Jump King (Xbox One) Review

There are only two types of people in the world: those that like Jump King and those that do not like Jump King. Personally, Jump King isn’t a game for me but that doesn’t mean I don’t “get it.”  There are players that might enjoy the ridiculously high difficulty; I am just not one of them.

Tactical Leaping Adventure: Jump King – There Is A Smoking Hot Babe At The Top is a dastardly, total brutal, comical vertical platformer that will make you rage quit in less than five minutes, or you will want to persevere because you like punishing yourself.   To be perfectly clear, this game hates you, wants to make you cry, and is sadistic to the core. In other words, insanity is required if you wish to see that smoking hot babe at the top. This is not a normal level of difficulty.  Describing this game as “NES hard” doesn’t even give justice. You have been warned. 

Players control a knight and his only action is the ability to walk left or right and jump. Each screen is essentially its own puzzle/obstacle course and the knight basically needs to reach the top of each screen by performing a well-placed jump. This isn’t Mario, however, as jumping, the only element of gameplay, isn’t accurate by any means. Holding down the jump button will perform a greater leap while tapping it performs a jump so low it holds almost no purpose. The problem is, there is no way to determine the height of jump other than randomly holding the jump button and hoping for the best. Each jump needs to be perfect to reach the next platform because one error can send the player falling all the way back down to try again.

Jump King is difficult by design. If there was a golf swing-like meter in place for each jump, then the player would be able to perform each leap with more consistent accuracy. However, this wouldn’t be the same game. No, this is all about demanding perfection with every jump. Making matters even more difficult, platforming plays like a puzzle game as players do not simply jump from Platform A to Platform B.  Instead, the knight needs to often power up a super jump, angle the leap just so, and bump off that one ledge to land on that next platform.  To be clear, this isn’t a wall jump – it is a wall bump.  Getting the height and angle just right is where the difficulty comes into play.  Jump King is just as much a puzzle game as it is a precision platformer.

Jump King isn’t for me because I cannot enjoy the punishing gameplay. Every single successful jump is an achievement in and of itself so falling back three screens from one missed jump is soul crushing.  After about an hour, I couldn’t make it beyond screen number 5. That is when I rage quit and I have zero intention of ever playing this game again. Even though I do not have the patience to complete such a “f*** you” game, that doesn’t mean it should not be respected and acknowledged. 

Also Try: Doodle Jump (Xbox 360 Kinect)

Just About As Brutal As: Spelunker (NES)

Don’t Forget About: Batman jumping out of the hole in Dark Knight Rises

By: Zachary Gasiorowski, Editor in Chief myGamer.com

Twitter: @ZackGaz