It may seem strange that the world's most popular computer/video game likely isn't named Counterstike, Doom 3, or even Grand Theft Auto. Instead, it's much more likely that the most popular game came installed with your copy of Windows and is named Minesweeper, Hearts or Solitaire. It's this type of game that everyone around the world has access to and can easily learn to play in a few minutes that Foxy Jumper follows. Foxy Jumper is a simple, yet fun twitch-based game that no one will have trouble picking up to play. At the same time, while its simplicity won't have you playing for hours on end, most gamers may keep it installed on their hard drive just for the times when they have a few minutes to burn and they need something to do.
The gameplay premise behind Foxy Jumper is very simple. At the beginning of each level, you'll find yourself at the bottom of the screen. There are platforms you must jump to, one by one, until you reach the sixth platform, which is where you'll find a house. Entering the house allows you to exit the level and move on to the next one. What makes each level tricky is the combination of various enemies that move on the platforms and the platforms themselves that move as well. To get to the next platform, you have to move to a hole on the platform above you and jump through it and land on the platform above. It's a bit confusing to imagine in words, but once you see it in action, it's quickly understood.
Control in Foxy Jumper is easy and responsive. You can move left, right or jump as the Foxy Jumper, who is predictably, a fox who can jump. Unfortunately, joysticks/gamepads are not supported, but you can map out your keyboard keys. (Note: In versus mode for multiplayer, you can shoot as well, but I did not try multiplayer to see how this worked). The platforms can move left or right, and will be usually split into 2, but sometimes 3 different sections. Each platform will move, including the one you are on. Whatever way the platform moves doesn't make you move with it as well, however; your movement is unaffected as the platform moves under you. While the main objective is to get the house in each level, you'll also want to collect items. Some items grant powers that will help you get through the level, while other items just help you collect points so that you can earn more lives.
The game has 3 difficulty levels and 7 level packs, with over 100 levels in all. There are also bonus levels in each level pack that challenge you to capture (you run into them) as many chickens as possible within a specific amount of time. While the level amount does seem like a lot at first, it's not that great of an amount since the level packs are split up by difficulty level (also, you can usually get through a level within a minute or two). Therefore, if you want a serious challenge on hard, you'll only find 30 levels waiting for you. This isn't much of a problem, however. It's difficult to really "learn" a level since the game is more twitch-based than puzzle oriented, and also since all the levels tend to feel the same anyway, you don't really memorize levels- you play by reacting to what the level throws at you.
Most levels will have a number of enemies that will try to prevent you from reaching the house. Some enemies will knock you down platforms, or an enemy might just stop your ability to jump or run - fortunately, for every variety of enemy you will face, you'll often also find power-ups that will help neutralize your enemies. Some levels will have, for example, the Magic Clock, which freezes platforms and enemies from moving. Another power-up is Ghost, which allows you to jump straight through platforms. Overall, I felt that the gameplay balance between your character and the enemies was very fair. While the placement of enemies and power-ups may make Foxy Jumper seem like a puzzle game, it really isn't. Especially on later levels, you'll find that you'll need to make decisions so quickly that you won't really have time to plan your moves out. Once you get on the first platform, it's time to run and react.
The only real issue I have with the gameplay is that jumping up platforms can be an annoyance. If you fall down from a platform, you sit down for a few moments, dazed. The problem with this is that while you're dazed on a platform, it can disappear under you, and you'll fall again, and become…dazed again. When you're dazed, you're also vulnerable to enemies, some of whom can touch you and knock you down from the platform you are on, and once again, you'll be dazed. Because of this it is not uncommon to go drop down 5 levels in a matter of seconds, and all of this is out of your control because once you get dazed, things can keep compounding against you. Once you hit the bottom, you lose a life.
The jumps themselves can also be problematic. Since the platforms are always moving, jumping requires critical timing. Often, you'll find yourself hitting your head on a platform instead of squeezing into a hole, especially as you try to escape enemies. Other times, you may make the jump, only to have the platform disappear under you, and when you fall, you'll become dazed, even if technically you never landed on the above platform above. Even with these issues, though, it's hard to be really frustrated with the game. Just with how the game plays, it's a very casual game. You probably won't be beaming with joy after you've beaten every level in the game, but you'll never yell at your computer in frustration either.
For $20, Foxy Jumper may be pricey to most gamers. It's an enjoyable game, but there are many other games now that offer much greater gameplay depth at that price. Foxy Jumper's lack of support for gamepads is disappointing as well, because it's a great game for smaller children who may not be quite ready for the complexity and often, more mature game environments, of other games. If you need a game to play at the office (FJ has very light system requirements) or often do a lot of work on your computer (video game reviewer), then Foxy Jumper might just be what you need because it's perfect for those times you need a little break from what you're doing.
I love video games. I just don't play too many of them. I grew up always having to learn about games through my (incredibly cheap) subscription to Video Games and Computer Entertainment (10 years later, this magazine is now known as Tips And Tricks). I'd read through each issue several times, remembering all the screenshots and details, but it was rare that I'd actually to get play any of the games featured just because I didn't have the money to do so. Now, I'm lucky enough to work in the industry, at a position that requires me to be a video game expert. Apparently I really did learn something from all that reading back then! I still don't play a lot of games though.
I enjoy virtually all game genres, except for PC war strategy, which I'm sure I just can't handle in terms of sophistication. My true calling in gaming is the PC FPS. It's the only genre where I'm willing to overlook major flaws in a particular game, finish it, and enjoy it anyway.
I also have a fascination with digitized video games (Fox Hunt, Psychic Detective, Angel Devoid), a now-defunct genre. Back when full-motion-video was all the rage, these games were supposed to be the next step in bringing Hollywood to the gamer, but most of the time, these efforts resulted in hilarious (and ridiculous) "interactive" movies that, instead of bringing innovation to the industry, only paved the way for the bad voice acting that the industry still suffers from today.
