Xbox Reviews

Review for Jump, Step, Step

Jump, Step, Step 

Developed by the Vietnamese duo from Phung Games and published by Thunder Cloud Studio, Jump, Step, Step is a gracious mix of puzzle and platform where you must help Bob, a robot who crashed on a mysterious island in his spaceship, to recover the missing parts of his body and to repair his spaceship. But there’s a glitch. As Bob had a short-circuit, you don’t control him directly: instead, you send him commands and he follows them, like if you were programming something. Are you ready to guide Bob through all the challenges the island offers? Take the control and come with us!

 

THE GOOD

  • I can’t remember a game from the last 20 years that played like this (I don’t even know how to call them so I’m using ‘command game’ to describe it). It’s so fresh, so original, so unique that I doubt you’ve already played something like it before (except for some obscure Linux game or some not so famous Steam games). I salute the developers for giving us something different!
  • Bob starts with few commands available (step forward, turn left and turn right) and as you recover his body parts, he get access to new movements like jump, pick up and drop (I won’t spoil the most advanced commands). As you select the commands, a line will form at the bottom of the screen with up to 24 consecutive actions. More than enough to complete all the challenges.
  • Talking about the challenges, there’re some really trick, but not impossible to be beaten. After some attempts, you may find a way to surpass them. I’m sure sooner or later there’ll be guides and videos explaining how to beat each challenge, but I strongly recommend you try them for yourself. And there’s not only one right answer to solve them, so don’t be afraid to try different approaches.
  • The music and sounds are very pleasant and calming. You can hear birds  tweeting on the background, granting an enjoyable experience designed to keep you cool and relaxed while playing.
  • Although there are few dialogs in the game (between Bob and the player), they are quite funny (especially when Bob starts to complain about how only he works hard to beat the challenges).
  • Being a small (about 325 Mb) and simple game, it has only one load when you start and load your save. After that, you’re free of load screens.
  • For those who care about it, the game is also an easy and fast 1000G for your Gamerscore. There are some trick achievements, but with some careful play you won’t have issues getting them.

MIXED FEELINGS

  • Graphically, the game isn’t that great. It’s colorful and beautiful, but quite simple: it has few different textures and, in its isometric camera, you can see the world as blocks floating in the sky. A strange design option.
  • Some commands you have access later in the game deserved some explanation on how to be used. But I respect the developers option to make the player to learn by attempt and error. And always remember that, if you’re confused on how to overcome some challenge, there’s an interrogation that may help you figure out how to do it.
  • After you beat the game, you gain access to real-time controls (by pausing the game and activating the option). It’s a nice alternative, but it makes all the charm of the game to vanish.

THE BAD

  • The animation has its flaws: Bob seems to be floating above the platforms he’s standing all the time. Also, when he grabs something, it doesn’t look like he’s truly holding it above his head
  • Some will disagree with me, but the game is really short: although some challenges took me days to be beaten, I was able to finish my first run in less than 6 hours. And after you finish it once, you can beat it in less than an hour if you remember how to overcome the challenges.

Indie games…how sad my life would be without you. I love the possibilities and creativity that small studios use in their games. In Jump, Step, Step, you have a creative design with a unique gameplay that you may have never experienced. It’s clearly not for everyone, but those who enjoy challenging puzzle games will surely have a good time with this command game. If this isn’t your favorite kind of game, you may want to check it anyway cause it’s a budget game and an easy 1000G.

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