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Are you a veteran gamer, like me? I don\u2019t mean do you remember when the Xbox 360 came out \u2013 I mean veteran, like going into arcades with sticky carpets and a pile of 10 pence pieces to play Defender, kind of age? Well, if so, you\u2019ll be right at home with the latest from Bitbull and Freedom Games. It\u2019s a game called Jetboard Joust<\/strong> and basically what we have here is Defender mixed with steroids and roguelike elements. Is this a mixture too far, or does it work?<\/p>\n\n
First up is the story of the game, a vital component some people say. Well, to those people I say tish, tosh and old wet fish as Jetboard Joust is here to show that a story is just unnecessary frippery. Beyond a couple of static screens right at the start of the game, showing that aliens who want to turn innocent bystander into mutants are bad, there\u2019s no massive narrative arc to this title. Appear on a level, kill anything that moves, and move on to the next. Done. Shakespeare it isn\u2019t!<\/p>\n
So, with the customary story paragraph of the review done and dusted in short order, let\u2019s have a look at the presentation of the game. And there\u2019s really only one word needed to describe Jetboard Joust; a word that seems to get do a lot of heavy lifting in many reviews \u2013 retro.<\/p>\n
Whether retro style games are easier to code, or more popular with the public, I don\u2019t know, but the upshot is that you don\u2019t seem to be able to go more than a foot in any direction without bumping into ten of the things. This retro game plays out as a horizontal scrolling shooter, with a wraparound screen, so if you fly right for long enough you wind up back where you started.<\/p>\n
You are a little pile of pixels, on a pixelated Jetboard, the enemies are similar, and the scene is thus set for the showdown. The sounds are pure shooty types as well, with various \u201cpew pew\u201d style noises and whooshes from the bigger weapons. All in all, not too far removed from the classic Defender, with the added bonus that as the GPU isn\u2019t doing any heavy lifting, it belts along at a huge pace. So far, so good.<\/p>\n
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But what\u2019s the actual gameplay like, as this should be where Jetboard Joust is hanging its hopes. Well, all things considered, it is pretty good. When you first spawn into a level, the enemies appear and besides trying to shoot you in your face, they are on a mission to try and abduct little civilians who are sat on the ground. Shooting an enemy who is involved in the kidnapping will free the victim; luckily unharmed by falling the equivalent of about 100 metres back to earth. Your mission in each level is twofold: keep the little guys safe, and kill all the aliens that spawn in.<\/p>\n
Killing enemies grants you coins which can be used between levels to upgrade various aspects of your character, and better still, if you kill enemies riding their own versions of your Jetboard, you can grab the wreckage on the way down and it will repair the shield of your own steed. Staying close when fighting will grant you an edge, as well as increase the risk and decrease the amount of time you have to dodge their projectiles.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The enemies you face are many and varied, ranging from blobs that chase you and try and crash into you, right up to big dragonfly type things that take many bullets to put down. And that\u2019s not counting the five end of world bosses to defeat.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As you go through the levels, you can gain extra weapons, switching between them at the\u00a0 press of the RT button. Your basic gun has infinite ammo, and the other weapon you can grab hasn\u2019t, so is best saved for the larger foes. There is a good choice of super weapon as well, with\u00a0 firearms ranging from a shotgun called the Shredder, right through Plasma Guns up to one called the Ion Storm, which fires bullets that split and hit multiple foes. You also have a move called \u201cJoust\u201d (the name\u2019s in the title), mapped to the B button, which sees you leap from your Jetboard, fly through any enemies in the way, and collect their health should you kill them. Uses are limited, but it is a great way to get out of trouble should you need help.<\/p>\n
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The roguelike elements of the game come in with the structure of each run. After the first level, you are presented with a randomised selection of which level to go to next, and helpfully each level in the selection list has a symbol on it. There can be levels with Jetboard upgrades, or different weapons, or just stronger enemies: the choice is yours. Of course, getting to the end of the world, having completed many and various levels on the way, does ensure that you have a good selection of power ups to help you in the battle with the boss, who is very large and very mean, just for a change.\u00a0<\/p>\n
There isn\u2019t too much to complain about with Jetboard Joust, luckily, with one or two minor niggles. See, it is often quite hard to see what is going on the screen, as the enemies, our character and the bullets are all usually of a similar colour. There are exceptions, like bright red or green enemies that show up in the levels, but often you are left looking at the screen wondering what the hell is going on. You can only shoot the way you are flying as well, so in order to damage enemies, you need to be flying at them, while they are shooting at you. This usually ends about as well as you\u2019d expect. Other than this, it is a challenging fight and usually a fair one.<\/p>\n
If you are looking for an old skool game with an old skool challenge, it\u2019s right here in Jetboard Joust. If you prefer your games to look like something from the 21st century, this won\u2019t be for you, but for us older folk, it\u2019s like a stroll down memory lane.<\/p>\n
Jetboard Joust is available from the <\/em>Xbox Store<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n
Are you a veteran gamer, like me? I don\u2019t mean do you remember when the Xbox 360 came out – I mean veteran, like going into arcades with sticky carpets and a pile of 10 pence pieces to play Defender, kind of age? Well, if so, you\u2019ll be right at home with the latest from Bitbull and Freedom Games. It\u2019s a game called Jetboard Joust and basically what we have here is Defender mixed with steroids and roguelike elements. Is this a mixture too far, or does it work? First up is the story of the game, a vital component\u2026<\/p>\n
Jetboard Joust Review<\/p>\n
Jetboard Joust Review<\/span><\/p>\n2022-07-17<\/p>\n
Paul Renshaw<\/strong><\/p>\n\t\t\t
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<\/p>\nPros:<\/h4>\n
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<\/p>\nFast and furious action<\/li>\n
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Randomised level layouts make for a challenge<\/li>\n
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Roguelike makes sense in this context<\/li>\n
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Cons:<\/h4>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\nFly towards enemies to shoot them. Eek!<\/li>\n
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Screen gets very busy on occasion – too busy to make out what is going on<\/li>\n
\n<\/ul>\n
<\/p>\n
Info:<\/h4>\n
<\/p>\n
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