RockmanXelnia tackles the mobile market, from games to apps, with Xelnia Mobile.
Eggman is back to snatching up Sonic’s little animal friends. That’s all there is for plot in Sonic Jump. No kissing princesses, turning into some other furry creature, fighting ultimate life forms, or saving colorful Gummi Savers aliens.
Sonic Jump switches the focus from high-speed to precision platforming. There is no running at 300 miles an hour, smashing through Badniks like bowling pins. Sonic will be jumping up vertically scrolling screens to reach the goal and rescue his caged animal friends. The result is a very different game with plenty of content that results in an immersible experience.
I found the game’s controls very light and appropriate for a mobile game. Sonic jumps on his own, and tapping the screen while he is in mid-jump will perform another jump to extend his vertical reach. Tilting the phone either left or right will move Sonic in the tilted direction, and the amount of tilt affects the amount of movement along the horizontal axis. The tilting is rather loose, however, as even a slight tilt can move Sonic just a small bit. While this has not resulted in any unintentional damage or deaths, having the option to make the tilt control tighter would have been great in case I want to play while laying down.
Is that where they keep the Chaos Emeralds now, in a safe? Maybe the next Sonic game is in there. I’ll just put my rings in there instead.
Sonic Jump offers plenty of content to keep you busy. Each of the four stages (and a fifth one that is coming soon) offers 12 Acts, with boss fights against Eggman at Acts 9 and 12. As you play, you will get missions that gives XP depending on its difficulty. Missions can be anything from collecting so many rings, busting so many Badniks, or speedrunning a specific stage. Obtaining enough XP provides a level up, and leveling up gives bonuses such as extra rings, items, and extra characters (I’ve only obtained Blaze so far). You can purchase extra content using rings, and even upgrade the effectiveness of items.
The goal of each stage, except the boss stages, is to get to the top. However, it is not as easy as just hopping from platform to platform. The layout changes with each Act, and obstacles are put into place, increasing the difficulty with each stage. You eventually start seeing spikes, crumbling platforms, fake platforms, and even Badniks placed specifically to get in your way. Badniks can only be defeated if Sonic is in ball form. If he curls, he will take a hit and getting hit with no rings results in a loss. The bottom of the screen serves as a drop zone as you climb, so falling down will result in a loss as well. There are no game overs, so you can just retry or restart.
Items can play a big part in stage progression. Those going for speed will be using the boost shoes to get a head start at the beginning of the Act. If you get hit too often, you can use a shield or ring shield which turns enemies into rings. Use the magnet shield to gather rings easier, but it does not offer protection so one hit will lose all that hard-earned bling. With a net item, Sonic can spring back up from the bottom and continue on should he fall. Leveling up can make stocking items a little easier, but most of the time you won’t need them if you’re just trying to complete an Act.
You can fly through Sonic Jump if you just focus on the stages. For completion’s sake, there’s collecting the three red rings in each Act, S-ranking every Act, leveling up, and testing your jumping prowess in Arcade mode. Of course, for those who don’t mind forking over a bit of cash, you can just hit that Unlock Everything button and have fun with everything immediately.
Sonic Jump is not a must have for your smartphone, but it’s definitely a title worth picking up. It’s simple to get into, yet offering enough content to keep you on board for the long haul. The mobile market is filled with games that are often just clones of one another, but Sonic Jump offers more than just simple vertical platforming. While speed is the crowning factor of Sonic, and most of his games also boast well-designed and executed platforming so it is nice to see SEGA focus on this aspect. I would recommend Sonic Jump more than the other Sonic games available on the mobile market because it is a title created specifically for the mobile market, versus simple ports with sub-par controls and nothing extra.
Sonic Jump is available for iOS ($ .99) and Android ($ 1.99)