Comic Jumper: The Adventures of Captain Smiley is a unique 2D side-scroller brought to us by Twisted Pixel. The developers are also responsible for The Maw and the well received ‘Splosion Man. In Comic Jumper the main roles are played by Captain Smiley and the star on his chest, simply called Star. The duo starts off in their comic going about business as usual, but after learning that their fan base has abandoned the series all together it’s up to the minds at Twisted Pixel (yes they’re in their own game) to help Captain Smiley regain his fame once again. Can Twisted Pixel pull off another arcade hit like ‘Splosion Man? Let’s take a look at the HOTs and NOTs.
HOT
Presentation
From the moment you gain control of Captain Smiley you will notice the 3D feel to this 2D side-scroller. This is a visual style that is becoming more and more common to keep the gameplay fresh and look up to date. In Captain Smiley’s comic, The Adventures of Captain Smiley, the world is what you would expect from your normal hero comic. The areas have a wide variety in color, but they remain on the darker shades of them to keep the setting from looking light-hearted and friendly. Players won’t have much time to get used to the environments as Captain Smiley will have to guest star in other comic series which have their own distinctive art styles. There are four comics that Captain Smiley will be jumping into for a few issues. The first is Nanoc The Obliviator. The name and art style follow very closely with Conan The Barbarian. Even Captain Smiley gets some new threads to better fit the setting he is dropped into. Animal fur lines his shoulders, a horned helmet covers his head, war paint races across his body, and Star becomes a medallion. The rest of the presentation comes through the pokes at pop culture and past video games. For example, if the player dies it happens in a manner that anyone familiar with the Mega Man series will recognize right away. Subtle changes and additions like this keep the experience somewhat fresh as it is interesting to see what places you will be dropped into next as well as what references you can catch.
Variety
Comic Jumper does a decent job of switching up the gameplay types thrown at you. At first it is your basic 2D side-scrolling beat ’em up which takes advantage of the 3D environment by allowing enemies to be kicked and punched into the background much like Matt Hazard’s 2D iteration implemented. As levels go on players can expect to see quick time events, on-rails shooter segments and light platforming elements. One instance of this is in the first level when Captain Smiley is still in his own comic. After a battle with Captain Smiley’s nemesis (and apparently Star’s bromance), Duke, the game has the hero falling between two buildings holding onto another villain in one hand while he uses his free hand to shoot. The player must shoot the incoming missiles that Duke’s falling helicopter is shooting at him as they both plummet to the ground. Its a refreshing change of pace from running side to side wiping out enemies so you can progress.
Story
Captain Smiley just isn’t the hero he once was. No one is reading his comics anymore. That’s why he must guest star in other popular comics until his money and fame go up enough to jump start his dead series and bring back his fans. The great minds at Twisted Pixel create the technology to allow Captain Smiley to travel to other comic universes. There are four comic series that he must complete all while his old villains relax in his lair since they are out of work as well. The premise of the game is unique and it works well with the comedic style.
NOT
Repetitive
Repetitive gameplay can easily break games. While this title boasts variety in the environments and action sequences the core mechanics remain the same. Quick time events and melee segments may break up the game a bit, but eventually it will go back to the dual gun wielding nature that becomes dull after a while. You’ll find yourself using the same methods to dispatch enemies. Its rarely necessary to mix it up. In the Nanoc comic the mini boss beasts can be easily defeated be continuously jumping back and forth on the pole above that Captain Smiley can hang on to. It just becomes tedious to work through after the second or third time since you just want it to be over.
The other form that repetitiveness is apparent is in the dialogue. Gerda is the voice that talks to you during your missions and she ends up being as annoying as Fiona from Mercenaries 2. Throughout the game one is sure to hear the same line about their life being below 75%, 50%, and 25% health followed by the exact same snarky comments. There are moments in the game where you are hit from all angles from waves of enemies who can really start depleting your health and it doesn’t help hearing the same comments in her condescending voice.
Humor
This game makes a lot of pokes at pop culture and other popular video games. Let me explain where I’m drawing the line. The Megan Man style death sequences and other references are not what I am talking about when I say the humor in this game is hit and miss. Those references are great additions and help make the game what it is. It is the mindless banter between Captain Smiley, Star and sometimes villains. I found myself completely stone faced throughout Captain Smiley’s comic level. Upon starting Nanoc I got a quick laugh when an innocent was shot to death and Star made a Dick Cheney reference. Beyond that the laughs were mostly internal and nothing to make you roll over laughing like crazy. This is the same problem that the spoof game Matt Hazard endured. It was good for a “ha!” now and then, but nothing lmao worthy. This is where Comic Jumper’s humor will click for some people while being completely lost on others.
Verdict
Comic Jumper: The Adventures of Captain Smiley plays on a concept that not too many games fully utilize. Maybe more games don’t rely on this style because making jokes on past games and culture can be lost on certain people. If the humor isn’t there for you, then it’ll be the ever changing worlds and art styles that will grab your attention. They range from the gritty Nanoc to the black and white manga at Hent High. There is variety in the gameplay types to be explored, but it can be dragged down be the main mechanic that must be used to reach these breaks in the normal gameplay. Comic Jumper is a unique downloadable title that holds a lot of promise, but it may not be for everyone.
[Editor’s Note: Comic Jumper: The Adventures of Captain Smiley was reviewed on the Xbox 360 hardware. The game was provided to us by the publisher for review purposes.]