The long awaited Halfbrick endless runner, Jetpack Joyride, has finally found its’ way onto the Google Play Store. Endless runners have spewed out constantly over the years and some say the genre has been pretty much beat to death. Halfbrick is known for producing quality and completely addictive games; their most famous being Fruit Ninja. Has Halfbrick actually brought something new to the table or is this the same endless runner we’ve seen over the years again and again with a different background.
Endless runners have never really needed a story line, but the synopsis of this one is that you pretty much have just stolen aajet pack from a science facility and you’re now trying to escape. That’s about as deep as it gets and that’s all that you need to know. So after starting up the game you’re prompted to tap anywhere to play and you’re good to go. Controls are super simple as expected. Your jet pack is made of machine guns and while you hold your finger on the screen your jet pack will fire causing you to rise and releasing will cause to you to fall. As you fly through the facility your bullets will pulverize the poor innocent scientist scrambling below and propel you forward.
Now, what makes this game stand out in the see of other endless runner titles. Well, for starters the graphics/art style of the game are wonderful. Halfbrick is a studio known for their attention to detail in their games and Jetpack Joyride doesn’t disappoint. The entire game has a sprite-ish cartoon feel to it and makes the game a lot more pleasant to play. The backgrounds of the various parts of the facility help to add a little depth to the game. In addition to the jet pack there are also vehicles that you can grab while you’re running through each level. These range from a zero gravity suit all the way to a giant mechanical flying Chinese dragon that spits fire. At the end of every round there’s a slot machine that will give you the chance to spin for bonuses.
The game is free, which is the good and the bad part. The good part is that you don’t have to pay anyone money to give the game a try. The bad part though is that, you guessed it, the game is full of micro-transactions. There’s only one form of currency inside of the game so the money you purchase is just as good as the money you earn. You’re going to have to be a pretty dedicated player though to purchase some of the best items in the game without actually buying them. So , for those of you trying to save some money you’ve got a few dozen hours of game play ahead of you. Overall though, Halfbrick has added a quality game to a dying genre that deserves your time, the studio has once again proven why they are one of the most successful mobile game development studios on the planet.
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