Okay, people. iOS gaming is not true gaming? I say, bullshit! It is, and it just found its killer app. The game I’m talking about is Jetpack Joyride, and it is so incredibly well made and suited for touch-based devices that I just have no superlatives to describe it.
This game took me by surprise. The one thing I want from iOS games that it should be fun and this game gave me exactly that, and not only that, Joyride totally destroys my scale here. It’s a fun little game, and as the name suggests, you control a dude who has a jetpack on his back and you can tap or hold the touchscreen to float up in the air and send a barrage of missles below killing any dumb enemies running for their lives.
There is a twist here, however, and just like Temple Run, which is another addictive iOS game, the stage increases in speed and you have to avoid obstacles in less time. This can lead to you committing a mistake and thereby ending your run. This aspect of the game makes it so addictive that you simply cannot put it down easily. It devours you till you try to get a respectable score.
This is what I want from iOS gaming in general, and Jetpack Joyride has brought a smile to my face unlike any other game on the platform. It is an incredible game which is filled with collectibles and unique gameplay mechanics like temporarily giving you overpowered vehicles with which you can cover a lot of distance easily and crush any enemies you see. Of course, if you end up hitting an obstacle, you will lose it and will go back to the jetpack mode until you find another one. To get a high score it’s vital you find a lot of these special vehicles, which are cleverly designed, and not to mention really fun to use.
There are coins here as well, and you need to decide whether to collect them or try to preserve your life. You can easily get hit by a missile or an obstacle if you show too much greed, but the lure of those amazing coins with a perfect jingling sound, makes it hard to resist. There are two main counters in the upper left corner which shows you how much distance you covered and how much coins you collected. The coins are optional, but covering a lot of distance determines your place in the leaderboard.
Comparing scores is so great and makes the game highly competitive, and combined with the addictive nature of the game, you can see why I am so heads over heels in love with this game. It can also get frustrating sometimes when you are almost about to beat your previous score and you die at the wrong time and in the worst way imaginable. I literally screamed when this happened to me, but I kept on going and eventually beat my old score. The game is really popular on the iOS for one main reason – it is free!
Yes, the game is free, so you have no reason not to play it and tell your friends about it. This is the sort of games that this platform needs. Games like Temple Run and Jetpack Joyride show that creativity is possible for touchscreen based games, and you don’t always have to make Angry Birds’ clones to milk a successful formula.
Visually, the game is very pleasant to look at. It reminds me of the old school 2d side shoot ’em ups, that were so amazingly fun to play. The sound effects and music is perfectly done as well. And any action you do, be it collecting coins or dodging missiles, you can be sure that it will leave you satisfying. I think it’s a combination of all factors: the visuals, sound effects, addictive nature of the game, that come together to give you a fulfilling gameplay experience.
Jetpack Joyride is available for free on the iOS, so I can’t really bring down the score by saying it is expensive, and considering the game is pretty old now, rating it makes no sense. So just get this game, guys, you won’t regret it. It shows the potential of iOS games on touch-based devices, and I can easily say that the future is bright.
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