Game Reviews

Incredible Jack

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iOS
| Incredible Jack
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Incredible Jack
|
iOS
| Incredible Jack

So, there's this platformer.

You play as a doughy, blue-collar type of guy who sidescrolls his way through a magical land with giant mushrooms.

This guy's not the gun or knife type, however, so when he comes across enemies (like turtles) he has to jump on them to kill them.

The guy's also a bit of a collector, and he finds hidden coins and power-ups by smashing blocks from below with his head.

His name? Incredible Jack, apparently.

Jacked up

Incredible Jack appears to be a pretty standard platformer that you'll want to dislike at first. The main character - a "Timbergrote" - looks like a minion from Despicable Me and he behaves a little too much like a Mario brother for most to give him a fair chance.

But beneath the *ahem* homages to certain movies and game franchises, Incredible Jack is a surprisingly bright platformer that provides a basic story to help keep you interested in the action.

Jack loves his impressive clutch of children an awful lot, you see, and this love was warming the hearts of the Timbergrote community. An army of devils caught wind of this love-in, clawed their way up from the underworld, and kidnapped Jack's children.

Because this is a Chillingo game, the kids left a trail of coins for their father to follow and collect. Yet for all the coin-grabbing, each level ends with a tender hug between Jack and his rescued child.

The graphics are surprisingly crisp throughout each level, but they take centre stage during these little moments.

And good to go

If you've played a single platformer set in the Mushroom Kingdom, you'll have no problems with the controls in Incredible Jack.

You navigate with either virtual buttons or a slider, and a button on the other side of the screen allows you to jump. The system is positively elegant in its simplicity, mostly because it's been tried so many times in the past.

As you stomp, jump, and propeller hat your way through each stage you'll encounter all manner of enemies to overcome, but Incredible Jack really shines when it tosses a light puzzle into the mix.

These puzzles rarely require you to do more than find a round boulder and push it onto a giant, glowing button on the ground, but they provide a nice break from all the brick breaking and turtle stomping.

Warped zone

Ultimately, Incredible Jack is a pleasant - if not entirely deep - game. Monetisation is present, but thankfully unobtrusive, and the graphics are some of the best that you'll find in a casual platformer.

In fact, if you squint hard enough at Incredible Jack you can possibly trick yourself into thinking you're using your iPhone or iPad to play a Super Mar-

Nah, it's best just to enjoy Incredible Jack on its own merits.

Incredible Jack

Incredible Jack isn't incredible, but it's a visual treat that will remind you of some of your favourite classic platformers
Score
Matthew Diener
Matthew Diener
Representing the former colonies, Matt keeps the Pocket Gamer news feed updated when sleepy Europeans are sleeping. As a frustrated journalist, diehard gamer and recovering MMO addict, this is pretty much his dream job.