One sunny day, Jasper, a young purple-haired Loffin, was outside playing with his cat, Orlando when along came an ugly witch. With a horrifying cackle she swooped down and stole Jasper’s cat to use as an ingredient in her latest unspeakably evil potion. Like any cat lover would, Jasper set off through a fairytale land stuffed with hideous monsters and challenging adventures to save his beloved pet.
And so begins Jasper’s Journey, the latest offering from Lexaloffle Games, a Super Mario Brothers-type arcade platform game.
Game play is simple enough using the cursors to move right and left and to look up and down and the x and z keyboard keys, which let Jasper throw magic discs and jump respectively. For extra high jumps look out for blue ’sproing’ flowers.
Jasper is carried from level to level by a friendly blue dragon and along the way must pick up as much fruit as possible. Each throw of a magic disc uses one piece of fruit and although the game starts quite tamely, Jasper soon needs as much throwing power as possible. Along the way, Jasper can pick up gems which he will need to spend later in the Inns to buy magic potions which bestow wonderful abilities like flying, butterfly, jumping and triple shot and extra health in the form of shields.
Other items to search for include treasure for glory and buying power, golden globes–of which there are three per level–and keys to unlock levels and doors. Look out for the special purple dragon who can ferry Jasper to a magical island where he can stock up on fruit.
Jasper has to dodge stones dropped on him by birds (who obviously don’t want him to rescue Orlando) and monsters, whom he can fight off from afar by throwing magic discs but must not touch for if he does they sap his strength and can steal his treasure.
The game has very much a retro feel, and the graphics are rather simple and pixellated. The sound effects are similarly dated but where this might become grating on those who have cut their teeth on the latest offerings from the big game houses, those who have fond memories of the early arcade games will find both the graphics and the sound quality enchanting and nostalgic.
There is a compelling nature to most halfway-decent arcade games and Jasper’s Journey is no exception. The deeper you get into the game and the harder each transition becomes, the more absorbing the game becomes.
Buy Jasper’s Journey if:
- You are a fan of retro arcade platform games
- The 8 bit graphic style of the retro platform genre appeals to you.
- You love cats
Don’t buy Jasper’s Journey if:
- You find the platform style of Sonic the Hedgehog or The Legend of Zelda repetitive.
- You expect gorgeous animations and chilling sound effects
- You don’t find the retro arcade style charming and nostalgic.
If you are still not sure whether this game is right for you, take advantage of the free trail download of Jasper’s Journey. It includes the first three action packed levels which will be more than enough to get you hooked. There is a purchase version available for both Mac and Pc and the cost of the game is $19.95.
