Arkedo 01 – Jump is the first of three retro type games that have been released on the PS3 as part of a really cheap budget games collection. Costing you £1.74 each its less than a price of a PSP Mini and contains trophies and simple gameplay mechanics.
The first of these is Jump, a simple retro pixel platformer. The premise is simple. You must touch all the bombs in each level before they count down to zero and blow up and you must reach the exit. Standing in your way are several enemies you can dispose of with a whip if you can’t traverse them and lot of precise jumps – hence the title. The game is also unforgiving. You hit and you are dead. Think Spelunker but with intentionally pixellated graphics but not quite as hard. Spelunker is near impossible at times, this is just challenging. The game has to be completed in one sitting, there’s no continues, no saves and once your lives are gone that’s it – back to the start. It’s great that a game albeit a short one, stays firm to its vision from start to end. In the end this game boils down to its jumping mechanics as that is what the games all about and they are solid. You know how far it is you’ll get per jump, if you die you generally know it is your fault and apart from a few intentionally cheap tricks like hidden spikes as you take leaps of faith, the game is perfectly pitched.
Positives
~Cheaper than a cheap date
~Classic game play with no bells or whistles
Negatives
~A couple of cheap deaths
Conclusion
For £1.74 you can’t go wrong. No it won’t revolutionise the world but its good solid gameplay and a decent challenge when it gets to the higher levels. Platformers unite, retro gaming is back on PS3!