Ahoy there me buckos, you caught me unawares there for a minute as me mind was wanderin’ the past, to a time before all those smartphones and tablets we all enjoy. It was a simpler time at sea – me crew engaged in swordplay whenever the open seas were as wide as the eye can survey while I watched with a mug of ale in me hand and a chest full of doubloons for the victor at me lap. At nights, though, while the fearsome Calypso slumbers, me entertainment was just a piece of parchment and some ink occasionally dabbed with ink. I would doodle meself to sleep with imagery full of knights, strange monsters, and damsels in distress. At that time, doodling was enough to get me entertained. In this day and age, however, it seems that people like you find yourself wanting more and more. Well, if you are sentimental about the hobbies you had in the past, then you might just get a kick out of Doodle Jump, an app that actually combines old school doodling with new age technology.
The Doodle Story
Doodle Jump is considered one of the earliest mobile games that came out at the Apple App store (2009) and later on in the Google Play store. Its developer Lima Sky wanted to publish a simplistic app that would bring back memories, during the time when pen and paper was pretty much your primary mode of entertainment. Now, you might be thinking that Doodle Jump is nothing but a drawing app, something that may resemble Draw Something. No sir, Doodle Jump is a cute and rather childish approach to platform jumping games. Basically, you control a strangely drawn up character called the Doodler, and the objective is to get him jumping up and up from platform to platform safely across a graph paper type of labyrinth – something that seems to look like a simple doodle. Seems easy enough, right? Well, it isn’t a walk in the park – that I can tell you.
Along the way, as you automatically jump from platform to platform, you will encounter obstacles. It could be the occasional monster blocking your way, or a UFO hovering above you pelting you with harmful stuff. Or, maybe, it could be the actual platform you are on. Yup, while most of the platforms you will land on will be blue, solid, and safe, there are others that will sport a different color as well as a different effect. For instance, brown platforms crumble and white platforms will disappear after your first jump (which makes it important to get onto the next platform on your first try). Occasionally, you will also encounter a platform that is springy, which will help you get higher up. And, of course, if you are lucky, you will be aided by a number of boosters such as jet packs, trampolines, and rockets, which can aid you in skipping a few platforms that may potentially hurt you on your way up.
The objective of the game is, of course, to reach higher and higher up. Obviously, such a feat will equate to a higher score. Hence, the game never really ends as you will be continuously challenged to get to higher platforms and overcome tougher obstacles. Now, there is an online leader board to keep in mind if you are looking for an added motivation.
The mobile game also features a host of unlockables that you can unlock throughout the game. Most of what you will unlock is Doodle themes – the doodled backdrop of the game. These themes give the app an added flavor, encouraging constant replay.
Controlling the Doodler
The jumping is accomplished automatically. All you really have to do is control it and that can be done by tilting the device. Tilt it to the right to jump to the right, and vice versa. If you encounter a UFO or a mean, ugly monster, you can zap them by tapping them on the screen. This will trigger the Doodler to shoot them up.
Bottomline
The graphics of the game is apt for the name. It looks like a real doodle hence, the name Doodle Jump. So, if you are looking for some fancy-schmancy type of mobile app with 3D rendering and all that jazz, Doodle Jump isn’t for you. If you are looking for simplicity, outright fun, and a game to pass the time away, then Doodle Jump is definitely a must-have. And that is the solid truth from your fun-lovin’, swashbucklin’ app pirate.
