After all of the men have left the village, Jack has found an axe. Axes are only meant for men, but this axe is special and has given Jack unique abilities. She’s now trying to leave this town and figure out what has happened in the world around her. Jack Axe is a pixel-art, open world platformer where you must explore around these challenging worlds.
Jack’s axe is very special. You are able to throw it out and then teleport to it, as well as use it to take on enemies or stick into wooden blocks to hold it in place. Dotted around the first world, there is a bunch of large coins. These coins need to be collected to unlock new areas and eventually take on the boss. The world is pretty open, meaning if you get stuck in an area, you can just go out and find somewhere else to win a coin from. Some are hiding, some are easy to get and others have you really sweating. Making precise jumps, avoiding enemies and watching when you throw out your axe; Jack Axe is really full of challenge.
Playing with more than one player does make the game a bit easier, as you can all help each other — even when you die in an area, you are able to distract enemies and continue contributing to the game. When I played Jack Axe at Gamescom, I was speedrunning the game on livestream, despite there not being a speedrun mode, which was a fun test to do! In the first world, going through the temple in an attempt to make all of those precise jumps, avoiding spikes and enemies, it’s a big challenge.
There isn’t much known yet about the other worlds beyond this main base, just that they are far different from the snow-covered land you start in. As you explore this Norse/Filipino fusion, you’ll slowly uncover a story about a woman living in a man’s world, trying to break the taboo and take on a job normally meant for men. Jack Axe is a fun and challenging platformer that’s very much worth keeping your eye on.
For now, you can wishlist the game on Steam.
