use of checkpoints, which allow the player to quickly retry difficult sections without having to start all the way from the beginning.

However, Yahtzee's main focus is on the game's story and themes. He notes that The Missing tackles some heavy subject matter, including mental illness, homophobia, and domestic abuse, and praises the game's approach to these issues as thoughtful and nuanced. He also highlights the game's use of symbolism and metaphor to explore these themes, and notes that the game's narrative structure is intentionally fragmented and non-linear, allowing the player to piece together J J's story at their own pace.

Overall, Yahtzee is impressed by The Missing: J J Macfield and the Island of Memories, calling it "a game that succeeds in both telling a compelling story and delivering enjoyable gameplay." He notes that the game's dark subject matter may not be for everyone, but praises the developers for handling these issues with care and sensitivity. If you're a fan of puzzle-platformers with a strong emotional core, The Missing is definitely worth a look.