Jetpack Joyride

After many months of me sending enraged tweets at the developers, all the while eyeing iPhone users with jealousy, Halfbrick Studios have finally released Jetpack Joyride onto Android. Hoorah! Even though it’s free, the catch is that right now, it is only available through the Amazon Appstore. I’ve asked the developers about its release onto the Play Store, but have yet to hear back. If you have the Amazon Appstore installed, get it here.

You are probably familiar with the developers’ previous work, the annoyingly-addictive ‘Fruit Ninja’. Apart from its addictiveness, Jetpack Joyride is nothing like Fruit Ninja. In Jetpack Joyride, you play as Barry Steakfries, a secret agent with a bullet-propelled jetpack, and your mission is to break into a secret evil science lab for some heroic purpose. The game is super easy to play – Barry is constantly moving forwards, and tapping the screen will activate your jetpack, allowing you to dodge obstacles like lasers and fireballs as you move through the map.

Like many other side-scrolling adventure games, your goal is to try to get as far through the level as you can before dying. Unlike many other such games, there are a seemingly endless array of quirky challenges to keep you interested, such as having to high-five a certain number of evil scientists, or how far you can slide along your face after your jetpack has been destroyed. You can even pimp out Barry with new clothes or gadgets (read: rainbow-powered jetpack!) using coins that can be purchased in-app, or collected throughout the level. Also, you can ride a mechanical, fire-breathing dragon.

Jetpack Joyride plays very smoothly on my Nexus S, and it is legitimately one of the most fun games I’ve ever played. I’m a little disappointed that it took so long for Halfbrick to bring this title to Android, but I assume that the delay had to do with spending all their efforts porting Fruit Ninja to every platform possible – seriously, you can even play it on a Windows 8 PC with a mouse (which is probably one of the worst gaming experiences I’ve ever had). Hopefully it’ll be on the Play Store soon, but if not, here’s a handy guide to getting the Amazon Appstore working on your phone. Get on it, people. It’s probably the most fun you can have on your phone.