Description

Jump King is a 2D platformer developed and published by Nexile in 2019. The player assumes the role of an unnamed king whose goal is to reach the top in search of a Smoking Hot Babe. The game features pixelated art and classic graphics with an incredible OST to keep the player immersed in the atmosphere of the vertical world. Challenging yet addictive gameplay; one single missed jump could lead to a long fall and a huge loss of progress.

Gameplay Video

Lens 9: The Elemental Tetrad

Mechanics

• The player controls are simple using only the arrow keys and the spacebar. It is easy to learn, anyone could jump right into it and start playing right away.
• Simple to learn, hard to master. To jump higher and reach the top, the player only needs to hold the spacebar and release it. However, this simple act of jumping takes practice to master.
• Once the player is in the air, no controls can be made. This encourages players to think before jumping.
• There are many paths and ways to the top. Sometimes after numerous attempts, a player may discover a different an easier path on the way up.
• One miscalculated jump leads to a loss of progress. The higher you are, the further you fall.
• The game also features hidden areas, secret collectibles, and a whole new path to the top.

Story

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• The game has a simple story: An unnamed king wearing full plate armor and a gift of jumping discovers a legend of a Smoking Hot Babe on the top of a tower. He resolves himself to reach her by traversing through a precarious and dangerous path to the top of the tower.
• NPCs throughout different levels expands the world through dialogue or motivation speeches that speaks of their past experiences to the top.

Aesthetics

• On the way to the top, the player experiences different environments and scenery of pixelated classic graphics.
• The soundtrack is composed by talented musicians that captures the ambience of different levels in the game which enhances the immersion of the player.

Technology

• Jump King is built using MonoGame engine.
• Jump King does not require much GPU power or hardware requirements to play due to having 2D pixelated graphics. Low-end PCs can run the game.

Lens 38: Challenge

• Jump King is hard and tough. It progressively gets harder to reach the next platform as you proceed higher in the tower. This gives players multiple challenges as they get better at the game.
• Although Jump King starts off tough, the game controls are simple and accommodates a wide variety of skill levels of a player. As they fall, a player would be able to understand what went wrong as the only mistake they did was simply holding the spacebar for too long or too short. This gives the player motivation to improve as they know what to improve on and mentally challenge themselves to get back on their feet.
• Challenge is not defined in Jump King. It is defined in the player’s mind. For example, a player challenges himself to reach the next area. A player challenges himself to reach the top within a certain timing. A player challenges himself to never fall. These challenges instinctively come into mind as Jump King’s ultimate challenge and goal is to reach the top of the tower.

Lens 34: Skill

• As the game is easy to play and control with only the arrow keys and the spacebar, players will not be shunned away by overwhelming controls of a game.
• Completing this game requires determination and muscle memory. It is a skill everyone develops as they continue playing the game. Throughout the game, the player progressively gets better as they repeatedly does the same action of holding the spacebar and releasing it improving muscle memory which is the sole skill of the game.
• Jump King mechanics are one of a kind, every player starts off bad and no one is ahead of the others in the beginning of the game. This gives the player motivation, and the game could be considered fair.
• As the players fall and repeat the same stages, the player could feel themselves improving at the game due to their muscle memory of how they cleared the obstacles. This gives the player a sense of reward and accomplishment that they were getting better.

Lens 74: Obstacle

• There are certain points and obstacles in the game where it is incredibly difficult to overcome for the player to reach higher in the tower. These obstacles are meant to challenge the player, to give him a sense of goal or target he must reach before reaching the top.
• These obstacles are meant to test the player’s skills and determination. They determine if the player is ready for the next area.
• Despite frustrating the player when the player falls due to an obstacle, it is not entirely a bad thing. As they fall to a stage they have cleared before, it helps them gain confidence as they could feel that they were getting better, knowing the different timings of a jump to the next platform through muscle memory. Confidence is greatly needed so that the player does not feel defeated and unmotivated to reach higher in the tower due to its increasing difficulty.

Lens 1: Emotion

• Jump King is ultimately a game that focuses on determination. With determination, everyone can reach the top albeit at different speed and timings.
• Throughout the game, the player experiences a multitude of emotions ranging from frustration, satisfaction, determination, and many others. For example, it is frustrating to fall, or it is satisfying to clear an area or most importantly, the sense of accomplishment and pride the player feels after clearing the game with many difficulties and obstacles.
• These emotions give the player an experience where they could share with their friends and challenge each other, watch their favorite streamer experience different emotions, showing a different side of them which makes it relatable, and creates a well-known and enjoyable game to remember.