Sonic Jump

We are all pretty familiar with Sonic the Hedgehog and his various antics in saving the world. So what makes Sonic Jump any different and better from the rest?

Well, as opposed to Sonic running in a sideways scrolling platform game, he must bounce and jump his way upwards from platform to platform collecting rings and defeating various foes along the way. So, not exactly reinventing the wheel here but still it merits a closer look.

Upon a more thorough inspection it’s based on a mission to help rescue Tails and on to defeat Eggman and his rather deranged plan. Although in truth the plot’s far from going to win any Pulitzers prizes for its writing, it does let you get into the flow right from the start and keeps you interested enough to find out more about just what his scheming is trying to do and help keep your eyes glued to the screen to ensure your base-jumping spiky blue hero is victorious.

You start with the usual 3 lives and will be awarded with extra lives for collecting a set number of golden rings. Your hedgehog behaves more like a kangaroo than the stereotypically fast running and spinning Sonic we know and love. You have a progress bar to the right hand side of the screen to help you gauge where you are in terms of between start and finish. On nearly all levels you will find a save point which will come in handy should you die and be re-spawned from this area (providing you still have a spare life).

As you probably know, Sonic collects rings for a couple of purposes – to boost your score and to give you some protection from your encounters with the bad guys. However they don’t mean you’re invincible and in fact gathering the rings will more often than not put you in more danger than anything else. Sonic dies when he comes in contact with the various foes on the screen (e.g. flying wasps) or when a platform gives way and causes you to fall off the bottom of the screen. Although the creatures you encounter are a mild risk, they serve nothing but a nuisance and a distraction. In actual fact, the most dangerous element of the game is not looking at the path ahead and choosing the right move and using your timing effectively.

In the end then, this is a bit of a balance between a hopping platformer and a bit of a puzzle game. Unfortunately the bouncing antics can only really go so far before it gets a bit long in the tooth and as the game lacks a huge bit of creativity, you’re going to probably get a bit weary within just a few levels.

On the plus side, it does give you quite a challenge. Moving and dissolving platforms as well as the solid ones do keep it a little fresh and will keep you thumbs moving very quickly to keep alive. The springs and large score-boosting hoops as well as the golden rings strewn throughout the levels will certainly keep you aiming at taking more daring routes to score more highly.

Overall then, if you are a fan of Sonic, you’ll probably want to give this a punt. If you enjoy a tricky platform hopping game, again you’ll want to have a go at mastering this. However, if you are quite quick to get bored of repetition then you’ll definitely want to look elsewhere.

Rating 67%

Positives

Sonic lovers will probably love it

Basic controls which work quite well

Fairly easy but challenging too (particularly if you choose the wrong route)

Pretty good graphics and sounds

Negatives

Lack of any real imagination

Very repetitive

Only a handful of save points means you can easily return right to the start if unlucky

Really easy to defeat end of level bosses (some only take 3 hits to beat)