If you have had a smartphone for long enough, then you must have seen the beauty that is Doodle Jump. Doodle Jump is one of the best platform games of the last decade for many reasons, which we will discuss shortly.

Developed by Aidan McCarthy and published by the Croatian Studio Lima Sky, Doodle Jump plays on Android, Blackberry, and iOS devices. It is also compatible with Symbian, Java ME, Xbox 360 Kinect, Windows phones, Nintendo DS, Nintendo 3DS, Arcade, and Series 30+. Doodle Jump was so successful that it sold millions of copies on app stores.

Gameplay With High Replay Ability

The gameplay is as straightforward as the name. You are to guide a four-legged creature called ‘The Doodler’ up a series of stairs in a jumping motion without falling off. The Doodler character keeps jumping from every platform, and you control its direction by tilting your device left or right. Games without an accelerometer require tapping in the directions. Doodle Jump does not seem to have a definitive end as it can keep going and advancing.

Green platforms are the safest; the brown ones are temporary because they collapse once you land on them, and the white ones disappear upon contact. The combination of these platforms and the non-stop nature of the game keeps you engaged. The game starts with many platforms to jump on, but they quickly begin to reduce, which means you will likely miss your next jump.

The game has interesting boosts like propeller hats, jetpacks, rockets, springs, and trampolines that help take you further. Some levels even have invulnerability shields that protect you from harm. As you approach higher levels, there are monsters and UFOs that you need to avoid, shoot or jump on to eliminate. Speaking of shooting, you can spit out rocks at your enemies at higher levels to eliminate them. The gameplay does not end until your player falls off the screen, jumps into a monster, gets sucked into a black hole, or is abducted by a UFO – and no, you can’t kill black holes.

Minimalistic And Simplistic Graphics – In A Good Way

The graphics of Doodle Jump are one of the most recognizable among gamers. The simplistic, almost amateur graphics distinguish it from other platform games. It looks like a scribble on a piece of paper and conveys a sense of humour around the whole game. The developers were one of the first to use these aesthetics, which has worked. The best way to describe the graphics is like a doodle.

However, they took the game further by adding many themes and skins, showing that they can create complicated designs. They seem to prefer to keep things simple so that we can focus on jumping right.

From No Soundtrack To Dope Soundtrack

Initially, one of the biggest letdowns for me was the absence of a soundtrack to accompany this game. It was a mostly silent game, save for the sound effects that cue the environment. A game like this should have an accompanying quirky soundtrack, I thought to myself when playing the first version of Doodle Jump.

Thankfully, this was rectified with subsequent updates, and Doodle Jump now comes with really dope background music. The sound effects have been improved, and they sound better on iPhones. With time you get accustomed to these sounds and know when to be scared of an enemy you’re yet to see or to be excited at a possible threat. That is a testament to great sound design.

High Score At A Low Cost

It is great to see how we are doing about our former selves or other players. This scorecard keeps you abreast of other players and motivates you to do better. Other players’ scores are scribbled in the margins of your game to keep you going.

Infused into this feature is the instant Facebook integration that has repeatedly proven to keep the game massively appealing. One of the best things for me and many gamers are sharing our accomplishments proudly on Facebook. You never know which of your friends is a master at Doodle Jump until you post on Facebook, and he challenges you to a game.

Although the game keeps you chasing a high score, it comes at a reasonable cost. Going for a meagre $0.99 the last time I checked is much cheaper than other games on any app store. Doodle Jump may be overlooked for this price as one of the many free games without substance. It, however, is very enjoyable to play and quite addictive. You get free updates when you buy the game and can play for many years. 

Get Cool Skins At No Cost

One of the best features of Doodle Jump is that it comes with great themes and skins. They not only change the look of the game, the players, and the enemies but also include new components to the gameplay. It elevates the gameplay in a way that adds to the game’s tension.

There are several options to choose from, including the Original, the snowy Christmas, the spooky Halloween, the tropical Rainforest, the blackness of Space, Soccer World Cup, Underwater, Easter, Ice Blizzard, Retro Arcade, Ninja Pirate, etc. Some themes, such as Pirate and Easter Modes, allow you to buy new skins using coins. Some themes allow you to buy skins or lives using in-game coins. These coins can be earned by playing the game or purchased with real money.

Conclusion

In Conclusion, the biggest complaint you get from playing Doodle Jump might be the biggest strength. The fact that it is simplistic and only involves jumping may be annoying to some, but that makes it an ideal game to play for a few minutes. You can pull out your phone when waiting at the bus or train station to pass some time. The easy and intuitive controls mean almost anyone can play it, including children.