Platform game

Jumpy

If you prefer your games scrolling in all directions rather than just one, Jumpy is for you. It's a manic multiplayer brawler played on 2D platforms under the sea. The brawler part means it's your job to hit other players with whatever you have at hand, including your fins, or any weapons you find within the level. The level will zoom and scroll around to follow you, and the action is quick and reflexive. It's a little like the arcade-classic Bomberman with sabres and pistols rather than bombs. But the game also describes itself as "tactical," which means the best strategy is to use platforms in the background, rather than to simply hunt and chase your enemies. Up to four players can take part, with local play supporting two from the same keyboard and a third on a gamepad. For more players, a network option lets everyone use their own machine. Without other humans, the computer can be summoned to control the other characters, which obviously lacks typical human deviousness but is great for learning the levels.

There are 14 different levels in the game, ranging from blocky boats to submerged dungeons, all with a nautical theme reminiscent of SpongeBob SquarePants. But the game's best feature is the embedded level editor, which makes it easy to design and play your own fiendish creations. The map editor is brilliantly implemented with a layered approach, much like Gimp. You can open and edit built-in maps, as well as start from scratch, and choose from a selection of graphical tiles, the locations players are spawned, and how collisions affect players. There's even a randomize button if you don't have the time to handcraft a level, and you can instantly play your creation to test out whether it works. It's a good way for younger players to experiment with game design, and they can even take things further with new characters and weapons, if they wish, adding to a game that's already a lot of fun to play.

Project Website

https://github.com/fishfolk/jumpy

Jumpy is currently under development as the programmers port their idea to the Bevy game engine.