Air Hares
Game
Game2022
Once Upon a Jester
Developer Bonte Avond
Travel the kingdom as Jester with his best friend Sok to improvise theatre shows and perform on stages far and wide. Sing your hearts out, crack jokes and impress audiences to become the stars of the famous Royal Theatrical Spectacle! From the Steam store page
233 reactions from 4 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Mastodon, Lemmy) · newest Oct 23, 2026 · last updated Nov 5, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
99
LovedLoved
182 positive · 2 negative
95% range 96–100%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 182 | 2 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 23 | 0 | 17 |
| Mastodon * | 3 | 0 | 5 |
| Lemmy * | 0 | 0 | 1 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Very Positive
228 of 230 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
99% recommend · 183 yes, 2 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 185 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Very Positive (310 of 312 positive).
Players find the game charming, funny, and uplifting. [1][2][3] The music and songs are widely praised as catchy and enjoyable. [4][5][6] Some reviewers note the gameplay can be repetitive. [1][7][8]
Liked
Representative posts
- [2]
I am a grumpy middle-aged man, but this game made me laugh out loud several times. When I wasn't laughing I was grinning. I loved this unique, bonkers and charming game. I'm sad that it's over.
- [5]
This is a gem!💎 (hint, hint) Never would I have thought I'd rock out to a video game. But this game is it! I burst out laughing and rocked out to the songs in this game. I even got out my own guitar I haven't touched in years to play along. Man bands are great. This game is endearing and I love it :3 Thanks to the developers for explaining that joke.
- [12]
Once Upon a Jester is a wonderfully wacky adventure gaming starring Jester and Sok who must traverse towns impressing folks with their acting skills in a bid to earn a spot performing for the Princess in the Royal Theatrical Spectacle! It is a delightful game that offers an original premise, engaging gameplay and a charming silliness that runs through all aspects of the experience. The narrative is cute and …
- [1]
Entertaining and uplifting theatrical adventure that manages to stay amusing throughout, even though game play is a little repetitive. 📕Story📕 Jester bums around with his best friend Sok, looking for opportunities, usually of an illegal variety, and glides through life without much ambition. When they get wind of a potential heist, involving the world’s biggest diamond, they enroll in a theatrical competition, …
- [3]
This game is so charming and funny. Loved the voice acting and the songs, controls are easy and plot is pretty wholesome, can be a good game to play with your kids or younger siblings. As long as they are not scared of wendigos.
Summarised from 34 of the 234 public posts collected about this game; every point cites the posts behind it ([n] opens the post) and the split is counted from the posts’ own ratings. Updated Oct 13, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
Players who liked Once Upon a Jester talk about charming and funny with great voice acting; those who didn't talk about gameplay can be repetitive. Which matters more to you?
Reactions
60 of 233 · most liked firstplaying Once Upon a Jester (by the same devs as Everybody Wham Wham, another game I enjoyed) twitch.tv/walfas
positive · AI labelView post →Entertaining and uplifting theatrical adventure that manages to stay amusing throughout, even though game play is a little repetitive. 📕Story📕 Jester bums around with his best friend Sok, looking for opportunities, usually of an illegal variety, and glides through life without much ambition. When they get wind of a potential heist, involving the world’s biggest diamond, they enroll in a theatrical competition, with the top prize being a slot in the Royal Theatrical Spectacle, where the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I am a grumpy middle-aged man, but this game made me laugh out loud several times. When I wasn't laughing I was grinning. I loved this unique, bonkers and charming game. I'm sad that it's over.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →How to even talk about this game? It's like... imagine an improv theater group. And then they made a game about improv theater using improv theater. As a result, you have a game where you do improv theater, and everything about it has this feel to it. All lines are voiced, and they sometimes contain outtakes, because why not? Characters randomly burst into songs, because why not? The music deserves a special mention, because there's just so much of it. They sometimes are plays on each other,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →2024 IGF Awards. -Excellence in Visual Art ($2,000) - Phonopolis (Amanita Design) -Excellence in Audio ($2,000) - Rhythm Doctor (7th Beat Games) -Excellence in Design ($2,000) - Cryptmaster (Paul Hart & Lee Williams) -Excellence in Narrative ($2,000) - Mediterranea Inferno (EYEGUYS) -Nuovo Award ($2,000) - Anthology of the Killer (Thecatamites, Tommy Tone, A. Degen) -Best Student Game ($2,000) - Once Upon a Jester (Bonte Avond) -Audience Award ($2,000) - RAM: Random Access Mayhem (Xylem…
neutral · AI labelView post →y'all have zero idea how psyched I am for this game, I was completely smitten by the demo, and after going back and playing Once Upon a Jester, I'm sold on anything these folks make from now on
positive · AI labelView post →Cute game, if you like this kind of humor you won't be disappointed. If you don't like this humor, you might want to skip. All achievements will take a few runs, or save scum at a few points because stickers are saved regardless. As long as you talk to everyone and interact before you start the show, and pay attention to what you are missing sticker wise per show, you will have no issues missing anything story wise. As noted above, stickers last between saves and reloads. (The only place you…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Another free game available via GOG Once Upon a Jester is free until September 5th, 2024 www.gog.com/game/once_up...
neutral · AI labelView post →Full Walkthrough: https://youtu.be/g0kjmnqg3h4 ★★★★★ Gameplay: Good Graphics: Good Music: Very Good Story: Funny PC Requirements: Potato Game Time: 2.5 - 4 hrs Probably one of the best indies I've played in 2023.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is a gem!💎 (hint, hint) Never would I have thought I'd rock out to a video game. But this game is it! I burst out laughing and rocked out to the songs in this game. I even got out my own guitar I haven't touched in years to play along. Man bands are great. This game is endearing and I love it :3 Thanks to the developers for explaining that joke.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The songs are funny, but the game is ... not really a game. The experience wouldn't be much different if it was just an animation, except nobody would have anything positive to say about a two hour long animation with this much repetition in it. If I had to put a genre to this I'd say it's closer to a visual novel than it is to anything else (but with silly songs). I didn't hate it, I played to the end, but I would be quite unhappy about it if I had paid full price.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Here's my #NintendoSwitch #indiegame highlight for today! 🎮👍🏼 Game - Once Upon A Jester Developer - @bonte-avond.com Publisher - @crunchingkoalas.bsky.social Release date - November 9, 2022
neutral · AI labelView post →Quirky mechanics, odd story and ridiculous characters make this a super fun game. Different than anything I've ever played before. Love the musical numbers and the art. Really enjoyed the whole experience.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Appleseed's Indie Game Of The Day! Day 22) Once Upon a Jester by Bonte Avond A short game about Jester & Sok wanting to steal the kings diamond. How do they do that you ask? Through the magic of theatre! All the dialogue was recorded in one take to add to the improvisational feel. It’s great!
positive · AI labelView post →Played this on my Steam Deck -- super cozy handheld vibes, but… why does it work on Switch and still not support Deck properly?No native controls, no touchscreen, had to manually remap some buttons. Not a huge deal, just kinda odd. That said, this game rules. It's got chaotic theater kid energy mixed with wholesome bedtime story vibes. The dialogue is funny in that weird, charming way, and it had me smiling way more than I expected. Also, the music? Legit great. Each town has its own style,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Pesto is the Besto
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is so charming and funny. Loved the voice acting and the songs, controls are easy and plot is pretty wholesome, can be a good game to play with your kids or younger siblings. As long as they are not scared of wendigos.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A delightful and earnest little game. It's very human, and full of whimsy. Like Wandersong crossed with Dog Alien Ariport Game.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I just finished Once Upon a Jester and had a wholesome time with it. Very different from what I normally play. It’s about improv theater in a fantasy kingdom and it also felt like improv theater/comedy among friends, in game form.
positive · AI labelView post →Randomly found the game on steam, surprised at how much I really enjoyed it. It's fun and really enjoyable, really LOVE the songs, they are awesome. (Also love my boy Hofnar). It's silly and low stakes with cute interactions. Definitely would recommend especially as chiller, low stress game.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Gosh, we enjoyed this game so much. It's adorable and silly and it has such catchy tunes! By the start of the game, we were so rapidly hyped once the princess shows up and starts singing "The Royal Theatrical Spectacle". If we had one critique, it'd be that the last third of the game didn't feel as strong as the first two; but, to be fair, the bar they set themselves was quite high! This is a silly adventure centered (mechanically) around some improv plays where you make choices that affect…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Delightfully charming little musical adventure that reminded me a bit of Wandersong. Saw a indie game youtube channel recomend it and it was at a very fair price right now, so there where really no reason not to try it, because it looked interesting. A whimsical and bizarre game where you will laugh out loud if you are in for silly jokes and a bit of heart.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Such an adorable game! Wholesome and silly and whimsical. Honestly has me inspired to try and make something similar.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →im so glad a ufo took money out of my bank account for this game
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →New @bonte-avond.com game "Bonnie Bear Saves Frogtime" coming to Switch on 16 March? HECK YEAH, you know I'm wishlisting that! I'd pre-order it if that were an option. After the pure joy & whimsy of "Once Upon a Jester" on Switch, any #BonteAvond game is an insta-buy for me! 😎👍
positive · AI labelView post →I cooked a frog over a campfire and he somehow turned into a popcorn ball.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Bit repetitive, but still a rather amusing and short game. Heavy on musical pieces and English dialogue with rather thick Dutch (Flemish?) accents.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is adorable and has all the charm of a bunch of friends sitting in a sound recording center kidding around with one another and I am here for it. It's genuinely a very silly little game, but it interesting. There's no jank in the controls of it or just traces of non-quality, but rather a concerted effort was given to make this as unbelievably unserious as it can be while still giving a number of cute laughs.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Heya folks, here's a short featuring Once Upon A Jester by Bonte Avond and Crunching Koalas. The entire game is just as absurd as this scene, and it made me laugh out loud countless times. I definitely recommend checking it out. #onceuponajester #videogames #indiegames #adventuregames #gameplay
positive · AI labelView post →A really cute and funny little game with some hilarious voice acting. Loved playing through this with a few friends!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Wow, what an incredibly creative and charming game. You can feel how much fun the devs must have had making the game, and it fully rubbed off on me while playing it. Just so enjoyable. The devs should be very proud of this game.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →this brings me sOOO much joy!!!!! fUN!!! very cute!!!!! charming characters! goofy voice acting! wholesome story! literally nothing bad can be said about this gem💐💐💐💐💐
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Once Upon a Jester is a wonderfully wacky adventure gaming starring Jester and Sok who must traverse towns impressing folks with their acting skills in a bid to earn a spot performing for the Princess in the Royal Theatrical Spectacle! It is a delightful game that offers an original premise, engaging gameplay and a charming silliness that runs through all aspects of the experience. The narrative is cute and intriguing and works well with the colourful collage visuals and enthusiastic audio…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A literal hidden gem. The gameplay is actually fun, not boring but not hard (you can crank up the difficulty if you want to, but it's just not for this game), the style also is very fitting. The best part is humour, which is just right for me, and it goes great on budget PC's. I even completed 100%, it wasn't as fun, but it definitely worth the price, so I really recommend it for like a chill night. 10/10
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Always let Sok add the extra sticker. Your design is worthless without it.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →God I love Bonte Avond so much, I had the Once Upon a Jester theme stuck in my head for a solid month after that game came out.
positive · AI labelView post →📺Stream Schedules📺 Took a long couple of days for the spice to die down...But we back yall!! Max Yapping, new nostalgic reactions, and a new game series were starting called Once Upon a Jester! Hope to see yall this week! #pngtuber #vtuber
neutral · AI labelView post →I really like this game. Its humor and unrestrained creativity reminds me of the old MGM and Warner Looney Tunes animations Everything about this game makes it authentic, and playing it brings me genuine joy.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A campy theatre game that was too silly for me. You meet a odd cast of characters ranging from a jester, royalty, and many others. Getting the flower bouquets made the game very repetitive. On easy, I would have preferred the requirement lowered from 45 to 40 flowers. Most plays you would only get 3-4 flowers, so you needed to do a show at least 4 times to move to the next chapter. Actions during plays were all the same and rely on your reaction time. I wish they added more variety for…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →🔴LIVE, BOZOS!🎥 It’s that time of the day again! Time for Once Upon A Jester! Will I find out what was once upon? What is this game even about? Is the art-style adorable? (Yes). TOON IN! 🖤🖤🖤🤡 twitch.tv/ballybroadbips
neutral · AI labelView post →I don't have it
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The hardest challenge you'll face is having to remember to breathe while laughing at all the silly nonsense this game is throwing at you 24/7 Voice acted goat/10
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I still laugh out loud, when I think about that spider man joke.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I really enjoyed this game, it's incredibly uplifting, funny and wholesome. The story is simple but creative and interesting. The humor is so absurd it slaps every time. I love the characters, especially Sok and Jester (also honorable mention goes to Straciatella). The gameplay may be a little repeatable for some people, but I was very much fine with it. It's definetely worth playing, I feel so light and warm after finishing it <3
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Cute funny game. Very chill. Runs great on steamdeck.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A charming game about two rascals discovering the joy of improv theatre. It's funny and sweet. The game is really good at conveying a sense of casual fun. I really liked the voice acting. From the developer's website: "Often half improvised, we try to go for first takes and leave imperfections in the recordings, thereby capturing a moment in time that cannot be recreated." I really liked this! The moments where an actor messes up a line or actors are clearly just having fun off-script feel…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →#OnceUponAJester had a surprise release yesterday. It's a very silly narrative indie game where you are a jester who has to entertain different type of crowds with music, songs and jokes. I had played the demo during one of the #Steam fests, enjoyed it thorougly and added to my wishlist. It's also available on #Switch. Anyone played it? https://store.steampowered.com/app/1668190/Once_Upon_a_Jester #games #gaming #indiegames
positive · AI labelView post →BE-AU-TI-FUL!!!! Pure comedy with amazing, cozy gameplay. I love every aspect of that game and definitely will buy any sequel/prequel/spinoff if devs ever made one! 11/10 - bonus points for peak European humor! :D
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is adorable and genius. At one point, there is a video on the side of the screen of the two creators explaining a joke in the game. It is such a stark difference between the cartoonish graphics and their video that it was great. In one of the plays, Jester sang his heart out... Literally. The ambulance had to come and get him AND then he sings as an angel, which leaves the audience so bamboozled!! FYI, the audience are the greatest characters next to the ice cream trio and the tiny…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →@bonte-avond.com Thanks for Once Upon A Jester it was a wonderful game to play and fabulous music. I rate it 5 stars out of 5. Thanks again to you and Crunching Koalas for making such a fantastic game for the Switch.
positive · AI labelView post →It's simple, elegant, humble, and genius. He's right!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →About to get started with Fun Friday today with One's Own Exile @filthydrawings @updogsoftware Bite Night @JohnSpookyton (gift from @damagedplushie.bsky.social) and Once Upon a Jester from @BonteAvond @crunchingkoalas.bsky.social! See you soon and game that game twitch.tv/midwestgameguy
neutral · AI labelView post →I was gifted this game by a friend and now I’ve gifted it to at least 5 people. This is one of the best indie games I’ve played in a long time. I listen to the soundtrack all the time and the voice acting is so silly. It only takes around 4-5 hours to complete it but I think the game being so unique and obviously cared for by the devs makes it worth it. It’s also worth checking out the other games the devs have made/are making!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I honestly cannot say enough good things about this game, the music, the story, the humor, the visuals, the characters, the voice acting, man everything is amazing, I kind of just wish it was longer, I want more! Thank you everyone who worked on this game for the amazing experience and beautiful story!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →What a lovely musical ride, recommend. Tunes get stuck in your head.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →14) Bonnie Bear Saves Frogtime by Bonte Avond I was a big fan of Once Upon a Jester, Bonte Avond’s last game and this is more of the quirky, musical RPG goodness. This one has the main gimmick being “Frogtime” a cute frog battler game.
positive · AI labelView post →Tonight, at 7 pm CST, I will be streaming Once Upon a Jester for Short Game Fridays over on both Twitch and YouTube. You're always welcome to join when I'm live with the links down below. #Vtubers #OnceUponAJester #indiegames
neutral · AI labelView post →This game brings me joy in so many different ways! This game definitely needs to be talked about more.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →If I had to decide on a list of favorite games this would easily snatch a top spot. While I am biased bcs I love theater, performing inside the game was a real joy. A journey that startet with greedy plans of theft transformed into a wholesome one of self-discovery and friendship. It also offers hilarious dialogue and charming songs. The only regret I have about the game is not seeing this on a stage in real life. Of course with all the voice actors who did a marvelous job! I bet building…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I adore how each game by Bonte Avond is totally different from the last but still explores this incredibly inventive (and absurd) world through different types of gameplay. If you loved "Once Upon A Jester" this is one you should definitely add to your wishlist!
positive · AI labelView post →
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