Jupiter and Mars: Definitive Edition from Tigertron brings us a revamped take on the formerly VR-enabled underwater adventure. Learn more in our Jupiter and Mars: Definitive Edition review!
Jupiter and Mars: Definitive Edition from Tigertron brings us a revamped take on the formerly VR-enabled underwater adventure. You’ll be entering this world as the titular dolphins Jupiter and Mars, as they try to save the ocean after the machines from the earthwalkers blew poisons into the sky, which covered the land and made their way to the ocean. After millennia of neglect, the Earth was no longer an option for the earthwalkers… who one day vanished without a trace. It was then that the Earth slowly but surely started to heal, and it’s here that you come in. It’s thanks to your help that the planet can eventually fully recover.
Jupiter and Mars was originally released on PlayStation 4 back in 2019, offering PlayStation VR support, going for a camera view that you’d definitely expect from a VR game, but without making the headset a mandatory component. Since this one is Jupiter and Mars: Definitive Edition, that means there’s something different when comparing the Nintendo Switch release with the PlayStation 4 one, right?
For Jupiter and Mars: Definitive Edition, we’re getting a revamped experience. As the game’s director, James Mielke, mentioned during our interview, some UI elements have been removed to streamline the overall design, and the default camera view is now third-person instead of first-person. The game has also received some graphic design tweaks, visual enhancements, and a new ending theme song: “Blue Life” from Ken Ishii.
Once the first cutscene is over, you’ll be taking control of Jupiter – that would be the female blue dolphin – with the left analog stick as you swim forward by pressing and holding down the ZR button. Pressing and holding down the ZL button will allow you to swim backward. You can quickly perform a 180° flip turn by pressing the X button.
Jupiter can use echolocation by pressing the B button to reveal more about the world around you. Echolocation is the biological process by which an animal uses sound waves and returning echoes to identify and locate objects. You know, ljust ike whales and bats do in real life. And yes, a dolphin is technically a whale! This will allow you to get a better view of your surroundings, locate points of interest, as well as identify any threats.
You can sort these out by blowing out vortex rings by pressing the Y button. Say you run into a group of jellyfish that are in your way. Using the vortex rings will remove them from play for a moment, thus allowing you to get through. Vortex rings can also be used to rescue creatures that have been caught in the pollution.
As for Mars? Mars is a bit tougher than Jupiter, which is why he can ram targets to help the pair. If you find something of interest, you can instruct Mars to ram said target by pressing the A button. That way, Mars can, say, open up a clam that is hiding a collectible, destroy a wooden grating that is keeping you from accessing the next area, or remove some rocks that might be in your way.
Jupiter and Mars: Definitive Edition brings us a revamped take on the formerly VR-enabled underwater adventure. You’ll be entering this world as the titular dolphins Jupiter and Mars, as they try to save the ocean after the machines from the earthwalkers blew poisons into the sky, which covered the land and made their way to the ocean. After millennia of neglect, the Earth was no longer an option for the earthwalkers… who one day vanished without a trace. It was then that the Earth slowly but surely started to heal, and it’s here that you come in. It’s thanks to your help that the planet can eventually fully recover.
The game was previously released for the PlayStation 4, with PlayStation VR support, and that means that the camera view was presented in a very specific way, with controls serving that vision. It’s now been ported to Nintendo’s hybrid console with reworked visuals, a third-person default camera, as well as a new ending theme song: “Blue Life” from Ken Ishii, thus making this the definitive way of playing.
At first, you won’t be able to go everywhere, since some areas will be blocked until you manage to upgrade your abilities or gain new ones. Ran into a strong current? Don’t worry, you’ll be able to sort it out later. Found a cave that is just a bit too deep for you to explore? That will be taken care of later in the game. This will allow you to revisit previous areas and use your new abilities to gain access to spots that remained just past your reach, so that you can 100% this release.
If you’re playing this one on a Nintendo Switch 2 console, you might want to jump into the settings menu and take advantage of the Uncap Framerate option. This will allow you to take advantage of the extra power of the Nintendo Switch for a higher and more stable max frame rate. Jupiter and Mars: Definitive Edition is out on Nintendo Switch with a $19.99 price tag.
Disclaimer
This Jupiter and Mars: Definitive Edition review is based on a Nintendo Switch copy provided by Tigertron.
