Doodle Jump Partners with Universal to Create Doodle Jump: HOP The Movie

Doodle Jump used to be one of the App Store's juggernauts, and still has over 2 million players on its Game Center leaderboards. A simple, captivating game, Doodle Jump featured an alien-like "doodle" in his quest to jump from platform to platform unto infinity. Now, Doodle Jump developers Lima Sky have partnered with Universal Studios to promote the upcoming movie, HOP.

The new amalgamation is named "Doodle Jump: HOP The Movie" and stars E.B., the Easter Bunny's son, who needs to hone his jumping skills before he can take over his father's job. This new game concludes that the best tutor is, naturally, "Doodle the Doodler" from Doodle Jump. I didn't know that our green, long-nosed friend had a name, but there you go. Doodle Jump: HOP plays out much like the original Doodle Jump, with tilt-based controls and ever-ascending platforms. However, unlike Doodle Jump, HOP is divided into levels, which increase in difficulty as you go:

Hop your way through the Easter Bunny’s top-secret candy factory. Save Easter from a chick revolt led by Carlos and his fellow fluffy workers and earn the privilege of becoming a true Easter Bunny by completing all 25 levels. Unlock a new level every day leading up to the film release as you spring up to towering heights and gather different Easter eggs.

Unsurprisingly, the game has also received an Easter-themed graphical skin to match the new theme.

Doodle Jump's partnership with HOP comes almost concurrently with Angry Birds Rio, another famous iPhone app / new movie promo game. The difference is that Angry Birds Rio seems to have added some significant changes, whereas other than the graphical update and addition of levels, Doodle Jump: HOP remains faithful to its original. Whether or not that's a plus is entirely subjective, but I think it's an interesting decision.

On the other hand, since Doodle Jump: HOP is a promotional game, it's also free—so there's no reason for fans of the original not to try this new version out. Doodle Jump: HOP The Movie is available in the App Store now.