Review: Jump o'Clock

Overview

Jump o’Clock is a game where it’s always time to jump. It’s a new casual endless game this time from Glu Mobile that combines the gameplay mechanics of Doodle Jump and Dizzypad. You try to jump for as long as you can inside a clock jumping from spinning gear to spinning gear.

Features

There are two different gameplay modes with classic casual endless and multiple challenges. Challenge mode consists of five types of challenges by reaching a certain height without damage, without touching the walls, or in a certain time. There are 15 challenges in total, and each one has an OpenFeint achievement, and there is a high score table for the main game.

The Good

The game brings the casual endless fun you know and love in a brand new package with some unique mechanics. Unlike Doodle Jump there are less places to jump making it tougher, and unlike Dizzypad you fall back down according to gravity making it a little tougher. As you progress higher and higher the gears not only spin, but also slide back and forth or in a circle requiring more precise timing to make a successful jump.

Also as you climb new gears are introduced which can damage you including electrical ones, and ones with partial saws on them. There are also steam shoots which all combined can have you fall to your demise. The game features bolts which you can collect to fill a meter which then gives you access to a super jump to climb a few hundred feet in seconds. The challenges really help the game stand out in the ever growing genre to provide a little more to do. There are three levels of difficulty for each challenge as you need to reach 600, 1000, and 1500 ft. for example. The challenges are quite tough whether you’re under time constraints or don’t touch this constraints.

The game is definitely nicely designed with fine polish on all of the inner workings of a clock. There is a lot of detail and moving parts all running smoothly. It’s great to see LE0 jumping around with tons of different animations including holding on to a gear like a person would hold a bucking bronco. A deluxe soundtrack is included with a few different versions that play depending on how far you’ve jumped. OpenFeint is provided to add to the replay factor which is pretty good in comparison to others in the genre. Not only is there casual endless which you can get hooked to, but also 15 challenges to complete for concrete endings.

The Bad

The game is relatively simplistic like the genre as a whole so once you’ve played a couple times you’ll never see anything new again. With that said at least this game features some challenges to change up the endless style a bit. Overall the game seems more simplistic than others as your character latches on to a gear, and sticks if you land on it. It’s nice to have OpenFeint, but scores aren’t currently being uploaded properly, at least in my testing. The game also shutters when you reach certain plateaus where the music changes.

The Verdict

Jump o’Clock is a worthy addition to your casual endless collection, and a great place to start if you’re new to the genre. The game provides plenty of fun and challenge as you jump between spinning gears with multiple obstacles. There is some good replay for the genre with enjoyable challenges, and everything comes with great production values. Jump o’Clock is a should buy for $0.99 that will have you thinking no matter what the clock says that it's a great time to jump. The game still sits behind the current genre leader Bird Strike.