Game Reviews

Mega Jump 2

Star onStar onStar onStar offStar off
|
iOS
| Mega Jump 2
Get
Mega Jump 2
|
iOS
| Mega Jump 2

Mobile games have gained considerable weight since Lima Sky first released Doodle Jump in 2009.

Regardless, sometimes we're compelled to put down Infinity Blade III or Oceanhorn and leap along with li'l Doodle for old time's sake. The classic game is simple, satisfying, addictive as heck, and perfect for getting you through long, slow lines
at the grocery store or the bank.

Mega Jump 2 borrows Doodle Jump's original formula, but it also adds its own flourishes. Sure, your mission in Mega Jump 2 is to do what the title commands (jump), but in order to really succeed you need to turn a bunch of little jumps into smooth, constant flight by collecting coins, power-ups, and other little tchotchkes in your path.

Jumping Jehosaphat

Mega Jump 2's core gameplay may not sound like much, but there's a tier system in place that's strangely appealing. When you're jumping, you're merely surviving. When you're crashing into item after item, you're thriving. When you grab a power-up and rocket upwards, you're the king of the world.

Of course, all it takes is one wrong move to send you plummeting. Jumps get more perilous as you ascend, and your footing becomes trickier: wooden platforms give way, clouds disappear on contact, and treasure and coins become more scattered, making it more difficult to maintain your momentum.

Enemies fly at your face, too. You can actually use your foes as a stepping stone if you get above them, but if you hit them from below, you'll take a tumble.

Pay to live

In fact, Mega Jump 2's biggest problem is death. Not because the circumstances of your demise are unfair, but because there's a brief pause after every failure. This is a free-to-play game, so there's a lot of peddling of its hard currency, gems.

One of the most annoying pitches occurs whenever you die, and you're offered the chance to 'save' your jumping critter from its fate by ponying up a gem or two.

Though brief, these interruptions add up to a big drag when you just want to get back into the game. By contrast, when you hit 'Try Again' in the original Doodle Jump, you're back to bounding ever-upwards in half a second.

Fun flight

Thankfully, Mega Jump 2 contains few other monetisation-related annoyances. Most of the game's microtransactions are related to cosmetic changes, like instantly unlocking new characters instead of collecting their individual eggs.

The critters have minor gameplay bonuses attached to them, but otherwise there's nothing stopping you from jumping to a high score with the default monster (also, it's hard to resist playing as a penguin).

Mega Jump 2's leaping, flying, and treasure-collecting doesn't transform the endless-jumping genre, but flinging yourself upwards while careening into loads of treasure is a gratifying experience nonetheless. Might as well jump.

Mega Jump 2

Mega Jump 2 isn't particularly original, and it's 'save' system chips away at the experience, but this is an enjoyable descendant of Doodle Jump all the same
Score