Jett: The Far Shore may be one of the most unique space exploration games to have ever launched. From its cryptic dialogue and surreal narrative to its apocalyptic-esque world, it isn't short of beautifuly bizarre ideas. However, while some of its lore, world-building, character interactions, and just general gameplay details are packed full of intrigue and charm, others are head-scratchingly confusing and simply make no sense.
From a strange use of the English language to baffling decisions made by seemingly smart characters, Jett: The Far Shore certainly has some nonsensical moments within its story. However, these are by far the most confoundingly bizarre of the bunch.
8 Deadly Ambitions
In Jett: The Far Shore, the player sets off on a spacefaring adventure to a new planet in search of the origin of the Hymnwave. It is incredibly exciting, and if you don't think about the ramifications of that journey, then it all makes sense. Unfortunately, the game constantly lets you know about how this journey into space costs a lot of money and caused famines, war, death, and destruction.
While it is a genuinely fascinating backstory that feels like a reflection on the fanaticism of the crusades, it doesn't really make that much sense. The sheer amount of death and destruction caused by the pursuit of space travel just doesn't seem worth it, especially as it continued for a ridiculous amount of time. While many could argue that it is a commentary on blindly following religious texts, it also feels like something someone would have stopped before it went too far. You don't see the people of our real world killing each other just to build a rocket.
7 The Language And Flowery Dialogue
Jett: The Far Shore's dialogue is delivered entirely in a fictional language. While it is fascinating to listen to and an admirable effort on behalf of the voice actors for delivering it, it doesn't work when the game becomes more action orientated. Trying to fly around fending off fearsome wildlife all while reading subtitles for the many things your co-pilot is screaming at you is a difficult thing to do.
On top of the — at times — inconvenient language barrier, Jett: The Far Shore opts for a more flowery and nonsensical version of the English language. For example, in place of the word "plan," they use "scheme," and instead of "completed," they say "satisfied". It makes already complicated dialogue that much more complicated.
6 Muteless Mei
Mei, the player character in Jett: The Far Shore, is, for the most part, a silent protagonist. While she is certainly one of the most compelling silent protagonists in video games, her inability to speak doesn't make sense in the context of the game. The main reason for this is that we see her speak, albeit as the Wyld speaking through her.
While the game explains that she is an Unspoken, an anchorite that can't speak, her fellow comrades react to the various dialogue choices that the player makes. So, other than budgetary constraints, it doesn't make that much sense why she doesn't speak. It ends up being detrimental to the experience, as, during the cockpit conversations between Mei and Isao, Mei remains completely motionless, staring straight at the camera with a blank expression.
5 The Limited Jett Booster
The Jett is an amazing spaceship and a lot of fun to fly around in. While sometimes the controls can be a tad fiddly, for the most part, piloting the Jett is smooth sailing. However, one of the Jett's features feels unnecessarily restrictive.
The Jett can reach incredible speeds by boosting. All the pilot has to do is hold down R2 and watch as their dainty ship jets off into the distance. Unfortunately, for whatever reason, this boost is limited. If you hold down R2 for too long, the booster malfunctions and knocks the Jett out of the sky. The only reason this feature is present is to make certain parts of the game feel a little more challenging, such as when the gloaming gets too strong. It otherwise hinders what would be incredibly enjoyable traversal.
4 Baffling Backstory
Not unlike Death Stranding, Jett: The Far Shore's backstory, lore, and worldbuilding are phenomenal. Unfortunately, also very much like Death Stranding and its needlessly complicated mechanics and story, they're also very confusing. For players who struggle to absorb reams of seemingly endless information, Jett: The Far Shore is going to be a bit of a struggle. It also doesn't help that the way this information is relayed is, well, cryptic.
Many minute details about the profound and slightly daunting history of Jett: The Far Shore's world are often lost on the player. While many will likely claim they understood every aspect, most will surely shudder at the astounding amount of reading and understanding required to enjoy Jett: The Far Shore's story. It feels like, for every piece of interesting and intriguing lore, there are two pieces that make no sense.
3 Too Many Cooks Piloting The Jett
Throughout almost all of Jett: The Far Shore, you will pilot the game's titular vehicle. However, there are numerous moments in which the main character Mei and her co-pilot Isao will stop for a chat. It is during these moments, in which they are reflected in the cockpit window, that the player can see Isao is sat behind Mei. At this point, it begs the question: why?
It is never really explained why each Jett requires two pilots, as it seems like Mei does all of the work. While there are certain cinematic moments in which control is relinquished from the player so that Isao can pilot the Jett, for the most part, he takes a literal back seat. Other than to have Isao talk the player's ear off, why there are two pilots per Jett makes no sense.
2 Jones And The Dreadwave
After escaping Tor and returning back to Ground Control, Mei and Jones fall unconscious. Their spacesuits (or "livery," as the game calls them) tore while exploring and the Wyld has seeped in and taken control. After a couple of brief surreal hallucinations, Mei recovers and continues on with her journey.
However, both Jones and Mei are affected by the dreadwaves, which cause their visions to blur and the lights to flicker whenever it comes by. The player's head bobs as it hits them, and voices suddenly become distorted. However, the same cannot be said for Jones. Jones just stands there, claiming she's still affected, but never reacting. It's an unfortunate oversight, but one that makes no sense nonetheless.
1 No One Seems To Care About Mei
After becoming infected with the Wyld, Mei starts to have visions and her sight is frequently blurred. She's comatose for ten days before eventually waking up in a mostly unstable state. However, despite all of that, her fellow scouts are more than content with sending her on an elongated mission out in the dangerous world they know so little about.
While Isao does occasionally say that Mei looks stable for the most part, it still makes no sense why the other scouts allowed her to leave in the first place. The same can be said about Jones, who is similarly infected with the Wyld, but supposedly was allowed to head out only moments after recovering. It makes no sense, especially as these are supposedly all well-trained scouts who should know better.