Who would have guessed J would have stood for "platformer"? Between following recommendations and looking for some J-lettered indie games, my search kept delivering some form of hopping/bopping.
That’s OK, though. I love action games, I love shooters, and yes, I love platformers. Of course, spending a week playing any genre can burn you out. Let’s see if that’s what happened this time.
J:
Jumpman (PC/Mac, free)
I couldn't blame you if you thought Jumpman were ripped out of the Atari age. I mean, just check out those E.T.-calibur graphics below! Of course, if retro gaming T-shirts and a prevalence of block-inspired art have taught us anything, it's that rudimentary graphics are in.
Appropriately enough, the game at first plays as simply as it looks. You jump around each board, dodging enemies while trying to reach the exit block. Fortunately, it stacks on depth pretty quickly by giving you the ability to rotate the board (which, while cool, I never found intuitive) and adding obstacles such as blinking lethal walls and instadeath Superballs -- noticing a trend here?
The challenges keep ramping up. Some levels take place in the dark, others focus on color association, and the occasional stage will make former enemies into friends.
I do wish the controls handled more effectively, though -- the collision detection was off and some button presses didn't always react when they should have, and the game's pivotal move, the jump, feels too floaty for my taste. They make an already-tough game that much more challenging.
The ever-evolving gameplay kept me wanting to see what was next, though. Some truly trippy levels and physics-assisted explosions helped Jumpman's 10-world adventure push visions of Atari out of my mind. Mostly.
Jump! (Arkedo Series 01) (Xbox Live, $3)
Similar to Jumpman, Jump! utilizes a pixel-heavy motif, yet this Xbox indie game looks much sharper, with large, vibrant characters and impressive backdrops. Visual stylings only serve as part of the back-to-basics package. Each stage has a straightforward premise as well: collect a handful bombs before they blow, then reach the door.
While simple trappings could make for a forgettable game, Jump! adds some character. When you die, it doesn't hesitate to poke fun: "Let's hope Darwin was wrong," it'll say. Ouch. And the level titles make no bones about their trusty inspiration, ranging from "The Indiana Complex" to "Warping Plumbers."
Also, whereas Jumpman had parts that were unforgiving in putting you in your place, Jump! has some intelligent touches that seem geared toward encouraging the player, placing valuable extra lives before the tricky sections. You'll be replaying sections, but Jump! at least seems to want you to succeed.
I first heard about Jump! a couple months ago from Player One Podcast cohost Chris Johnston, and I'm glad I jotted it down, since it's certainly worth the fair asking price.
Jumper Three (PC, free)
By the time I got to my third game, I decided not to buck the platforming trend. Why mess with a good thing? Besides, you all should have a certain Van Halen song stuck in your head now. I wouldn't dare mess with that magic....
In addition to the familiar name for this one, Jumper Three has a graphic style that makes use of a pixelated, rudimen--wait, you know what? You can fill in the blanks on that one.
I will, though, compliment the controls. J3 makes ample use of double jumps, wall jumps, skid jumps, and any other jump you want -- and the ogmo creatures you control have different abilities depending on which color your choose after you've unlocked them.
Of the three, this game edges out Jumpman in terms of kicking your ass the most thoroughly. It deviously keeps count of how many lives you take to complete a given level, a number that will often reach the dozens. Each stage has five coins to collect, although reaching the goal is your only requirement. As much as my completist nature loves makes me want to go for the 5-out-of-5 mark, on plenty of levels I was thrilled to reach the exit having nabbed even two coins.
Back to the ogmo you control, similar to the four-character setup in Super Mario Bros. 2, each ogmo will be an obvious choice for a given level, yet collecting all the coins often necessitates going through a stage multiple times with a different blockheaded hero. To put it another way, the sadistic among you will get to know the levels really well. At this point, though, it's time for me to throw in the towel.
I have to admit, I grew a little tired of the platforming thing by the end of my journey through the Js, even with Van Halen's encouragement. But as I tap out, let me give thanks to indie game maven and Bitmob editor James DeRosa for the Jumpman rec, Player One Podcast's Chris Johnston for pointing me in the direction of Jump! and The Indie Game Database for offering up the final of the jump-happy trifecta, Jumper Three. Looking ahead, I wonder what the odds are that K will be just as one-dimensional?
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