The Jump Hero (XBLIG): "Trippy Speed Jumping Fun"

Before I give my review I would like to warn gamers who are sensitive to flashy lights/pictures. This game has an immense amount of flashing colors, and lights so do be careful if you choose to play it.

I have actually been anxiously awaiting this game's release since I watched the developer's trailer of it. The gameplay reminded me a lot of 'Rainbow Runner' which I had reviewed earlier this year. What really caught my attention though was the dancing girl in the background (I'm no perv ^.^). It just looked really cool to me. The game is quite simple, but it definitely requires some quick reflexes and skill. There are several different levels in the game that weren't shown in the trailer, and they were all very cool. The main goal of the game is to jump, and fly across building like towers. This simple sounding feat is anything but that. You will encounter triangles, circles, and walls that will take away your lives. You will also face the possibility of falling into oblivion. This unique XBLIG title by 'Silver Dollar Games' will likely have you playing for hours. The fact that you can share the experience with friends using a single controller deepens the gaming experience.

The Jump Hero basically involves a really little guy who can jump in different ways, and fly. You must guide this man across a series of towers as a song by 'Technikal' plays in the background. When the song ends you'll find yourself in a cooldown area (continuation of the game) that is made for bonus scoring. After the bonus area has been completed the next track in the game's soundtrack will play. There are '7' tracks/songs in the game that are all by the group/artist 'Technikal'. Each one has a different difficulty that is marked with green dots beside the track's title. The more green dots there are the more difficult the game will be. The Jump Hero's levels include several different background themes. There's a theme where the towers look like buildings from a french villa, and even a theme where the towers look like a stack of skulls. Each theme also has a background that goes along with the tower's theme. The skull towers feature a background like a cathedral with stained glass windows. That theme is my personal favorite.

Gameplay, and the controls require little thought in this game. I found that the controller layout was very user friendly, and easy to learn. I really liked how the game's tutorial taught the controls with both audio instructions, and visual instructions. In 'The Jump Hero' you will find that the man you are controlling is constantly running. To jump from tower to tower you will use the 'A' button. The longer you hold down the 'A' button the higher you will jump. You can also double jump by pressing 'A' twice. The 'Left Thumbstick' has two functions in the game. Pressing 'Up' on it will make the man slowly descend through the air (with wings). Pressing 'Down' on the 'Left Thumbstick' will make the man fall faster. Using both of these at the proper times is very necessary in order to make it far.

There a couple of modes to choose from in 'The Jump Hero' (Play & Free Run). Each mode has three sub-categories that include 'Normal', '3 Lives', and 'Sudden Death'. All of these modes can be played with up to '9' players using a single controller.  Playing a single player game can take you over an hour, so playing the game with friends definitely requires some patience. Each player in a multiplayer mode will play until all of their lives have been used up. The amount of lives depends on the type of game mode you decide to play. After palying a while I actually preferred singleplayer. I did sample a 2-player multiplayer game though.

The Jump Hero is a score based game. Scoring points in the game is determined by stars collected, hazard points, stunt falls, and how long you stay alive. You'll find that there are stars scattered all across the levels. Collecting them in order without missing any will get you point bonuses. There are also glass gates that you will pass through that sometimes have a power-up that causes a 'Stunt Fall'. The 'Stunt Fall' is basically a slo-mo effect that requires you to press no buttons. These Stunt Falls will also score you some bonus points. You'll find that you can also score major bonus points in the game by collecting letters that spell 'Jump Hero'. The letters are scattered across the tower tops throughout each level just as the stars are. Hazard points can be earned by narrowly missing red circles or triangles that are scattered across the levels. When you earn hazard points the game will slow down almost to a stop until you either hit the obstacle, or avoid it (Matrix Effects ^.^). After making it a certain distance in a level you will be awarded a medal that reflects how well you did making it to that point (Bronze, Silver, Gold, Perfect). For some reason the game stops giving you these medals after the first chosen song/track. I think this issue definitely needs to be fixed.

I found 'The Jump Hero' to be quite an addictive little game. It's definitely unique, and I absolutely loved the level designs. The techno music was cool as well. I was also impressed with the fact that every time you got an extra life a girl's silhoutte would dance in the background. The only issue I saw with the game was that the medals that were given when you made it a certain distance ceased to exist after the first track/song. It just seemed really odd to me, but hopefully the developer can fix that issue with an update. Other than that I thought the game was extremely fun. I played it for a few hours today, and really enjoyed it.