Joon Shining Game Gush Review

Hello Game Gushers,

Would you like to learn about a video game that incorporates golf, magic, and puzzles? Oh, and you know, wanting to rip your face off—Great! Joon Shining is an indie game developed by Orchid of Redemption and published by Lamplight Forest (thank you for the free game!). In Joon Shining, you play as Joon – a young sorceress traveling across the colorful multiverse. Our heroine’s goal is to repopulate the Dodo birds on the brink of extinction by golfing their eggs into nests around the world.

After a brief argument with a hungry feline riding a cloud, the God of the Void appears. It warns Joon that repopulating the Dodos will upset the balance of life. Joon Shining uses this story setup to play with the idea of the circle of life in a unique way. I enjoyed the screenplay between the curious sorceress, the hungry cat, nonchalant dodo birds, and the infuriated God of the Void.

Joon Shining – Puzzle Platformer

Joon Shining is not for the faint of heart or for gamers who are easily frustrated. This game is a challenging puzzle golf platformer with myriads of magical mechanics! Gameplay requires carefully honed skills and picking the best approach to stay under par. As Joon, you travel among 8 unique worlds, including a forest, an underwater oasis, an ancient battleground, and the cosmos! Each environment has its magical possibilities, secrets, and traps.

Joon Shining includes an easy mode which increases the number of shots it takes to hit par and provides more linear paths to the hole. The overall gameplay remains the same, though. Players may be frustrated by failed attempts. Fail too often, and you’ll even need to do a separate puzzle session to revive yourself in the cosmos before getting back to your disheartening struggle. Struggling on certain levels over and over just to be hit with a revive course was literally going through HELL!

Challenging for Hardcore Puzzle Platformer Enthusiasts

No, seriously, Joon Shining looks whimsical and fun, and relaxing. Surprisingly, the cute indie game platformer is honestly for masochists and hardcore puzzle enthusiasts. Not only does the game require carefully crafted shots, but also real-time player inputs to produce the most effective shot. Any hairline mistake will have you repeating the course for a long time, especially if you are a perfectionist and need to be under par. Oh, the downfalls of being a perfectionist.

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Secrets, Traps, and Collectibles

Let’s move on to the magic in Joon Shining! The power of telekinesis will allow you to slow down the ball while it’s in the air or continue rolling forward once it hits the ground. Burn away obstacles with fire. Gain the power of flight by sailing through a magic ring. Enchant airstreams. Detonate explosives. Ewwww, sticky goo! And a lot more where that came from.

Dodo eggs can bounce off bubbles, float on clouds, ride on bullets, and flow through pipes like it’s me, Mario! Be careful where you land too. A living bush will seek out your egg and force you into a difficult shot with heavy resistance. However, I consider this little guy like a cute little pet. How can you be upset with this adorable bush?

Many puzzles hide secret teardrop collectibles required to unlock the ultimate true ending. There are 100 teardrops spread across all levels. Yellow teardrops are collected in the same shot as long as you don’t hit a hazard. In similar fashion, blue teardrops are collected as long as you complete the hole without hitting a hazard.