Pocket God: Ooga Jump Review

What do you get when you tap an endless running game open on your iPhone and turn it vertical? A jumping game! Now, there are just about as many endless jumping games as there are running ones, but that doesn't stop the usual deluge of new ones being released with their own little spin. This time we have a new game from the creators of Pocket God. Ooga Jump puts you in the position of a benevolent god helping your little guy make it up as high as he can without getting wrapped up by spiders for their lunch.

Jumping games, like running ones, are wonderfully simple, but surprisingly easy to mess up. All you need is an unresponsive set of controls and your game goes in the trash bin. There are so many of these games out now that they need a bit of visual flair so that they shine through the dreck.

Ooga Jump looks delightfully cartoony with all of its bright colors and simple graphics. The graphics lend themselves to a simple title like this one. You have one objective and one little character to worry about. The screen remains uncluttered and all the platforms are easy to see to spot your next jump. It helps that you can spot enemies easily since you'll be dealing with them quite a bit.

The controls are simple and I opted for utilizing the gyroscope to control my little character as he moves from side to side. You can also tap the screen to rocket downward and give yourself a better bounce to make it farther up. They work well, but at times it felt a bit unresponsive. While I know using the gyroscope can cause some of this issue, Ooga Jump doesn't feel quite as responsive as other games. The controls feel a bit floaty and the inertia your character can build up can cause you to misjudge a landing. But this isn't a deal breaker and can add a bit of challenge to the proceedings.

Also, as you progress, you'll encounter a number of different sections. One in particular sees you caught in an updraft and having to navigate through spider infested layers of rock. It is a nice way to switch up the gameplay a bit as well as the gravity. It makes you feel like you're progressing through something rather than endlessly leaping from platform to platform until you get into a zenlike trance.

This isn't a simple see how far you can get game, the developers also included a number of goals and power ups reminiscent of Knightmare Tower to keep things fresh and interesting. But they don't seem to keep things fresh for too long.

That is the problem with Ooga Jump, it doesn't have the staying power. The gameplay isn't varied enough to be the full experience it wants to be. Other games like Knightmare Tower and Doodle Jump have done things better by having moving platforms or conveying a hand-drawn charm. If you really love the Pocket God games, then you'll love this new addition. But, if you're simply looking for a jumping game, try for something else that has two O's in the name.

App Store Link: Pocket God: Ooga Jump for iPhone & iPad | By Bolt Creative | Price: $0.99 | Version: 1.1 | 319 MB | Rating 4+