Naughty Dog’s innate creativity seemed to lapse somewhat with Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy. Much as children’s programming drifted toward milquetoast imitations of anime in the 2000s, Jak’s aesthetic feels like a downgrade from the 90s renaissance of cartoon slapstick that defined the Crash games. Instead, it lands closer to something like Loonatics Unleashed (give that a Google), which feels like a misstep—especially considering how Jak lifts the tropical settings and spin attack so iconically associated with Naughty Dog’s prior blockbuster franchise.

The game is most commonly praised for its technical achievements: large, densely detailed worlds that transition seemingly without load times (though some are blatantly masked by languid elevator rides), bouncy squash-and-stretch character animation, and a rock-solid framerate. Yet the feeling it leaves behind is closer to that of an impressive tech demo than a fully realized game. It can be completed in a handful of hours, its gameplay largely stagnant throughout, with the only real incentive to return being the promise of a brief secret ending should you manage to reach 100% completion.

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