- The first strategic jumping quest (possibly)
- Don’t worry about slaying, just focus on the top
- Feel the rage build as you charge each jump
The scary truth is that there are monsters among the billions of humans worldwide. Some of these monsters put their energy into games designed to infuriate and crush all hope. However, we have the power to slay these beasts by never giving up and beating their malicious creations.
The monstrous Nexile has emerged from the cave of Ukiyo Publishing to bring us a portable version of Jump King. This 2D platformer has destroyed lives with its vertical-based gameplay and the promise of a “smoking hot babe!” We take up that sword, the touchscreen, to face the monster once again, but in mobile combat.
What is Jump King?
It’s common knowledge that when someone is not doing their best in the romance department, they tend to invest a lot in physical improvement. This is what happened to the main hero of Jump King. There was a knight who had failed to capture the attention of any babes and so devoted himself to working out to become the strongest and most muscular knight.
However, after hearing rumours of a smoking hot babe at the top of a tower, he decided to make all his gym days leg days. Now equipped with legs that could crush rocks “like sparrow’s egg between thighs,” he’s ready to leap to the top and pursue true love with a mythical babe.
The upside with Jump King
Rage games are best experienced in small doses and ways where you can easily dismiss them. With that in mind, Jump King has found its stride in the mobile world. All you need to worry about is walking and jumping left or right. It seems so simple that you could play this with your nose. But therein lies the deception as you keep falling and watching as the swole-legged knight keeps faceplanting on the ground. Frustration and determination continue to build, and each successful jump fuels your fire.
It becomes engaging as you try to figure out how to jump. Every screen is a mix of platforms, structures, walls, and ramps that are always just within reach. The layouts pose their problem and look like they have multiple solutions, but that’s what you need to figure out. It’s not just about jumping, but precision leaps of faith.
That’s right; even though you can see where everything is, you need to feel the power of your jump and hope you measured it just right. You become focused on calculating time and force so that you can nail that jump every single time until it becomes second nature but no less satisfying.
As a little aside, this has some pleasing and stylised pixel art. It’s even nice to look at as you zoom past it with every long fall you suffer.
Down we go with Jump King
Since Jump King has made its way onto mobile, it has adhered to some mobile structures. The most notable is how it handles progress and purchasing. It has a free-to-play model thanks to the new mechanic of hearts. He loses a heart whenever the knight falls so hard that he leaves an impression on the ground. If he loses all of his hearts, then you’re done jumping for the day. You get Daily Spins to earn more hearts, but then there are the obligatory ads. It’s possible to have infinite hearts for paying the somewhat high price tag, which seems almost inevitable.
However, this is small grapes as long as you’re patient and willing to do vertical jumps to see what the next screen has in store. After all, if you play enough of this rage game to lose all of your hearts, it coincidentally is at a time when you should cool down and touch some grass.
Getting a leg up with Jump King
Jump King is a 2D “tactical leaping adventure” about a knight jumping to the top of a tower/mountain/tree/cavern hoping to meet a smoking hot babe. It’s simple and engaging, with a great challenge that makes you think about jumping in new and strategic ways. The typical mobile ad and payment tactics are an expected downer, but you can push past them with enough time. You’ll never become a king overnight; you must rise to the occasion or, at the very least, jump to it.