If you’re an iPhone veteran, then you might remember Doodle Jump, one of the biggest hits on the App Store. It was simple, addictive, and everyone wanted to play it. This game showed the world what mobile gaming was capable of. It was so popular, it was selling 300,000 copies a month. And all that just with the help of a green doodle monster jumping around trying to get as high as possible.
Fast forward 10 years later. With millions of copies sold, you can find Doodle Jump on almost every platform. However, this brings the question, has the game aged well? With so many different kinds of addictive games available, does Doodle Jump still deserve a place on your device? Or is it better to just remember it as a classic mobile game? Well, that’s what we’re going to discuss here as we go back in time and review Doodle Jump.
Doodle Jump review 10 years later
Doodle Jump is an endless platformer game developed by Lima Sky studio. The game is extremely simple: you control Doodle, a cute little monster with four legs and a trunk that he uses to shoot at enemies. The objective is to go as high as you can while avoiding random obstacles. And, that’s basically it. It’s a simple game that you can pick up right now and learn everything you need to know from your first jump.
While we do get different game modes (more on that later), the whole game remains the same. And that’s actually great. You can kill time with Doodle Jump. Waiting for someone? Better play some Doodle Jump. Commuting to work and having nothing better to do? Doodle Jump is the game for you. Want to stop thinking about the fact that we’re just tiny living organisms aimlessly wandering through life without any real meaning or a sense of purpose? Doodle Jump.
The whole experience: not as fun as I remembered it
For the experience of the game, I’ll break it into three parts: The graphics, the sound, and the gameplay. Starting with the graphics, I think they are just as good as they were before. The reason is the style of the game. It feels like you just draw on your notebook and it suddenly came to life. It helps you feel like you’re just killing time, like when you used to doodle at school.
What doesn’t help that much is the sound. And I do mean sound, no music. This game only uses a few sounds that get annoying the more you play. Especially the jumping sound on the main menu. It sounds like a drop of water dropping down endlessly while you’re trying to sleep.
You can turn the sounds off, but some sounds are there to help you. For example, the sound the enemies make before they appear on screen lets you know you need to be careful and to get ready to shoot. While the enemies are easy to spot before they are a threat, there are some situations where you could lose if you are not aware of the enemies above you.
Something that hasn’t aged well is Doodle Jump’s gameplay. Keeping it simple, you control Doodle by tilting your device to the left or the right. You touch your screen to shoot at enemies, and you can jump on them as well. Doodle does all the jumping automatically and your only job is to move him to the left or right to reach a platform or an object, like a jetpack that will help you rise faster.
The gameplay mechanics are simple, but having to tilt your device left and right is not the best option in this day and age. In a world with so many creative and addictive games that only need you to use one finger or two, having to be in the same position to keep playing doesn’t seem like the best idea. You can’t just rest your device while playing and you can’t play on your bed sideways. Lazy, I know.
Maybe before, the gameplay was new and it was what separated Doodle Jump from other games, but now I think they should change it or have more options available.
Game modes
Different game modes weren’t an option back in 2009. But now, we have 2 different game modes: Multiplayer and tournaments. Multiplayer is a game mode introduced back in 2011. In this mode, you play against a friend or a random person to see who goes higher. Whoever falls first, loses. And if you feel like it, you can ask for a rematch.
Another addition to the game is a tournament mode. This is a competitive game mode in which you have to go as high as you can to reach a position on the leaderboard. The tournaments are temporary and once they end, the first places receive prices.
This is the best game mode, in my opinion. It actually gives you something to go after. The prizes are a big plus and will let you buy customizable items from the store, but the fact that everyone can see your name on top of the leaderboard makes your competitive self come out. Plus, it changes the looks of the game.
Conclusion
After all these years, Doodle Jump remains an addictive casual game for people to kill time with. While the sound and gameplay of the game could use a small upgrade, it still is a must-play for newcomers and veterans alike. The original game is currently on the App Store for $0.99. However, I would recommend you download the free version, Doodle Jump – Insanely Good! It offers the same features as the full game with the addition of showing ads every time you lose.
Overall, this is a game you should play. Whether you are picking it up for the first time, or you’re looking for a dose of nostalgia, Doodle Jump will give you a great time. Even if you don’t play the original game, there are several other Doodle Jump games, even a SpongeBob SquarePants version.