Doodle Jump for Kinect

The folks at Lima Sky have dominated the mobile phone gaming universe with their hit game Doodle Jump, with the only glaring exception being the Windows 8 phone. The Doodler has managed to leap beyond this disappointment and is now poised to take over Kinect in the latest version.

Not content to settle for a straight port, the developers have added a few twists to the typical journey to the top. Oh sure the main goal of the game is still the same: guide the little bouncing bug to the top as safely and quickly as possible using a variety of platforms. They have also kept the same feel of using motion controls to guide the perpetually bouncing Doodler. On phones players use accelerometers to lean the jumper to the left or right of the screen. With the Kinect the player uses their entire body to lean, step or hop over to each new platform. (Thankfully, the player does not have to bounce up and down constantly to keep the Doodler jumping, which should come as a relief for most.)

Controlling the Doodler takes a little practice and feels a lot like learning to dance. I was able to cha-cha my way up a few levels fairly easily. The good news is that a misstep is not as fatal as in previous versions. There are several intermediate save gates and a fall results in a quick revive at the closest gate.

Once your Doodler makes it up to the top there is a final large platform with a bulls-eye and a large flagpole on it. The closer the Doodler gets to hitting that bulls-eye, the better their score. The final score is a total of a time bonus based on how fast the bug jumped up, the number of coins they collected along the way and how close they got to that final target.

There are new enemies our friendly neighborhood doodler must face, including cannons and bigger, badder bosses. Luckily the little doodle bug has a few new power-ups to battle the baddies. The new and old power-ups take advantage of the motion controls. The doodler can use wings to flap their way up faster and bombs to help knock out cannons with a single clap. Most of the old power ups are here also.

The Doodler can use things such as springs for a little added bounce, jetpacks for a larger boost and the Doodler’s own snout to gun down the beasties. It can be a little difficult aiming the Doodler’s shooter at times. Pointing to the enemy you want to shoot sometimes results in a direct hit but other times shots will fire directly above the Doodler no matter where you point.

Overall the game manages to capture the fun and addictive quality of the original game. You’ll find yourself trying ‘just one more time’ to get a better score or get through the next level. It is a game well worth making room to sidestep your way through ‘just one more’ level.

A review code for Doodle Jump for Kinect was provided to The Married Gamers for review.