A huge proportion of the hundreds upon thousands of games in the mobile market are essentially variations on a theme, as a myriad of developers try to make a quick cash by imitating the popular offerings. Most recent has been the surge in popularity of the endless runner genre. The front runner of this genre, Jetpack Joyride, truly is a standard to which all others should be held up to. This game is available on both Android and iOS devices for free.
In endless running games, you guide planes, ships, birds, or even a jetpack propelled human as it flies through an endless series of environments. You usually control your character using one finger: tap or hold to gain height or jump, release your finger to drop. Along the way there is a variety of obstacles to navigate, and usually treasures to obtain. But as time goes on, your speed continually increases. The object is to go as far as possible without hitting any obstacles, or coming to a complete halt.
All in all, it’s a genre that is exceedingly repetitive in nature. There are certainly exceptions to the rule however, and one of the few of those that exist today is Jetpack Joyride, created by Halbrick Studios. It’s delightfully addictive and had me coming back for seconds time and time again.
The basic gameplay is standard fare for an endless runner. You are Barry Steakfries, a angry looking man who breaks into a research laboratory, takes a jetpack, and proceedes to take it on a joyride through said lab… which, conveniently enough, is designed as a never-ending string of long, tunnel-like rooms (Barry, you cheat!). As you proceed onward, you have to avoid many obstacles such as lasers and missiles from the lab’s defense system and collect as many coins and various powerups on the way.
These powerups are often where the mainstay of the fun comes from. Most are in the form of vehicle powerups, which give Mr. Steakfries the ability to ride in or on one of the games many vehicles, ranging from a simple motorcycle with a shotgun attached to it… all the way up to a mechanised chinese dragon that breathes fire and flies through the air! As you can see there are many wide and varied options, and I don’t want to cheat you out of the fun by mentioning them all here. An additional benefit that these vehicles provide is that they last until you collide with an obstacle, thus providing a one time shield against the dangers of the lab.
Each vehicle comes with its own controls, and these can be simple to learn (such as the hogs basic jump ability) to fiendishly difficult to master (The dragon sways up and down, providing a difficult to predict movement pattern). These changes in pace and control stop the game from becoming stale and easy to master, which is often at odds with Barrys own control system, which is butter smooth and extremely friendly in its use. It is quite easy to time and predict jumps so that you can the various coins or cheat like powerups through the game.
The coins have a use outside of simple collecting. There are a number of various upgrades you can purchase at the end of each run. Some are cosmetic in nature, changing the visual appearance of yourself, or the vehicles you ride. Others can provide one time bonuses, such as starting further along or having an explosive finish for added distance. Finally there are gadgets, which you can keep two equipped, which change the game in subtle, yet distinct ways… such as making Barry fall faster, or letting him collect coins easier.
The final items you will find floating around the levels are tokens and S-A-M letters. The tokens let you spin a slot machine at the end of each level, which give you many of the one-off items mentioned in the shop, coins, or even the chance at reviving you so you can continue your current run. They’re a nice little addition to the game, and ease off that feeling of being cheated by the game when you die. The S-A-M letters? Well, they give you a daily powerup that is best left a secret so you can be in awe when you collect them the first time.
If this seems like a lot of content for an Endless Runner, that’s because it is. I haven’t even mentioned the missions yet, which can range from giving a host of scientists high fives, to narrowly avoiding dangers or reaching checkpoints. Each mission is worth a number of stars, and various levels are unlocked at each star point. Check the cheats and tips section below for more information. There are also a host of achievements to get, but what game these days don’t come with achievements? They do add some distinct replayability though.
Jetpack Joyride is free on iOS and Android devices, but you will need a lot of coins to be successful in this game. The coins can be used to purchase new gadgets, jetpacks, clothing, and various utility items. You will also need coins in order to upgrade your vehicles with magnetism, and then make them golden. While you can purchase coins from the in-app purchasing option, this does cost real money, and a lot of people do not like to spend real money on non-essential gaming packs for Jetpack Joyride. This is why you need to download our free coins hack software, which will give you unlimited amounts of coins without needing to spend a dime.
The picture below shows you how the user interface of the hack software is setup, which is completely free and safe to use. All you have to do is select the device you are using, then input the amount of coins you want, and then you are done.
After you download the Jetpack Joyride coin hack software, it will automatically install on your device, but it could take up to a minute to install depending on your internet speed. Once the Jetpack Joyride hack software installs, simply click on it an choose either iOS or Android. You can then put in an amount of coins you want added to your account.
Click “Start” to run the hack software and it will take about 30 seconds to complete the hack. You can then open up the Jetpack Joyride app, and you will see the amount of coins you entered show up on your account. This tool is completely free and you will be so glad you downloaded the hack software from AppGameCheats because it will really give you all the coins you need to have the best gaming experience possible.
There is only really one cheat per se for Jetpack Joyride that does not involve altering the program itself in any way. It’s fairly easy to use once you get the hang of it! To do this cheat, all you need to do is time your reel spins at the end to match the time of the flashing arrows, so that way the handle of the slot machine is in line with them as they light up. Release the arm of the machine when the final arrow light goes out and you will get an item! Over time Halfbrick may change it so this cheat does not work, but I doubt it considering the age of the game.
While not a cheat, here is a tip for those starved for coins! Firstly, if you feel like supporting the developers of the game, the Counterfeit Machine in the shop is perhaps the best IAP worth grabbing, as it makes each coin you collect worth double (which means each coin is worth 4 coins if you have a coin doubler from the slot cheat above).
Next up is gadget selection. For supreme coin collection, grab the Gemology gadget as well as the Flying Pig or Coin Magnet gadget. If you can afford the laser jetpack as well, get it with the Flying Pigs as they will break instantly to the laser. These coins and gems are doubled by both the coin doubler (from the slots) and the counterfeit IAP (which can make each gem be worth 20 coins! See how it all adds up?)
If you are having difficulty getting to the point where you can unlock the aforementioned gadgets, remember this tip: Buy the cheapest gadgets already available. This will make unlocking the tiers with the most beneficial gadgets extremely fast.
Finally if you aren’t comfortable using the cheat above, or it stops working. You can use the gadget combination of Token Gift and Lucky Last to effectively spin the wheel over and over until you get the powerup you want. I use this to get the double coins before switching to Gemology + Flying Pig. This can often net me upwards of 5,000 coins a run!
Now that the cheats are over, let’s get into the ratings!
Artwork: 10/10 – The art is extremely consistent, and suits the style of the game. It’s comedic in its own little way, and contains several nice touches… such as when the scientists hit a zapping line and zap themselves, or when your jetpack exhaust hits a light! Everything is bright, colourful, and animated.
Music and SFX: 8/10 – Not bad, but as is common with any endless runner it can get repetitive over time. Thankfully it’s not obtrusive, and none of the sound effects are particularly jarring.
Story and Originality: 8/10 – I’ve rated this highly due to the fact that it was one of the first of its genre around, but also because every powerup you can get is thematically excellent. Each of the vehicles makes sense to find in a lab, as does the concept of some psychotic guy breaking into a lab and making off with crazy gadgets. While there isn’t much of a ‘story’ exactly, a game like this doesn’t need one.
General Gameplay: 8/10 – With the competency of the control system, the easy to learn yet hard to master nature of the vehicles, and the various gamified elements littered throughout (missions, etc) it is easy to see how this is a game worth playing, even as a timewaster.
Addictiveness: 10/10 – Jetpack Joyride certainly conquers that ‘just one more go’ feel. It reminds me of my youth, pouring quarters into an arcade machine over and over again just so I could get past certain spots. This game defines addictiveness in its entirety.
Overall: 9/10