Three…Two…One…We are ready to set flight in the next adventure of Barry. Jetpack Joyride 2 flies into people’s hands on the Apple Arcade. Originally released last year, in 2022, this shooter game is back for more! Developed by Halfbrick Studios, Jetpack Joyride 2 is a well-rounded side-scroller video game. It perfectly combines humorous character interactions, intense obstacles, and powerful ammunition. Wait…Where are you going? The review just began. Let’s go!
Jetpack Joyride 2 is available on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV.
Want to play more side-scrollers? Why didn’t you say so?
Credit: GamingonPhone
Story – Fly to Victory!
You play as Barry Steakfries, a highly overzealous individual who wants to live life to the fullest. His lighthearted wit makes him perfect for the role of the protagonist of any video game. I like how the story is told carefully to prevent the player from getting lost in translation. Once the first encounter between Barry and Craig (the trainer) happens, you know you will be in good hands with Jetpack Joyride 2. In the game, Barry must fight evil robots and bosses, such as Professor Brains.
Gameplay – Jetting From Side-to-Side
Barry enters the tutorial level inside the laboratory. Here, is where Craig will train Mr. Steakfries on the basics to wage war on his enemies. The controls are really comfortable and have no glitches whatsoever. Tap and hold on to the screen to use the jetpack to go up and down. This goes to what I was saying regarding the movement not being glitchy. Once you let go of the screen, the rise and fall drops the protagonist to the ground with a consistent rate of speed. There are mission quests that can be done throughout the game. Look for health bars next to enemies in the game, because they have them.
The main screen where players upgrade their character
Power-Up Tokens
Power-up tokens will appear throughout the game to help your character in battle. Some of these will come in the form of weapons, while others will be vehicle tokens, such as the big stomper. Weapon tokens are generously big in the game, which I appreciate, making it easier to grab them while flying past them. There are weapon power-up tokens in Jetpack Joyride 2, like the standard pistol and a crossfire gun (a three-way firing gun that releases green bullets.) You can also obtain a speed boost power-up token. This will allow you to enter warp speed mode for a few seconds. If you come across a jetpack core, grab them to be used to upgrade Barry’s jetpack.
Coins, XP, and Score
As the game progresses, the player will find certain items that will strengthen them in the upgrades department. Players can gain green tokens that can be researched for new weapons, receive coins that can increase one’s health or attack, and earn experience (XP) tokens to level up, thus receiving even more rewards in the process. All of these add layers of excitement and intrigue to the game. I immensely enjoyed having different elements of upgrades to go after during the gameplay of Jetpack Joyride 2, including the duplicate cards you need if you want to upgrade a specific firearm. This is important because that will increase the stats of that particular weapon.
There will also be a score bar at the top center part of the screen. This is here to keep track of the player’s progress in the game. Once this bar completely fills up, a player will then enter the boss fight.
Fire your gun in the game
Tailor
A tailor will assist your protagonist, on the main screen, when it comes to skins. A player can change the overall look of their character. Either play as Barry, Betty, sleek, Santa, a Chinese suit, a pirate, robo-Barry, and a wizard. In addition to changing a person’s appearance, they can also change the appearance of their weapon. It can appear in the form of a machine gun, bubble trouble, gumdrop dispenser, fruit barrel, or a cola jet.
Settings & Map
A gear settings button is on the right-upper corner of the main screen. Click this if you need to turn the sound off, look at the credits, change the language, or save the game progress. The layout of the levels inside the game is broken down into laboratories and their sectors. Certain laboratories include; legitimate research, subterranean labyrinth, artic industries, moon tomb, and neontropolis. These different areas (levels) can be found on the map screen.
Audio & Graphics – Flash Kind of Fun
When I first started to play this game, I instantly felt a sense of throwback from another time. Many moons ago. It was a time when we had games known as flash games. This game somewhat reminded me of this, and I loved it. I enjoyed the style, the look, the animation, and the overall feel of flash games. Jetpack Joyride 2 was great at bringing this gaming era back in strive. The music was phenomenal, especially the main screen theme. The sound effects throughout the game, I felt, wasn’t overkill. The right amount of harmony blended in with the sound effects made for an even heightened experience. I greatly enjoyed playing this game.
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- Upgrade to other weapons throughout the game
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- Use vehicles to help you win
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- Encounter bosses
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- Take down robots
Jetpack Joyride 2 was reviewed on an iPhone.
