Joust is one of those arcade game classics that feels like it’s never really been imitated much, unlike say Pac-Man or Galaga, where plenty of derivative games have come out. Jetpack Joust is going to try and do just that, combining the basic mechanics of Joust, where you have a lance and must run into your opponents while having your lance be higher than theirs. Or, you can just bop them on the head, whichever works. And then, it makes the game an endless ascender, where you have to make it up as many platforms as possible.
The mixture of gameplay styles is actually pretty neat, particularly as there’s always the risk-reward factor going on. If enemies hurt you, it costs you precious fuel, but you can’t afford to be too careful, as you need to keep ascending to get more fuel. But you need to keep from being overwhelmed by enemies by not taking care of them as you come across them. And then there’s the electrified platforms, and those are just a pain. This one’s a pretty fun mix, keep an eye out for it hopefully by the end of the month.
