Review Jack N' Jill DX

Jack N' Jill DX is a fun mobile jump-along game where you tap X to leap Jack across perilous levels so he can be reunited with his beloved Jill. A simple retro-style Game Boy title, there are 140 levels to cross. At least Jill gets a go in the later levels.

Bumping into the scenery will send Jack in the other direction. Avoid falling into pits and bumping into spikes, and you can generally get to the end okay. As the levels progress jump boosters are added and other things to avoid.

Each level is short enough that if you make a mistake you don't lose too much time or the will to live. Further into the world, nasties start to appear that can be avoided or bounced on. Power-ups can help you out, in the form of speed-ups, invulnerability and so on.

Later levels stack up the tricks and complexity of the platforms to create some tough challenges, but being Ratalaika, you can still get the platinum within an hour, and without getting into the meat of the game.

Unlock enough levels or collect enough coins and you get to play a set of mini-games, and can buy some treats for your little friends. Are they ghosts or decapitated thumbs? They look rather like Pac Man's ghosts, be a shame if they are already dead. And with no real story being revealed along the way, it doesn't really matter.

With jolly tunes and pleasingly simple level backgrounds, this is simple fare, where the toughest parts of a level just require a slightly earlier or later leap, or perhaps a different bounce pattern. Low-cost fun, there's some challenge, but this would be so much better if it took the Super Life of Pixel approach and tweaked the art style for each world to add some variety.

Score: 5/10
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Price: £3.99 (PSN)
Developer/publisher Rohan Narang/Ratalaika
File size 94MB
Progress: Platinum