If you have blissful childhood memories of hammering away on side-scrolling fighter Streets of Rage 2 on the Sega Genesis, you’ve got especially good reason to download the free-to-play Jetpack Fighter. It’s got a very similar look and feel, except with heaps more side-goals to keep things extra-exciting…
Canada believe it? Yes, it’s arrived in the United States, too
Though Jetpack Fighter has actually been available in the Canadian version of the App Store since late last year, it was only this month that it was launched in many other English-speaking territories including the United States, United Kingdom and Australia. Not that we should feel too disgruntled about waiting, as developer Hi-Rez Studios added plenty of great new features for the release…
It would probably only require a glance over the various playable characters and their different abilities for you to see that even just experimenting with Jetpack Fighter, let alone actually completing the long list of levels, could keep you occupied for a fair while. In the new update, existing characters like Dash, Leona and Jet have been given new and enhanced “Super” abilities, while “Cyrus, the Cyber Night” and “Nemesis, the Goddess of Divine Goodness” are the freshly-added fighters.
A game that plays just as good as it looks
All of these characters exhibit a strong and likable Japanese anime styling that extends to the graphics and sounds of the playing environments. Of course, mobile games call for simple controls, and you certainly get them in Jetpack Fighter; moving, dashing and walloping enemies are all possible with just swipes. However, the numerous layers of diverse gameplay challenges mean that Jetpack Fighter also succeeds in that vital trick of being simple to pick up without being boring to play.
In-keeping with the obvious anime inspiration, it’s all lightning-quick. This likely explains why, despite being listed as requiring only iOS 7 or later, various older devices capable of running this platform – specifically, the iPhone 5C or earlier, fourth generation iPad or earlier, first generation iPad Mini and fifth generation iPod Touch – are barred from even running the game. Indeed, Hi-Rez Studios has pretty much said words to this effect on Twitter…
@JetpackFighter There are some devices (iPhone 5/5c) that couldn't quite handle the speed of our fighters! This limits the device list… :(
— Jetpack Fighter (@JetpackFighter) January 7, 2016
This game could keep you busy for quite a while…
Still, if your device can run Jetpack Fighter, there’s plenty to like – and plenty of time you could spend discovering new things to like. It’s like a huge, just-discovered cave that’s waiting to be explored – and we wouldn’t be too surprised if you’re still fruitfully exploring a good few weeks on from now. And that’s before we even consider what extra goodies the developer seems likely to throw in with future updates. Time to strap on that jetpack!
