One of the unfortunate things I’ve seen all too often reviewing indie games on the Switch, are games that have some decent ideas, even if not necessarily inventive ones, but then don’t seem to know what to do with them. They’re introduced, you’ll get to make some minimal use of them, but they then just seem to get lost in the shuffle and aren’t sufficiently explored. It’s that sort of thing that can argue the difference between a good game and one that’s merely middling, and unfortunately in the case of JustAxe, more often than not, it doesn’t all quite come together.

In the game you’ll play as a young woman whose sister has been kidnapped, and who must then go on a journey to free her armed only (initially) with her great-grandfather’s trophy axe. What follows is pretty well-worn puzzle platforming action fare, with you needing to move between taking on enemies, making some tough jumps that will force you to show some technique, and figuring out how to grab everything you can by solving a variety of puzzles you’ll encounter along the way. In combat you’re reasonably capable, though you won’t have much in the way of moves to work with, mostly needing to time your jumps or simple evasive moves to avoid enemy attacks and then move in for the kill. 

At least on the platforming side you’ll have a little more to work with in the way of moves and techniques with your axe (and later, your whip), but that’s also where some of the missed potential comes into play. While in specific circumstances you’ll be able to chop down a tree to assist you in getting around, or chop into the walls to perform a sort of wall jump move, and more, these skills feel like they’re used too sparsely through your adventure. More often than not you’ll simply be making specific jumps, grabbing onto ledges, and just exploring when you see anything remotely suspicious. A greater number of puzzles, or opportunities to force you to make the most of everything you have, could have absolutely made the game a little more distinctive, but as it is you’re more left with a feeling that some potential was squandered.

None of this is to say JustAxe is a bad game, it just ends up being a somewhat unremarkable one. Overall, I’d say its level of challenge is in the middle of the road, neither being a breeze or terribly difficult… but you could make an argument it’s also simply bland. There are sections and puzzles that are enjoyable, but they tend to be followed up by others that feel like they could have been from any number of other average games of this type out in the eShop. You could do worse with your money, but you could also absolutely do better.