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For the most part the item management and usage is nicely streamlined, lacking a cumbersome traditional action interface and mostly just revolving around clicking on items or dragging them onto things (or each other) to initiate action. Most of the time conversations with other characters will prompt a course of action so even if you feel you have the right elements to formulate a solution to a problem you’ll likely need to find the right person to talk to in order to put your theory to the test. You’ll need to carefully scan each screen not just for items but sometimes also for different exit points, as there were a few cases where it wasn’t immediately clear where I could go on all screens. Overall the game’s humor and tone are upbeat and fun, but I’ll admit that what I assume are the its attempts to use non-traditional cultures in the genre come out mixed and somewhat odd. The mixing of what appear to be African tribal masks with characters sporting pretty stereotypical Jamaican accents seems well-meaning but ignorant, though perhaps the inspiration for the accents is the very good-natured and optimistic nature of the main characters. Aside from that most of the complaints fall firmly along the normal line for the genre, puzzles that can be a bit convoluted and rely on trial and error in some cases and occasions where you feel a bit lost in terms of what you need to do next. All in all the somewhat light and silly tone of the game, its puzzles, and characters make for an entertaining few hours and the stage seems to be set well for the rest of the story to unfold. I wouldn’t say it is the best example of the genre on the Switch, and people who typically don’t enjoy these sorts of games would be unlikely to find this one to be any different. However, if you’re looking for some humor, some oddball puzzles, and the start of what could be a light but interesting story The Journey Down: Chapter One seems to get things off to a promising start overall.
Justin Nation, Score:Good [7.0]