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Comic Jumper

Comic Jumper

Poor Captain Smiley, nobody likes him or his stupid comic. What better way to earn money than by guest-starring in other (much better) comics, then? We don't know!

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It's a generally known fact, at least according to my own studies, that nerds have more fun. There's just so much - from games to movies to television and books - that we can be entertained by. And the guys at Twisted Pixel clearly agree, since Comic Jumper is filled to the brim with references to the things we love and adore.

First of all, as the title implies, it's a game about comics. Captain Smiley, and his snarky companion Star that's permanently attached to his chest, fail at keeping his own comic alive and when it's cancelled he has to guest star in other comics to make money. The different comics he jumps between make up the different levels and the various settings are crafted with a lot of love for the medium, including over-the-top shonjo manga and the Jack Kirby-influenced Silver Age adventures of Paper Lad.

Comic Jumper

Comic Jumper doesn't end there, though, and references to games and movies are all in there too - highlights include the discussions Captain Smiley and Star have about why they can't jump or fire in their base of operations, or the Time Cop-inspired vehicle they use to move between comics. The script is in general hilarious, the attention to detail is incredible and it's hard to suppress the constant grin I have on my face while listening to the two protagonists bicker between themselves. It might be easy and cheap humor at times, but it's nerdy humor - and let's be honest here, we all love that stuff.

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Sadly, Comic Jumper has a hard time standing on its own legs as an actual game. Mostly because it is incredibly repetitive. While running and gunning your way through the levels, it's hard to shake the feeling that there are not many good ideas here and that most of the entertainment comes from the dialogue and the script - not the gameplay itself. Usually the levels are made up of the same enemies over and over again, which tends to make them feel too long, and there's not much variety outside of the graphical design between the different comics - the same type of enemies with the same type of attacks pop up over and over again, with some minor tweaks here and there.

Comic Jumper

Some enemies tend to be able to withstand a bit too much damage as well, at least early on when you haven't bought many upgrades - enemies that you figure out how to beat after only a few seconds, that don't really pose much of a challenge and still take what feels like ages to beat. Together with the fact that these fights tend to repeat themselves, it can be quite easy to feel frustrated with Comic Jumper, especially when you die and have to do them all over again. There's also a bossfight that is repeated two levels in a row without many new abilities added in, and even if the game makes a joke about it it does feel kinda cheap.

The controls can also be an annoyance, as they feel fidgety and at times I don't really feel like I'm in control of what Captain Smiley is doing. The game tend to mix things up as well, introducing a new sudden control scheme that last for a fight or for a level, and never really gives a proper explanation when it does - suddenly the unicorn you're riding on (don't ask) can fly or you find yourself in close combat armed with a sword. It's all a bit odd, even if an experienced gamer won't feel confused for long when it happens.

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Comic Jumper

Comic Jumper is a challenging game, which I think is a bonus - it's very much about dodging attacks from enemies while trying to keep your aim on them. It took a while to get used to the idea of not constantly rushing forward, instead going slowly forward while learning how the different enemies behave and attack. Certain passages will give you extra bonus money if you complete them without being hit, and many of those are quite hard. The replayability here is high, especially if you are one of the people annoyed by seeing your friends rank higher than you on the leaderboards.

Twisted Pixel obviously have an eye for detail and they have a lot of good writers on staff. There's a lot to do, learning and perfecting certain passages and challenges add even more playtime to the game and there's a ton of stuff to unlock if you're into collecting everything you can in your games. It's clearly a work of love for the developers. Had the gameplay been only slightly tighter, the levels not so repetitive and controls better, this would have ranked much higher on my list of downloadable titles that I really like. Despite this, I can't help reserving a special place in my heart for Comic Jumper.

07 Gamereactor UK
7 / 10
+
Hilarious dialogue, nerd-references galore, tons of stuff to collect
-
Twitchy controls, repetitive levels and enemies, some fights feel unbalanced
overall score
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Comic Jumper

REVIEW. Written by Petter Mårtensson

Poor Captain Smiley, nobody likes him or his stupid comic. What better way to earn money than by guest-starring in other comics, then?



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