Jack

I simply don't have the patience for traditional RPGs these days, and really haven't since about 1997, so I tend to gravitate towards straightforward arcade games.

Jack, a platformer made by Beaker in Sphere, is a solid and polished game with a well-implemented gameplay mechanic.

Gameplay: 4/5
The gameplay of Jack is that of a straightforward platformer. You jump around platforms and attack enemies as they come.

Thankfully, controls are simple and responsive, which is good because the enemy AI is better than your typical platformer. Clawed enemies will hunt you down and attack you, jumping or lying in wait above and below you. Fat beasties crawl towards you and then suddenly lunge for your throat. I died many times, but luckily the game is forgiving in that respect - you respawn exactly where you die.

Level design is also solid, if a bit unimaginative. Only once or twice in the game did I encounter an environmental obstacle. For the most part it was just an area to traverse. Some more variety in the platforming - a tricky jump or a false path - would have been nice.

Now for a few gripes: there isn't much variety in the gameplay. It's basically jump, slash, jump, slash slash with the occasional ultra-blast. Granted, the game description emphasizes timing (the primary gameplay mechanic I mentioned earlier) and the implementation of it is quite well done, but it tends to grow a bit tedious. More enemy-types or player abilities would have spiced that up. Some powerups or treasure or the like would have done wonders to encourage exploration in this game, and perhaps made it more engaging overall.

Atmosphere: 4.5/5
The atmosphere of the game is top-notch and very well done for a platformer.

Graphically, stage elements are clear and easily identifiable (always a plus in a platformer), suitable for the stage's theme and, as a plus, interesting to look at. The protagonist and enemy avatars were excellent and well animated. The game has some slick pixel art that would flow quite well with any game made in the SNES era - a real testament to its quality. Even the scrolling backgrounds were exceptional. A bit more variety in the chattel and accents to the stage would have pushed it over the edge of awesome, but everything was quite good as is.

The sound effects were spot-on and even a bit disturbing - perfect for a game like this. The music was quite atmospheric, but a little bland and repetitive.

Fun Factor: 3/5
My gut feeling in this area is that it was pretty fun, could've have been exceptional but despite some minor shortcomings, I felt compelled to continue to play the game to the very end. That must count for something.

Oh yeah, there was plenty of gore, with enemy heads and blood flying all over the place. Very nice touch.

Overall: 4/5

Great work, Beaker!