Right from the beginning, the Switch has been full of challenging experiences for me. Tumbleseed, Shovel Knight, GoNNER, and plenty more eShop titles have contributed to shaving years off my life via tight jumps and unexpected momentum. Super One More Jump fits this category of games for me, bringing bite-sized, anxiety driven challenges.
Mechanically speaking, Super One More Jump is very simple. The player sprite moves forward automatically, and all you’re left to do is press the jump button. The game will then compound this mechanic with obstacles and different effects, like tiles that reverse your direction, stop you entirely or give you a higher jump.
Another thing to consider while playing, is gravity and which way platforms are facing. There’s plenty of right angle jumps, where you jump from the floor to a wall and continue running, or the slightly more nerve racking “jump over the edge, circle around and land underneath the floor you were just on” move.
While it’s mechanically simple, the game still demands your full attention- most straight edges that you run on will end with an instant-death tile, meaning you’re never really given time to relax until the level is entirely over.
There’s a certain feeling and rhythm to it that is oddly satisfying- especially when you manage to beat a level that has you stumped. There’s no real consequence to death, other than a counter (which you can apparently turn off by clicking the analog stick). There’s a practise mode that is a bit less intense, but only completing levels in ‘challenge’ mode will contribute towards unlocks.
Which is a big part of the game- nearly everything is locked off from you until you reach certain milestones. Level sets require a certain amount of level clears, as do many of the additional modes. I’ve been avoiding calling Super One More Jump an endless runner, but there is an actual endless mode if you enjoy endless runners!
On top of game modes, the game also offers an additional challenge with each level having 3 coins/gems/crystals, the actual shape of them depending on which sprite set you use. Those collectables are then used for character sprites, with each sprite set having a vastly different set, from a variety of different artists! The collectables are universal, so you can swap over for a new sprite set and spend any left over units without having to collect them while using that particular set.
If you beat a level with all three collectables, you can then revisit it with additional challenges: Night mode darkens the level other than the area around you, Mirror reverses the level layout, and Rotation slowly rotates the entire level, leaving me with a dizzy spell. Each of these modifiers really mess you up in different ways, so go in expecting to throw a controller!
There’s also an interesting co-op mode that would be great for parties. Each surface is colour coded, and you can only hit jump while the character is running along your corresponding colour. You can play with up to 4 people, meaning it would be an excellent challenge to play with the same sort of people you’d play Mario Kart or Party with.
Comparing Super One More Jump to a mobile game might sound like an insult at first, but it’s probably the best way to describe the gameplay, and scenarios where you’d most likely play it. It’s not a game you’d focus on beating, but rather a novel and challenging time killer. There’s a lot of detail and care put into Super One More Jump, and at $8 AUD on the eShop, it may just be that perfect game to pick up and play to kill some time.
Rating: 4 / 5
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