JARS

 Switch
Metascore
65

Mixed or average reviews - based on 4 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 0 out of 4
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 4
  3. Negative: 0 out of 4
  1. COGconnected
    Nov 8, 2021
    72
    At its price point, you’ll be in for an okay time, especially if you find yourself enjoying the look and have an itch for a light tower defense game. It’s charming, and it doesn’t get in its own way of just letting you have at a few levels quickly. Whether or not it sticks with you will depend on how much you jive with its critters, the hand-drawn art, and Victor’s story.
  2. IGN Italia
    Oct 29, 2021
    68
    A decent mix of tower defense and puzzle game with an interesting art style and not much originality in terms of gameplay.
  3. Video Chums
    Oct 27, 2021
    60
    It may not be the deepest or most strategic tower defense game out there but JARS' sense of randomness makes it rather enjoyable.
  5. Screen Rant
    Oct 25, 2021
    60
    JARS has similar visuals to Creepy Tale 2, but the puzzles are much more coherent and enjoyable. Through some trial and error, players can beat even the hardest levels in the game within just a few minutes. JARS will keep players' interest with intriguing visuals, a variety of characters in hero mode, and a few challenging levels scattered throughout the main story.

User Reviews

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User Score
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No user score yet- Awaiting 1 more rating

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 3
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 3
  3. Negative: 0 out of 3
  1. abrus
    Jul 5, 2022
    7
    I had lots of fun with this game until a bit after halfway thorough when it started to get repetitive and I started getting bored. TheI had lots of fun with this game until a bit after halfway thorough when it started to get repetitive and I started getting bored. The graphics, music, atmosphere and presentation of Jars are all top notch. The story is engaging and the animated cut scenes are really cool. There is a lot to like about this game, but it does have its problems:
    1. Much of the 'puzzle' aspect is really just trial and error (and sometimes luck).
    2. The random placement of items in the jars make some level runs much more difficult than others.
    3. The controls in docked mode are pretty clunky and make some levels harder than they should be.
    Despite these drawbacks, there will be many players out there who are motivated to play this through to the end. There are lots of levels to complete, and a range of unlockable items to acquire. It is certainly worth a look if you enjoy tower defence games (especially when it is on special).    … Full Review »
  2. NindieSpotlight
    Dec 17, 2021
    7
    With a visual style somewhere between Tim Burton and the characters in Don’t Starve, there’s a timeliness to the creepy general vibes JarsWith a visual style somewhere between Tim Burton and the characters in Don’t Starve, there’s a timeliness to the creepy general vibes Jars gives off. While getting the hang of how best to make use of your limited resources for the most strategic benefit can take a few tries in some cases, this works out to be an odd and faster-paced variation on tower defense in many regards. In each scenario you’ll have items you’ll need to protect, and then vials you’ll need to break, which can contain your creatures and items you’ll use or various types of critters who’ll be trying to wreck the things you’re trying to protect. From stage to stage the degree of difficulty and intensity can vary a bit wildly, so you’ll need to be ready for anything, but with quick thinking and action you’ll always ultimately have the means to succeed at your disposal, you’ll just need to work quickly and effectively, and sometimes have a very sound plan ready to go. I will say that the interface for managing your critters and their perks, which is absolutely necessary for your success, can be a bit clunky with console controls, but aside from that and what your tastes are in challenges, this at least stands out as a very different flavor of strategy on multiple levels in the eShop and that alone may make it worth a glance for genre fans.

    https://www.nindiespotlight.com/2021/10/mini-reviews-october-21st-edition.html    … Full Review »
  3. SyndicateY
    Nov 28, 2021
    8
    One genre that I always enjoy playing is a good Tower Defense game, but sadly I never know where to look for interesting ones that doOne genre that I always enjoy playing is a good Tower Defense game, but sadly I never know where to look for interesting ones that do something different. There is something that I find relaxing and addictive about the games that I don’t know how to explain the feeling. That’s why whenever I hear about a new one, I jump at the opportunity to play it, and if l am lucky, I have a great experience as well. The latest Tower Defense game to land into my Switch is JARS, a game ripe for the Halloween season that just bypassed us.

    When Victor drops the last jar of Pickles, he is sent to the basement by his mother to retrieve a new jar. When Victor enters the basement, he finds several jars. Jars aren’t the only thing he finds in the basement as it also contains a sarcophagus and not any sarcophagus, but the one and only Dracula’s. Now Victor has a new job, and that is to protect Dracula from all the creepy crawlers that intend to harm him with the power of jars.

    JARS is a 2D based Tower defense game where players are tasked with protecting Dracula’s sarcophagus from the creepy crawlers in the basement. To protect the sarcophagus, players need to open a series of jars. The jars on each level come in three different varieties: Allies, which can be items or insects the player uses to protect Dracula; Enemies, which like the name says, are the attackers trying to destroy Dracula; and Random Jars, these are usually the last ones that should be opened as they can contain either allies or enemies, which changes every time the level is restarted. I loved how the game incorporated random generation in the levels, as it always kept me on my toes. Like any game with randomly generated levels, it came with the whole difficulty problem as well, meaning sometimes players would get a good lot of jars or some bad jars that you just want to throw out and wish you never opened as that stench is now stuck in the air.

    The levels in JARS are short and bite-sized, with most of the levels taking under five minutes or less to complete. During each level, players need to open all jars and protect the sarcophagus from any enemies emerging from the jars. As well as the essential protection of the sarcophagus, players may also have to protect batteries with magnets which will give them extra money to either upgrade or buy new weapons or insects to protect Dracula. I liked that the levels didn’t take long as it allowed me to pick up and play whenever I had a bit of time; it made it perfect for handheld mode in short sessions.

    Even though the levels are short, it didn’t mean the game was easy, but it did make it easier to restart levels. As I said prior, the random generation did help when redoing levels as levels I had trouble on were made more accessible as half the random jars were used to my advantage. This didn’t always work out that way, but it was such a good feeling when it worked in my favour; it made me feel powerful. On the other hand, when it went the other way, frustration ensured. This is neither a good thing nor a bad thing when I think about it; it is just part of the random-generation genre, and at least it kept me on my toes, even if it got frustrating when it didn’t go my way.

    With all that said, JARS is best played in bite-sized increments, but that isn’t to say that long sessions won’t work, but if you are like me, you may want to savour the game and play it over many days. If you can’t and need to play it all at once, players can always repeat levels and try improving their scores.

    JARS is an excellent tower defense that mixes 2D art and randomly generated levels to give players a game that can be enjoyed in bite-sized and long sessions with players going through all types of emotions. You will have a love-hate relationship with the game in a good way. You would have thought protecting Dracula in a Basement would be so fun.

    JARS is available on Switch and Steam.

    A review code for JARS was provided by publisher Daedalic Entertainment.    … Full Review »