Jack Jeanne Critic Reviews

Jack Jeanne is a celebration of the finest qualities of theatre, held within a visual novel that’s enjoyable to read. It has some distinctive, evocative art, and some minigames that help make the overall experience even more engaging. Yes, sure, future generations might not study these plays in school, as they do Shakespeare and Chekov, but the plays-within-the-game framing allows the writers to explore a love for the form, and that passion and respect infuses every second of the experience.

Jack Jeanne is easily the best otome game you can play right now, if you’re ok with rhythm gameplay. I love rhythm games and good quality otome games so Jack Jeanne feels tailor made for me. If you enjoy rhythm games but haven’t been able to get into the otome sub genre yet, this is for you. Just go buy Jack Jeanne.

Aside from all this romance games live and die on the cast, and there is an excellent cast of characters to choose from. No matter who you choose, you get to know everyone around you, and they bond together throughout the year independent of you. Each piece moves like fully formed people adding to that perfect feeling that what is happening is real. Jack Jeanne is the pinnacle, and evolution of the genre beyond simple dialogue trees. It’s a turning point for romance games, and we are unlikely to see a change so drastic for a long time.

Jack Jeanne is a sensational visual novel full of singing, dancing and drama. If you like rhythm games and hunky boys then you're in for a treat.

Jack Jeanne is an interesting otome title focusing more on its plot and emotional buildup than on direct romance. However, it still manages to spin a compelling and thought-provoking narrative with a whole lot of heart. Jack Jeanne celebrates creativity with characters you can truly appreciate when the final curtain falls. It’s a prime example of a game taking an innovative risk by leaping into the unknown and becoming a much stronger gaming experience.

Jack Jeanne is an amazing otome experience that you won’t want to put down. Still, repetition within some of the systems hurt the pacing on multiple playthroughs, and the narrative is practically begging for a sequel. However, it managed to keep me engaged, with some routes being an absolute rollercoaster of emotions. Hopefully, we see Aksys take more chances on these lesser-known otome developers in the future.

Jack Jeanne is an absolute delight. It’s one of my favorite games of 2023. I’d easily consider it my favorite Switch otome game, in the same way Tokimeki Memorial Girl’s Side 3rd Story stole my heart on the 3DS. It’s so well-executed. Anyone who enjoys visual novels, even if they normally don’t go for ones that are dating sims, should give it a chance.

Despite having improvable sections such as the 3D designs and the way the rhythm part of the game has been incorporated into the plot, if you like Sui Ishida's designs and the theatrical setting, this is a visual novel you can't ignore.

I don’t think the backlog will ever let me see every suitor’s ending in Jack Jeanne, but the ones I did reach were worth the extreme amounts of effort I had to put in. And it's nice that we have a proof of concept for "replicating physical performance in a rhythm game" like I asked for last month. Still, hopefully there’s a nice long break before the next rhythm novel because I definitely need one.