iPhone App Review: DoodleJump

We have seen so many games on mobiles that a new one hardly arouses our curiosity. But, here is one that may generate a fair bit of heat once you get hooked on to it. Many mobile handset manufacturers have come up with various stages and styles of jumping games but Apple has taken a big leap ahead with DoodleJump. This game, brought out on the iPhone is a bit like PapiJump, but is distinct in its style and sketch, a typical uniqueness that oozes charm and chutzpah.

Let me take you through this one. If you are artist, even a starter of one, DoodleJump will give you a nice surprise as it reminds you of the various characters that you have drawn on your rough notes when in school or college. Here, they seem like coming to life. The animated doodles are great fun, and the game is quite addictive and will see you getting hooked on for a pretty decent amount of time, a fair bit more than you would generally anticipate. This game is typical of jump games, where you aim to jump as high as possible. Every time the doodle creature lands on a surface, it aims to jump higher. Jump with care, as the path is strewn with dangerous aliens, UFOs, crumbling platforms, black holes and many such hazards that tend to make life difficult as you go up.

The controls are quite basic, with an accelerometer that helps you move left and right and a tapping on screen function that makes the doodle fire a bullet to kill its obstacles. It is a pretty simple game with simple instructions and a simple goal. Now you would be wondering as to what makes the DoodleJump a great game, if it was so simple. Well, to be honest, it is not a tech marvel, but a simple game with a nice feel and ring to it, something that draws you to keep playing it on and on. A great add on is the global leader board which allows you to track similar players and their scores on iPhone network. Also, the variety of having cute hand drawn doodles jumping furiously to make it to the next level is a great addiction by itself.

A small wish from my end is to make the game a bit more musical by adding some back ground tunes to the jumps as well as the elevations. That could make it very pleasing to hear as well. Over all a good value for price and time well spent, especially if you are one of those who spend a considerable time over the handset.