J.U.L.I.A.: Among the Stars
J.U.L.I.A.: Among the Stars is an innovative narrative driven adventure game which is being developed due to overwhelming support from a successful crowdfunding campaign.
The story centers on Rachel Manners, a 35 year old astrobiologist. She is a member of an elite group of scientists, chosen to embark on one of the most critical missions ever conceived on Earth. Now Rachel is alone, orbiting an unknown planet. Her only companions are J.U.L.I.A., the space probe’s artificial intelligence and Mobot, a huge reconnaissance robot. Together, this unlikely trio will explore the mysteries of this solar system. But are they prepared for what they will find?
story
After countless years of careful space observation, the enormous telescope Chandra 17 suddenly locates a solar system quite similar to our own. As all earthly observatories turned their attention towards this new discovery, a signal of artificial origin is detected from deep within the system.
Reaction was immediate and a mission plan was conceived. No expense was spared in the construction of a massive space probe. It was designed and equipped to be ideally suited for the ultimate challenge: to meet and study extraterrestrial sentient life-forms. Equal care was taken with the crew. Only the most prominent scientists were selected and trained to ideally represent planet Earth. Everything was perfectly planned and success was certain. Yet somehow, everything has gone terribly wrong…
Now, imagine being jolted awake by an emergency alarm. As your surroundings come into focus, you realize you were deep in cryogenic sleep on a vast space probe. But why you are there is an elusive memory. Disoriented, you rush to the control room searching for answers. Once there you learn from the ship’s AI that not only have you been asleep for decades, but you are also the last surviving member of the probe’s crew.
To make matters worse, the probe is severely damaged by a disastrous impact with a passing meteoroid swarm. First, you must make repairs. Not only is your own survival at stake, but you need to find out what happened to the crew and why you alone survived.
Are You Prepared to
- step into the spacesuit of Rachel Manners and find out why she was the sole survivor of this ill-fated expedition?
- utilize an ingenious MOBOT – a mobile robot designed for planetary exploration to investigate this solar system and all its wonders?
- solve the mystery of the mission’s failure and locate the missing crew?
- travel to six unique planets and uncover their secrets?
- solve puzzles, gather clues and communicate with the most temperamental artificial intelligence ever designed?
- Are you prepared for… J.U.L.I.A.
Steam User 6
I really enjoyed Julia! I love the story and how it unfolds. It doesn't tread new ground, but it does it very well. I liked the characters for the most part. There are a few times where Rachel, the main character, rubs me the wrong way, but most of the time she's fine. Mobot is the MVP, I love him. Even though he's a robot, he has his own personality that shines through.
The graphics are gorgeous, each planet is distinctive. I love that whatever planet you're orbiting shows up on the menu. And the overall atmosphere is amazing. There's a sense of freedom, that I can take the ship to any planet in this solar system really helps make the game feel more open than it technically is. I love the small details too, like how you can see Mobot in the cargo bay.
There are lots of different types of puzzles; decoding, constructing, hacking. Most of them make sense in context, though there was at least one that frustrated me.
Steam User 2
Let me put it straight — I stopped playing somewhere towards the end because the game is too slow for me (I prefer faster plot-driven twisty adventures like, e.g., "The Longest Journey" or "Gemini Rue", and not a fan of classic point & click. ), but, gosh, seldom do I encounter such high production values in an adventure game: captivating visuals, full voice-over, quite a few of pre-rendered cutscenes. All in all, if you like pure point & click, go for it.
Steam User 1
I started playing Julia at Christmas 2023, nearly ten years after it came out. I'm a fan of both point-and-click adventures and sci-fi, but these days it's hard to find any good new adventures apart from Wadjet Eye's output. How I never stumbled across Julia before I don't know, but I absolutely LOVED the game! There are the sort of minor flaws you might expect from a small-company game (you have to experiment a bit to find out how the controls work and which buttons to click to do stuff), but the puzzles are fun and not too hard, the visuals and the music are good and the storyline is engrossing and moving. Whilst I wouldn't quite put it at the perfection level of Syberia or The Longest Journey, on my scale I'd give it nine out of ten, and I wish there was a follow-up.
Jan and Lukas, thank you! You've made a seventy-year-old gamer very happy!
Steam User 1
The game guides you through uncovering the history of a populated star system, while you also try to unravel what happened to your own crew 80 years ago while you were still in cryo sleep. The scenes look great, and the puzzles are challenging without being impossible.