I first played Jumpman when I was a small boy and my dad brought out the Atari system he once played with as a child. Rummaging through the various games, I found Jumpman and I was instantly hooked. Essentially the goal of the game is to climb ladders and ropes and get Jumpman to come into contact with each of the bombs that are placed on the stages.
The speed of Jumpman depends on you. You can choose how fast you want to go and while a faster Jumpman allows you to get to all of the bombs quicker (and thus rake up a few more points), your chances of failure also increase.
In order to make this simple game a bit more challenging, the creators have thrown in a few roadblocks like bullets that shoot out at Jumpman from the sides of the screen. Therefore, the faster Jumpman goes, the more likely he is to accidentally crash into a bullet or some other hazard placed in the game. The speed option is pretty cool and really adds an interesting component to an already great, yet simple, game.
The games graphics are nothing out of this world, and it’s understandable considering it was created for one of the first video games systems ever. However, in my opinion, the graphics are perfect for this TYPE of game. They really do give the player an ‘oldies’ type feeling, providing the player with
an authentic nostalgic experience, regardless of whether or not they ever played the game in their childhood. It’s traditional Atari at its core, and what some people might call lame graphics, cheesy arcade music, and pointless gameplay – I call video game magic. I suppose it’s really up to the individual; so long as you don’t mind playing a game that doesn’t have the graphics and style that many later games provided, you’ll probably become immersed by this game.
However, I use the word immersed relatively lightly. For all it’s worthy, Jumpman is not an incredibly difficult game. It is in all aspects much like the old Donky Kong games, in which Mario must climb ladders and jump over barrels in order to save the Princess. With that comes the relative ease. It’s not a game that you’ll breeze through in five minutes, but it’s also not a game that’s going to be so tough and addicting you’ll get fired from your job (I know. Sorry.) But don’t let that turn you off either, it really is a fun game. Anybody who has played the original Donkey Kong probably understands, and for those you have played it, Jumpman will do nothing but REMIND you of Donkey Kong. Don’t worry; Jumpman is not a copy of Donkey Kong. It is its own game, and for whatever minuscule faults there may be, it is a good game.
