The Government!
Jazzpunk is a bit of a timecapsule. The "random for the sake of random" vibe of the early 201X's is on display in this game, but I think that sells this one short. This is what you might get if Leslie Nielson were born in 1980 and grew up playing Monkey Island and making YTMNDs. Short, silly gags abound, with little purpose or thematic connection. Just tons of quick dumb laughs. The game just keeps moving. It is appropriately short, any longer and it would overstay it's welcome.
Comedy in games is notoriously difficult. Finding things from the 2010-2015 timeframe funny in 2022 is also becoming increasingly difficult for me. That I was laughing or at least nodding (shaking my head, truly...) at so much of Jazzpunk's goofy content is something I'm a bit surprised about. The game brought me joy in a manner that so few games do anymore. It's just so freaking silly I love it.
If you haven't played this yet, just give it a chance and lean into it. It's goofy, it's dumb, it's smart, it's fun. There's basically no gameplay here. You walk round poking and prodding stuff and seeing what wild crap comes out. It's just as much a "game" as Gone Home or the Stanley Parable, great games themselves. Get it on sale for a couple of bucks.
I also got major "Half Life total conversion mod" vibes from this game, which is always great.
4/5 stars