Comic Jumper is what it is – you’re jumping from comic to comic with a super-cool guy by the alias of “Captain Smiley” (and his abdomen friend called “Star”). Another big title (and exclusive too) is here on Xbox LIVE Arcade and priced at 1200 Microsoft Points. Does it live up to that price? Hmm. You may not think so at first but there’s so many good moments that make it feel more and more worth it as you progress.
Perhaps the best experience is trying out Comic Jumper without having really any knowledge of it from the trailers and coverage of it from E3. Captain Smiley starts off in his own failing comic and you are led to believe this is how the game will play out. However, after getting through this first section, the comic actually just turns away and you can actually see it being held by some children in the playground.
We’re actually talking real HD scenes here with *real* people. It seems all is not going well with this struggling comic from the various characters in these scenes. This transition was just so unexpected and rather awesome. I don’t think I’ve ever been surprised like that in a video game for quite a long time.
A game is usually about its generous gameplay mostly, but Twisted Pixel Games (the developers of The Maw and Splosion Man) have gone through a great deal of effort to provide us with many giggles throughout. Perhaps this is the big drive of the game, exceeding the gameplay. Comic Jumper isn’t quite the cakewalk, though. It feels challenging throughout with numerous enemies and bosses. It’s presented through a comic book that you jump into from what I like to call “the resting room” (as a guest star to build up money). A bit of a homage to the classic side scrollers, you go around shooting various enemies and bosses. You can slide out of the way, jump and call for help when you’re in a bit of a sticky situation.
It is rather clean looking visually and what you would expect to have a comic brought to life in a video game. Twisted Pixel Games really love to joke themselves off too. In the room before you jump into another comic, you can interact with characters and objects. Over the far left are two arcade machines – Splosion Man and The Maw. Captain Smiley makes a hilarious comment about The Maw saying how the DLC should have been included in the main game. These arcade machines are useless in a sense that you can’t play a small part of those games but it does allow you to download the trials or purchase those full games if you haven’t already.
As you progress, you earn money, which is spent on upgrades and bonuses. The system feels fair and keeping you busy for some time. In levels, often you are given a bonus objective, allowing you to earn more money but if you miss it, then no bonus for you. Levels are set in three different settings making Comic Jumper feel fresh throughout. Even when you’re done with the levels, there are challenge levels that are fun and great for comparing against your friends.
Usually you travel from left to right in the game’s 11 levels; taking out hordes of enemies but things change up when bosses come in and when you’re making a transition to a new scene. There are some quick-time events present but these aren’t necessarily going to catch you out of surprise. It’s rather funny seeing these scenes play out as you try to keep focus on what button to press next.
Comic Jumper is very appealing visually through it’s comic book-like graphical look, it’s wacky sound effects, the characters and the simplicity of it all – you just know what you have to do but still feel there’s some challenge to it. Perhaps at times, it feels a little too challenging but thankfully there are checkpoints, although you will be penalised (low / no bonus money) if you die or take too long to get through a level. Some of the bosses take a little while to figure out but once you know the patterns, it does feel rather rewarding.
You’re going to want to ensure you have a few gigabytes of space for this one, since it’s one of the biggest arcade titles recently and being on Xbox LIVE Arcade, of course means you get a trial (a very reasonable one, too) to give you a taster. Comic Jumper is exclusive on Xbox 360 and is brought to you from the developers of the well-received The Maw.
Comic Jumper: Comic Jumper is a hilarious action-adventure game developed by Twisted Pixel Games for Xbox 360. In this game, players control Captain Smiley, a comic book hero who jumps from comic to comic in search of fame, fortune, and a chance to revive his failing series. The game is filled with witty dialogue, self-aware humor, and over-the-top action sequences that poke fun at comic book cliches and pop culture references. The game's art style also changes with each comic book world, adding to the game's charm and variety. Despite its challenging difficulty and occasional pacing issues, Comic Jumper is a must-play for fans of humor and action games. – gamereuphoria
