Jake Escapes Preview

The U.S. government and criminal organizations from around the world are after Jake, the most talented thief in the world, and it’s up to you to help him get away in Jake Escapes, a new game that promises to serve up climbing and comedy in equal measure.

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Get ready to do some crazy climbin’ when Jake Escapes!

The U.S. government and criminal organizations from around the world are after Jake, the most talented thief in the world, and it’s up to you to help him get away in Jake Escapes, a new game that promises to serve up climbing and comedy in equal measure.

Jake Escapes

Jake is the best of the best, but he’s bored. So with the help of his brilliant scientist assistant Doc, he discovered the existence of a real, live alien artifact kept at the top-secret research facility in Area 51 – and then he stole it! Now comes the hard part: staying ahead of the world’s crime bosses, who want a piece of that action for themselves, and Bob, the stalwart secret agent hired by the government to track Jake down and bring the artifact back.

It’s a bit difficult to nail down exactly what sort of game Jake Escapes will be. The basic gameplay appears very similar to that of the classic arcade game Crazy Climber, but it sounds like the team at Just Funny Games has added a number of new gameplay elements as well, and as you might expect given the name of the studio, it will also have a strong comedic bent, highlighted by “comic-style cut scenes” and an all-original soundtrack.

Jake Escapes

The faux-comic book art style on display in preview stills looks very good, but the English language spelling and grammar in the press release we received is distractingly rough around the edges. The Russian boss Natasha, for instance, is described as “gourgeos” and travels on a “flying throne with mechanics arms. That she uses to steel the precious sphere from Jake and Doc.” That sort of bumpy translation abounds in the pre-release promotional material and while it may not have any impact on gameplay, it’s definitely not a good way to make a good first impression.

Jake Escapes is a universal app but is optimized for the iPad, with support for the new Retina display, and is scheduled to hit the App Store on May 10.

Long-time PC gamer and shorter-time freelance writer, with work at Gamezebo, The Escapist, PC Gamer, Joystiq and parts unknown. Owner of many cats, drinker of fine beers, eater of too much. A steadfast javelin in a flaccid world.