Halfbrick Studios is no stranger to making addictive games that are simple and affordable for casual fans that own iPhones and iPads. Their tradition of success shows and also continues with Jetpack Joyride for iOS platforms.
Jetpack Joyride isn’t complicated by any means and that’s possibly one of its most addicting characteristics. Unlike a lot of simple titles on the iPhone however, the novel gameplay lasts beyond a few minutes.
Playing as Barry Steakfries, man you have to love that name, you travel through a giant military science lab using your weaponized jetpack fly and blast your way through anything in your path. Things grow more challenging as you progress with everything from electric fences to missiles standing between you and your goal. Things also get progressively tougher as the game’s speed continually increases which throw obstacles and weapons at you faster and faster.
In what seems like a matter of minutes, things go from cute cartoony and casual fun to fast-paced twitch shooter action. As a person who has never been very good at shooters like Raiden, I can tell you that Jetpack Joyride makes it work and provides the euphoria you hear so much about when players “get in the zone” with shooters.
The pacing escalates at a nice pace and makes the game accessible to even the most novice shooter gamer. Another nice thing about this game is that the levels are all randomly generated. So you won’t end up growing bored, but you also won’t be able to memorize the levels. This game is difficult, but Barry gets plenty of help through boxes scattered around levels that grant him new abilities and powers. Things never get boring, which isn’t something a lot of iOS games can say.
If you’ve ever played Tiny Wings, you’ll feel right at home with this game. Halfbrick clearly took some inspiration from that title. There are plenty of accomplishments to keep you going and motivate players to hang in there. The achievements don’t affect your score, but it’s still nice that they’re there.
There’s even a nice bit of replay value thanks to coins hidden throughout levels that allow players to upgrade Barry’s jetpack and buy new items like different costumes and more. The cartoony graphics make Jetpack joyride fun to look at, but you’ll hardly have time when everything is flying by at break neck speeds. Controls are very responsive and there are just so many reasons and incentives to keep playing that you’re not likely to put it down for a while. The best part of it all is the low $.99 price tag.
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Graphics |
9.0 |
Everything stays smooth even when the cartoon visuals are flying by. |
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Audio |
7.5 |
There's nothing special or memorable, but audio supports things well. |
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Single Player |
9.5 |
One of the most addictive platformer shooter hybrids available. |
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Multiplayer |
N/A |
|
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Replay |
9.5 |
There are a lot of reasons to keep you coming back and playing. |
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Overall |
9.0 |
A great value for $.99 considering the amount of playtime provided. |
