I finished up Trainyard, which was recommended by Jrow, and I was looking for a new game to waste time on, that is when I found Jetpack Joyride! JJ was created by Halfbrick Studios, the same masterminds that brought us Fruit Ninja. JJ is your typical platform game. Similar to Doodle Jump, the goal is to get as far as you can before you die. The further you get the harder the obstacles and the faster it goes. The only control you need is a single touch. You touch the screen and your jetpack pushes you up. The game only costs $1 in the iTunes store, so you are getting maximum value for you money.

 
 

This might sound like your typical game, but what makes Jetpack Joyride so good is that it has coins, upgrades, missions, leveling, vehicles, and a mini-game that gives depth to a simplistic game. Most of the upgrades are purely cosmetic,  but the fun of getting them makes you want to play more. You can switch between various jetpacks like a laser, rainbow, and even a fruit ninja one. To buy the upgrades you have to collect coins, which can be done several ways, but the simplest is by grabbing them in game. The other thing that keeps you busy is that you have “missions” in the game itself. More like objectives, you have 3 at a time and they consist of things like collecting a certain amount of coins or dodging a certain amount of rockets/lasers. When you complete these missions you ear stars, which will level you up. As you level you earn lots of coins. There are a finite amount of missions, but the developers created a prestige like system, which will allow you to wipe out the missions and do them over again, earning you badges and stuff. Doing those missions can be challenging and very addicting.

 

There are also vehicles that you can use to get further in the game itself. Each vehicle works differently and each can be upgraded to gather coins. It is fun to use them and they are a blast. Often the funnest part of the game is to use them, like the gravity suit, which allows you to walk on the roof. The mini-game is just a slot machine game that you can play by collecting special coins that fly through the air. You can earn things like a revive, extra coins, or even a speed boost for the next game. It is another small addition that makes the game just that much more fun to play.

 

Jetpack Joyride is a simple game with a lot of depth. For $1 you really can’t get anymore for your money. With missions, upgrades, and an addictive gameplay, you’ll be spending a lot of time with this game. There is no free version of this game, but for a $1 you won’t be risking much on this fabulous game. Go download it today!