Addictive and good value for money
On the iTunes store, the full title of Doodle Jump is “Doodle Jump – BE WARNED: Insanely Addictive!” After spending about 45 minutes with this game without realising it, I’m inclined to agree. The basic premise is simple: tilt the phone to move the main character, who jumps up and down constantly. You have to climb up platforms as high as you can, avoiding enemies (who you can shoot at by tapping the screen) and avoid falling below the bottom of the screen. Conveniently (or sometimes not so conveniently) placed on some platforms are powerups ranging from rockets, springs and helicopter hats that speedily move you up hundreds (or thousands) of metres in a matter of seconds, but sometimes their positioning is so awkward that it’s designed to lure you in and make you fall. Getting just an extra metre to add to your score is insanely addictive, and having the ability to post your scores to Facebook and Twitter adds a level of competition with your friends.
Besides all this, the game is also pleasant to look at, if a little annoying audibly, but muting the phone takes nothing away from this game (in fact, it makes it better). At 59p, Doodle Jump is a nicely priced timewaster, but the real value for money comes long after the initial purchase, as the developer, Lima Sky, has continually supported the game since release with updates adding new settings and slight gameplay tweaks such as a snowy theme, one set in space and another in the jungle. Recently in celebration of the football World Cup they’ve released a football themed backdrop with some significant rule changes. And did I mention all of these updates are free? Not a single in-app purchase, which is to be commended. Word of mouth about good value for money has sustained this game’s development, and it’s one of the iTunes App Store’s biggest successes, both commercially and critically.
