Twisted Pixel has become a sort of powerhouse for XBLA. Their previous titles The Maw and ‘Splosion Man are known for their high production quality and signature brand of silly craziness. With their hilarious new release Comic Jumper, this trend of high quality super-absurdity has reached new heights. Unfortunately, all that awesome is bogged down by some mediocre gameplay.
Comic Jumper has you playing the role of Captain Smiley, who looks just like your average superhero - except that he has a giant emoticon for a head. Smiley is joined by Star, who’s a gravelly voiced... well, star. You’ll find Star permanently attached to Smiley’s chest, serving no other purpose than to critique every one of Smiley’s actions and bring up horrible repressed memories from the past.
Much of the game’s comedy is derived from the dialogue between these two, ranging from a quiet chuckle to “OMG I have to put the controller down in order to catch my breath”. Smiley and Star are joined by other colourful characters such as Gerda, the seemingly resentful hot sidekick and business manager, as well as Smiley’s arch-nemesis Brad, who is all about hot babes and working out his biceps. All the other villains are equally ridiculous and contribute a great deal of personality to the experience.
The basic story of the game is that Captain Smiley has lost his comic series after failing to impress readers. Fortunately, Twisted Pixel (yes, they did write themselves into the game and yes, it is as awesome as it sounds) has come along to help by building Smiley a base, which acts as the game’s hub-world. Here, Smiley can talk with all his recently unemployed villains, buy unlockables and upgrade. Most importantly, the base gives him the technology to ‘jump’ into other comics and act as a hero for hire.
This sets up the game’s main gimmick, since every time you jump into a world both the art style and Captain Smiley get a makeover. This helps keep the game fresh and lets Twisted Pixel lampoon various eras and genres of comics. Each of the different art styles look great, all featuring fantastic looking enemies and boss fights. Additionally, the game’s frequent use of FMV’s just adds another layer of awesomeness to the experience.
Unfortunately, the only thing holding Comic Jumper back from realising its full potential is its repetitive brand of side-scrolling gameplay. Largely similar to the Gunstar Heroes variety of shooter, you control the character in the manner of a dual-joystick shooter, with some platforming thrown in.
The problem is that you’ll be doing the exact same thing over and over again, with nothing but the look of the enemies changing. You’re constantly fighting the same few enemy types, and the game is actually pretty difficult until you manage to level up a lot, which requires some grinding. To be fair, the game does occasionally transition to a Space Harrier style of on-rails shooter, along with some 2D brawling sequences, but these quickly become repetitive too. The game’s changing look helps prevent it from grating along during its 5 hour length, but by about the middle of the game you’re really only playing for the comedy.
Nonetheless, if you’re a fan of Twisted Pixel’s previous work and you’re prepared to stomach some less than ideal gameplay, Comic Jumper justifies its $15 price tag with some truly amazing writing and beautiful artwork.
+ Genuinely Hilarious
+ Constant Change in Art Styles
+ Lots of Unlockables, great for hardcore fans
- Mediocre Repetitive Gameplay
- Not Much Replay Value Once You Complete the Game
