I guess I’ll start with a quick review of Jetpack Joyride. I played the original on my phone and on my PlayStation Vita. I loved it. It was an endless runner that has you dodging enemies and objects to see how far you can get. Constantly chasing a high score was the biggest thrill that kept you going back for more.

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Jetpack Joyride + was released on Apple Arcade and I fell back down the high score rabbit hole. It’s so much fun to play and mostly holds up just how I remember it.

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For the original Jetpack Joyride, I would score a 7.5/10

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On to the sequel! Jetpack Joyride 2. This game came close to being a perfect sequel but fell short for one reason that we will touch on in a bit. Let’s start with the good! Jetpack Joyride 2 feels so much more responsive than the original. I also felt in full control. Sometimes in the original, I would crash into an obstacle and feel like there was nothing I could have done differently to avoid it, that feeling is mostly gone. Most of my crashes felt avoidable and felt like it was my fault.

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There are a lot of welcome additions this time around. There are a lot of power ups to upgrade and unlock. Since this is on Apple Arcade, there are no microtransactions so all of these upgrades felt fair and attainable.

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There is a factory that you need to manage to keep different currencies coming in to keep upgrading and unlocking items.

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There is also an arcade mode that has five different game modes to earn different supplies to upgrade some of your items. These game modes were a fun change of pace. They have you doing different activities like shooting targets or playing goalie and blocking soccer balls.

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The best and worst part is the main story campaign. They gave it a mission structure with some story. This means instead of chasing a high score, you have a story mission to complete where you just have to make it to a certain distance, and then you either get a bonus or fight a boss. After that, the level ends and it takes you back to the map menu.

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I really liked this structure, it made it easier to play in short bursts but once you’re done that’s when the problem starts. After you get as far as the content they have released, that’s it. You can just replay the last level or arcade mode. There is no endless mode or any kind of high score chase to see how long you could last. I would love to see them add the only mode the first game had, into this sequel. It would definitely keep me playing longer since I have beaten everything they have released so far.

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Verdictn

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Jetpack Joyride 2 is a step up from the original in most aspects. The content that’s available is a joy to play but just does not last long enough. With no endless or high score mode, you are at the mercy of the developers to see when they release more. Even with that said I still highly recommend you play through the available content.

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Final Score 8.5/10

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The List

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1. What the Golf?

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2. Way of the Turtle

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3. The Pinball Wizard

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4. Jetpack Joyride 2

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5. A Fold Apart

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6. Jetpack Joyride +

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7. Towago: Among Shadows

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8. Tint

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9. Where Cards Fall

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10. Word Laces

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