D. Jump

Overview

Announced at E3 1998 in Atlanta, D. Jump was to be a 3D, third-person, action/adventure game for the PC. Similar to many of its late 90's contemporaries, the press materials promised "irreverent humor" and extreme-with-a-capital-X action with lots of fast moving stages and water skiing. Despite the overplayed set up D. Jump may have been crushed by the weight of its own lofty goals and feature set. Or Ubisoft may have simply needed the money and resources to put behind Rayman 2 which was in the works at the same time as D. Jump. An official explanation has never been given. 
 

Story

In the process of becoming "unstuck in time" our unlikely hero is dropped onto an ancient world that resembles Egypt and transformed into a wooden, puppet-like version of himself. A pair of Gods speak to him in dreams to explain the world he's stumbled into and guide him through towns, palaces, an oasis, and up and down the Nile in search of a way home. 
 

Gameplay

D. Jump was to feature 20 environments and 60 characters to interact with. At the start the player would be able to use simple objects like fruit and rocks to attack enemies as well as the peculiar ability to explode their own body. This did not cause damage but may have only been available at key moments. Later, magical abilities are unlocked allowing players to use telekinetic powers, turn into different animals and ultimately turn enemies into different forms. Some examples included completing a pyramid by levitating objects, transforming into a snake to wriggle through cracks in walls, and performing gymnastic maneuvers to traverse the landscape. 
 
When not running and jumping around players were required to choose a mood or demeanor before entering a conversation. Choices like 'worried', 'mocking', and 'conniving' would alter how characters reacted and how the dialog would play out. Other abilities were to include a "love mode" in which the player can track down their wayward love interest by following a heartbeat and a "groove mode" that worked like a rhythmical minigame to appease the Gods. Further variety came into play as the Gods would sometimes drag the player into sub-stage nightmare or dream levels. Some of the gameplay mechanics and early concepts can be seen in this YouTube video.
 

Title

D. Jump was only the working title of the game and no explanation was ever given as to what it means. One possibility is that it's the final selection in a multiple choice question, presumably the answer to how the player can return to their own time.