321 Jump!

Intro When I downloaded 321 Jump! I was skeptical. It looked cheesy and I wasn't excited. After a few minutes though I became addicted. My sons and I would play it until we had dark circles under our eyes and my wife had to pour ice water on us. It was terrible having to put down the game. Nausea, leg cramps, and hallucinations would plague us for moments until the waves of withdrawal passed.

Gameplay The challenge of the game is to jump as high as you can. A visually appealing game, the scenery is well animated and the colors are soft yet vibrant. This is also a deceptively simple game to play. Press start, listen to the three count, then just land your guy on the pads when he starts jumping. As you ascend the levels in this strange manner of transportation you face various threats of collapsing platforms, monsters, and an ink squirting octopus to make your journey that much more perilous.

On the bright side, you have many surprises waiting for you as well. Armed with an unlimited supply of toilet plungers you can shoot and incapacitate your foes. Power ups will help you ascend this treacherous landscape as well. The much coveted 'superman' boost enables you to soar through platforms and enemies without getting a scratch.

"Is that it", you may be asking? "Why, no, it's not." If you miss landing on a platform you don't fall until you land on one. That would remove the challenge. No, my falling friend, you plummet to your unfortunate demise as the platforms beneath you mysteriously disappear once you pass them. On the bright side, while you plunge to your death, you hear the screams of a boy hopelessly lost to an untimely end. To welcome you to the end of this game you see the boy slightly embedded into the earth broken and dead… with a plunger by his side. It's macabre, but art imitates life.

What's the moral of this story? Take the elevator next time.

Features I updated to version 2.0 mid-review. The new feature brings multiplayer through bluetooth pairing. You can play up to four people. Unfortunately, I haven't had the opportunity to try the bluetooth version. I don't get out much with a wife and three small children. So I'll draw my conclusion based on my experience with the game… It would be hella fun.

Cons There are some suspicious graphics in the game that I'm pretty sure I've seen somewhere else. A Mario Brothers theme and Superman logos come to mind. I don't care personally, and I wouldn't call this a drawback unless you're a strict disciplinarian of copyright infringement.

Conclusion This is a surprisingly fun game. There's some cheesiness to it, but it only adds to the game. The game is only a buck and has a high replay value. I've spent more money on worse apps and don't hesitate to tell you this game is worth your hard-earned dollar (plus tax where applicable).

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