Jack

Preamble
Jack is a game based on the Jack webcomic.
Our titular protagonist is a green rabbit who embodies the Sin of Wrath and also happens to be the currently acting Grim Reaper. Normally he goes around collecting souls and leading them to their final judgment, but for the purposes of this game, all he does is go around raising hell in... umm... hell.

Visual: 5 /5
If the intention was to create a nightmarish vision of hell, it's a success. The pixel art is excellent and the rough-ish background images don't steal attention from the bloody fore-action. And bloody it is. Everything you kill with your pickaxe/scythe gets its head sheared off, and the special attack creates small piles of intestines where enemies once were.
Also, you decapitate volcanoes.





Audio: 4.5 /5
The BGM accentuates the atmosphere in varying degrees. Early stages feature a more haunting ambience, Diablo 2 style, while later stages bear more classical VGM tunes. They all perform to good effect, but nothing is particularly memorable.
Also, the sound effects are a lot of fun. *krreeehhhrrr squish squish squish squish*

Storyline: 1 /5
Jack is dissatisfied with fellow Sin Vince, so he sets out to kill him (or maim him multiple times, anyway).
What a disappointment.
For something based on an award winning comic, you'd think it would come with something a little more poignant, or even be based on a particular story arc. No such luck. It doesn't even serve as a character/comic introduction. At least what little dialogue there is partially reveals its unused qualities.

Gameplay: 2 /5
The gameplay is simple platformer fare : Jump and Hack your way to the end of the stage. Obligatory Super Attack takes the form of Jack's Wrath, which is your crowd control device and scoring mechanism.
Problems arise in learning the timing of your weapon. It has limited range and an unforgiving cooldown period, so most of the damage you'll take isn't because of smart level design or clever enemy AI, but simply because you missed. By the time you do get the hang of it, the game's repetitiveness will be taking its toll. Stage design is straight forward to a fault, with zero powerups, alternate routes, or anything else to break the tedium of killing, moving forward, killing again, all because your only goal is to beat the game within the limited Lifebar x Lives that your chosen difficulty gave you.
There are some unlockable bonus games, but after you've already beaten the game they just feel like tacked-on novelties.

Overall: 3 /5
It's an entertaining game, and mandatory playing if you're a fan of the comics, but there are too many flaws to make it an enduring classic. Still, it's a great option for those lazy days when you're in the mood for something new.