iPhone App: Doodle Jump

April 13th, 2009

= 5 stars

Simple action game where you guide a doodle character up platforms while avoiding obstacles.

The Good

• Super simple gameplay: just tilt the iPhone to move left and right, and jump from platform to platform, steadily upward. Your character jumps constantly. Miss a platform on his way down, and he drops to his doom, reminiscent of the arcade classic Q*Bert (come to think of it, the alien character loosely resembles the furry orange creature). Tap the screen to fire, useful for killing some of the germ-like creatures you encounter.
• Variety is added through random objects and characters encountered on your rise upward: springs to increase jump altitude, brown platforms that break on contact, blue platforms that move, deadly creatures (when you hit one, the phone vibrates), white platforms that disappear after one bounce. and dangerous holes.
• Your hero can wrap around from either side of the screen to the other side, allowing for some amusing (and sometimes necessary) jump strategies.
• Fun design of simple drawings on notebook paper.
• Red marks along the right side of the screen indicate the progress of other players.

The Bad

• Progress isn’t saved, and it’s a bit disillusioning to start each game anew at the literal bottom.

Conclusion

Doodle Jump is a solidly entertaining and imaginative game. The price of 99 cents is perfect. Highly recommended.

iPhone App Store Link: