‘You’re a T-Rex with freakin’ jet boots!’ is one heck of a lede. Unfortunately, Jumpjet Rex falls into the ‘it’s clearly a good game but’ pile.
Using your jet boots, you must jump, fly and dash your way through obstacle courses, passing through a given number of rings along the way. There’s various collectibles and hidden treasures to look out for too, if you don’t mind taking the slow route to go exploring.
I have never enjoyed gameplay elements like time trial and deathless runs; for me, the fun of difficult games comes from clearing the challenge and moving onto the next one- ‘do it again but better’ holds no appeal for me at all. I know that’s not true of everyone, but I can’t stomach it.
Don’t misunderstand- a lot of games have features like this, notably recent gold-star winner Khimera. But a game that requires this kind of play in order to progress will put me off very quickly, as opposed to things like leaderboards and achievements which I’m happy to ignore.
Unfortunately, progression in Jumpjet Rex is tied to both time trials AND deathless runs; completing a level will award you one star, with an additional star for beating the level under a certain time and one more for not taking any hits for the duration. Stars unlock later levels, but the stars you get for completion aren’t enough to get you through.
Fin or Bin:
Well… I can tell it’s a neat game and all, but I know I’m just gonna get frustrated with it in short order. It’s a shame, since I like everything else about it- from the art style to the very very cool OST. I hope I haven’t put anyone off trying it- one man’s Bin is another man’s treasure, right?
(Steam)