iJumpman Review

By , on March 20, 2010


iJumpman
Download on the AppStore
3 out of 5

PROS

  • Retro visuals with good soundtrack.
  • Level editor.

CONS

  • Controls are too loose.

VERDICT

As platformers go, this is as simple as it gets. iJumpman is fun, but the controls ultimately let it down.


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In this day and age with our new fangled technologies and high processing power game systems, sometimes its nice to go back to basics. What's even nicer is if you go back to platforming and put a new spin on things. In iJumpman you control a man straight out of the Atari 2600 as he strives to jump over obstacles and find the exit.

The most important aspect of a platformer to get right are the controls, and this is where iJumpman fails. There are two schemes, a touch scheme and buttons. The touch scheme has you tapping left or right to move, and swiping up to jump, while turning the device to rotate the level. The buttons obscure the screen but make the jumping a little easier. The problem lies in that the controls are too loose, and there is no real feeling of control or fidelity.

The game utilizes the retro Atari look well, with simple flat rectangles and rudimentary characters with limited animation. The soundtrack by the Mathletes adds a lot to the game, but some tracks are better than others, and limited ipod support is available via the menu. One great feature is the level editor, which is rather simple and allows whole packs of levels to be created, shared and downloaded.

iJumpman has a lot of personality and good ideas. The transparent levels, the rotating mechanic and level editor all give this simple platformer a lot of merit. It would be easier to recommend if the controls were just tightened up.

Screenshots

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