Pocket God: Ooga Jump Review

Pocket Jump: Ooga God is a game with two feet firmly planted in the past. It’s the latest installment in the venerable Pocket God franchise: a mobile brand that once touted countless followers, cool toys, and even a few great comic books. Ooga Jump is also a vertical jumper whose mechanics bear an uncanny resemblance to Doodle Jump, one of the first real hits on the App Store dating back to 2009.

It’s a familiar brand exploring even more familiar gameplay. I just can’t figure out why.

Pocket God: Ooga Jump 

That’s not to say that Ooga Jump isn’t a good time. If anything, it serves as a pleasant reminder that Doodle Jump‘s mechanics are still crazy addictive in 2013. I’m just a little dumbfounded that this is the direction that developer Bolt Creative decided to go after retiring the main game in the series, Pocket God. It feels like a step backwards.

But hey – at least it’s fun.

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Familiar, but fun

Pocket Jump: Ooga God is a game with two feet firmly planted in the past. It’s the latest installment in the venerable Pocket God franchise: a mobile brand that once touted countless followers, cool toys, and even a few great comic books. Ooga Jump is also a vertical jumper whose mechanics bear an uncanny resemblance to Doodle Jump, one of the first real hits on the App Store dating back to 2009.

It’s a familiar brand exploring even more familiar gameplay. I just can’t figure out why.

Pocket God: Ooga Jump

That’s not to say that Ooga Jump isn’t a good time. If anything, it serves as a pleasant reminder that Doodle Jump‘s mechanics are still crazy addictive in 2013. I’m just a little dumbfounded that this is the direction that developer Bolt Creative decided to go after retiring the main game in the series, Pocket God. It feels like a step backwards.

But hey – at least it’s fun.

Combining the simple yet familiar gameplay of Doodle Jump with the humor and visual styling of Pocket God is a recipe for quick bursts of fun. The cartoonishly gruesome deaths of the Pocket God series are back again, this time offering a different demise at the end of each game (related entirely to the way you sent your Pygmy to his grave). Hit by a falling meteor? You’ll be burned to ash and blow away in the wind. Fly under a bird? You might just get coated in an unexpected splattering of poop that will send you careening to the ground. Or maybe you’ll just miss a platform and fall to your death, leaving a Pygmy shaped hole in the sand.

The various deaths are tied to the different obstacles that appear at random throughout the game. You might encounter a strong wind that requires you to tilt against it, or an army of flesh-eating ants that will need to be destroyed with a magnifying glass. Monkeys chase you, bubbles ensnare you – there’s a lot more going on here than just a few crumbling platforms and stationary enemies. It’s a fun design choice that helps elevate Ooga Jump over the formula of its inspiration.

The other new trick Ooga Jump has up its sleeve is the ability to do a butt bounce by tapping the screen. This will send your Pygmy bouncing higher and faster, but can lead to a quick death if you’re constantly tapping and not paying enough attention to where the next platform is.

Pocket God: Ooga Jump has plenty of charm, colorful visuals, and a few great twists. To say it’s one of the best Doodle Jump inspired titles out there wouldn’t be a stretch – but would you expect anything less in 2013?

If you’re a fan of the Pocket God franchise or Doodle Jump-style games, you’re going to have a good time here. If you’re burned out on either, though, Ooga Jump isn’t going to do a lot to change your mind.

The good

    The bad

      70 out of 100
      Jim Squires is the Editor-in-Chief of Gamezebo. Everything you see passes his eyes first, so we like to think of him as "the gatekeeper of cool stuff." He likes good games, great writing, and just can't say no to a hamburger. Also, he is not a bear.