I have a fondness for nostalgia. I love listening to outrun, buying tacky 90’s clothes from the thrift store, and playing old games. Jack and Jill DX attempts to tap into players’ love of a simpler past. In that regard, it succeeds. While playing the game, I was brought back to my favorite childhood pastime: Gameboy. Beyond the nostalgia factor, Jack and Jill DX isn’t groundbreaking, but it is enjoyable.

Developer: Rohan Narang

Publisher: Ratalaika Games

3 Hours Played // Review Copy Provided // $4.99

Jack and Jill DX has the most delightfully simple story. You are a blob and you must make your way to your fellow blob friend. Of course, this isn’t a simple path. You must jump your way through obstacles such as spikes and monsters to get to your friend. Keeping with the tradition of arcade-platformers, as you progress to each uniquely themed world, the difficulty increases and new challenges appear.

Level two of Jack and Jill DX is city themed.

Mechanically, the game is also simple. You press A, your character starts moving, and you really only press A again to jump. The character continues moving forward and you are unable to stop it — you can only jump. However, those simple mechanics do not necessarily make for an easy game. New challenges such as crumbling platforms appear as you progress, so players are forced to think on their feet.

You cannot stop your character’s movements, which offers yet another twist. Of course, this also leads to the occasional cheap deaths. More than once, I jumped over spikes only to fall into another obstacle that I could not have predicted would be there. This meant that there were several levels that I needed to play more than once to successfully complete. At points, this was annoying, but I am more than aware that this is the nature of arcade-style platformers.

On the whole, this game has little replayability. However, to add a little something, there are specific challenges which encourage players to go back and hit certain benchmarks. These include collecting all the coins on certain levels or defeating a specific number of enemies. I felt little inclination to go back and achieve these things, but completionists will love this inclusion.

Another element to mention in Jack and Jill DX is its minigame mode. In this mode, you play as “baddies” and earn tickets. The more tickets you earn, the more customization options you have. As I’ve mentioned in a previous review, I love customization, so I loved this feature. You can get different costumes for your blob and change the color of the screen.



Customization menus always make me happy!

I’m going to be honest. Overall, the gameplay can feel a little bland. It brings nothing new to the arcade-platformer genre. But, that’s okay because Jack and Jill DX shines in other areas. Its strength lies in its style. The upbeat 16-bit soundtrack and simplistic environment are fun. They’ll bring any gamer over 25 back to a childhood of playing Gameboy. In that regard, it was really enjoyable.

Beyond that, the game manages to modernize nostalgia in very subtle ways. As mentioned, the inclusion of challenges which effectively act as trophies. And, even more notable, is that Jack and Jill DX makes no presumptions about which friend is saving the other. Players can choose to play as either the plain, “masculine” blob or the blob with a bow. Despite being such a small thing, as a thoroughly feminine person, I loved being able to play as the bow-wearing blob (though, I did give it a rockin’ mohawk).



Who saved who? It is impossible to say!

As a whole, this is an enjoyable game. Given that it is less than five dollars, I would say that folks who are really into arcade-platformers will get their money’s worth. I thoroughly enjoyed the trip down memory lane and gamers with a hankering for nostalgia will feel the same way. However, Jack and Jill DX never quite blew me away. It is an overall acceptable gaming experience with a lot of potential for growth.

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