This is the second game that I’ve reviewed that features these characters. Jay and Silent Bob are characters that first appeared in the movie Clerks. The director of the movie, Kevin Smith, has used them in quite a few movies since then.
Clerks, Mallrats, Chasing Amy, Dogma, and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back were some of my favorite movies when I was in high school. They were some of the first VHS and DVDs that I bought. As I got older and my tastes changed, I didn’t really keep up with what Kevin Smith was doing. I played Jay and Silent Bob Mall Brawl recently, and that was a lot of fun.
This game, Jay and Silent Bob: Chronic Blunt Punch, looks very good! It looks like a cartoon, which is always something that I like. It also leans into the superhero personas that were created for these characters. I know there were comics that expanded on this, but I don’t know where my copies of them went.
Using these characters in a beat’em up is a great idea! I wish more properties did stuff like this. This is one of the games that I’m really looking forward to, so I hope it is good.
TLDR: An above average beat’em up with a few problems.
Narrative
The story starts off pretty simple. Jay and Silent Bob are hanging out outside the Quick Stop. They go inside and find a bunch of kids vandalizing the place. You find out that someone kidnapped Randel, and you have to go save him.
Some of the stage bosses give you a little information about what is going on. This is how many beat’em ups do things, and I like how it is done here. The game leads you to the mall. I’m not sure if it is Eden Prairie or Menlo Park, but I suppose that is too deep a reference.
As I’m going through this story, it does feel like the two of them are on something that is making them hallucinate. Things look increasingly strange as you go through the game. I really like this, and how it is making my mind wander.
The story is pretty good. In some ways, it feels like a bit of a drug trip. I’m not playing this game for some deep story, but I do like how it unfolds over the stages. This isn’t a long game, and the goofiness of the story is told quite well.
Gameplay
There are a few things that you know are going to be in a beat’em up. It makes writing about these games a little easier, and it is fun to see what twists they add to the formula. The game does say that it has local co-op, but I don’t know if it has online play or not. Many of the modern beat’em ups have this.
This is a side scrolling beat’em up. What you’re doing is beating the crap out of random people that appear on the screen. It is a staple of the genre, but it also leads to some repetitive gameplay. They do try to switch things up a bit, but it isn’t enough to ignore some of the faults in the genre.
Much like in Mall Brawl, you can swap between Jay and Silent Bob. This is one of the cooler mechanics in the game. I love this idea, and I wish other beat’em ups did stuff like this. What would help it out a little more is if there were more characters.
Like many beat’em ups, there is a little strategy to the game. You can’t just mash the heavy or weak attacks and get through the game. There are special attacks, blocks, and some “asset attacks” which make things a little better. You will get ganged up on, which is always annoying and can feel a little cheap.
While it can get a little repetitive, the developers try to spice things up with different enemies and stage hazards. I do like how this is done, even if it feels a little random that these enemies are in the game. It makes me wonder if I missed a whole bunch of inside jokes from the Kevin Smith movies that I didn’t watch.
Overall, I do like the gameplay. You can’t do the same thing to get through each stage, which is always fun. It is also fun to just punch a bunch of people in the face sometimes.
Visuals
The graphics are very good in this game. It looks like a Saturday morning cartoon, which is a good thing in this case. The game is very comedic, and the visuals go along with that. I like the special attacks, the enemies look great, and the stages look excellent. The level design is a little too basic for me.
Jay and Silent Bob: Chronic Blunt Punch has some of the same problems as other games in this genre. The level design isn’t all that interesting. While this isn’t a big issue for a beat’em up, it is worth noting.
The character sprites look very good! The boss characters are very large and look a little intimidating. It’s kind of funny how cartoonishly huge they are. I’m starting to wonder how many times I’ve used the word “cartoonish” or “cartoon” in this post.
This does touch on gameplay a little, but I had issues with lining up attacks at times. I don’t think it is a hitbox issue as much as a graphical one. My experience is going to be different from other people, so feel free to disagree.
I like the overall look of the stages. They’re a little goofy at times, which is something that I like about the game. It feels a little like this is more of a drug induced stupor than something that is actually happening.
The graphics are the star of the show in this game. They outshine the gameplay, which isn’t necessarily what you want to see in most video games. For a beat’em up, it is a bit of a problem to have this as they tend to rely of solid controls and gameplay.
8/10. This is a fun beat’em up that made me smile while I was playing it. Jay and Silent Bob: Chronic Blunt Punch might not be as good as the best games in the genre, but I like it a lot more than some of the other beat’em ups that I’ve played recently.
Pros
- Great Graphics
- Solid Controls
- Fun story
Cons
- A little repetitive
- No online play, if this is changed in an update, then I apologize
- No difficulty setting
- A little repetitive and cheap at times
Conclusion
As I continue playing this game, I have to say that I like Mall Brawl more than this game. The graphics are the star of this game. If there was more to the gameplay, then I would enjoy this one more than I did.
I played the Xbox version of the game. While I was playing it, I didn’t notice any technical issues, but I did read that there were a number of bugs for players who were using a Steam Deck. This obviously didn’t play a factor in my review of the game, but it is something to keep in mind if you’re interested in picking this game up.
I’m painfully aware that a review like this doesn’t get much traction. Very few people want to hear that a game is okay. I don’t think this game is great, but it is far from terrible. This is a game that I had fun with. It definitely has problems, but it is by no means a bad game.
This is an idea that I would love to see refined with another entry. Much like Mall Brawl, I want to see more games starring these characters, and I’m a little surprised that there aren’t too many of them. It would be nice to see more playable characters. Not being able to play as Brody really feels like a missed opportunity.
If you liked this post, check out some of my other posts about modern Beat’em ups. Such as Jay and Silent Bob Mall Brawl and Rushing Beat X.