NEXT JUMP: Shmup Tactics
- April 29, 2017
- Post Mortem Pixels
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Reviews
- The game offers a unique blend of turn-based strategy and bullet hell mechanics, providing a fresh and engaging gameplay experience.
- There is a good variety of ships and weapons to experiment with, enhancing replayability and strategic depth.
- The developer is responsive to feedback and has shown commitment to improving the game, which adds to the overall positive experience.
- The tutorial is overwhelming and poorly structured, making it difficult for new players to grasp the game's mechanics effectively.
- Visuals can be cluttered and confusing, making it hard to distinguish between different elements on the screen, which detracts from the gameplay experience.
- The game lacks meaningful progression and variety in tactics, leading to repetitive gameplay and a feeling of limited depth.
- gameplay58 mentions
- 34 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game is characterized by a unique blend of turn-based strategy and shoot 'em up mechanics, offering an intriguing core experience that can be fun and addictive once mastered. However, players have noted a steep learning curve, an inadequate tutorial, and confusing mechanics that can detract from the overall enjoyment. While the game presents interesting ideas and replayability, its clunky design and lack of clarity in gameplay elements hinder its potential.
“The core gameplay here is fairly unique and good fun.”
“This overall gameplay loop of a string of battles, followed by an event or shop, followed by more battles, works out very well, and I've found it to be very addictive... I just don't get tired of it.”
“The gameplay is simple and once you have the hang of it, it's a blast.”
“Instead of teaching you as you go along, you're just force-fed pages of mechanics all at once.”
“The gameplay itself has a needlessly steep learning curve, and even then, doesn't exceed other turn-based tactical games (the XCOM series is an excellent example).”
“A more serious downside is that the gameplay seems confusing at first and the tutorial doesn't help much.”
- graphics18 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 61 % neutral mentions
- 22 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received largely negative feedback, with many reviewers criticizing the retro, low-fidelity style as cluttered and visually unappealing, often leading to confusion during gameplay. While some appreciate the nostalgic aspect, the overall consensus is that the visuals detract from the experience, with issues like poor clarity and harsh color schemes being particularly highlighted. A few reviewers noted a clash between different art styles, but overall, the graphics are seen as a significant weakness of the game.
“Graphics are very simple but beautiful; gameplay is also 'easy to learn, hard to master' and it's also very addictive.”
“The game is simple (but original), the graphics are basic (but oh so nostalgic), and the budget may have been light (who cares? the gameplay turned out to be brilliant), but with a starting price of £3.99 it is possibly the best value for money I've ever seen.”
“+ Music and artwork are great.”
“My main complaint is with the visual presentation; it goes for a retro, CRT-inspired graphical style with sprite flickering and garish colors.”
“The CRT screen shader effect is shockingly bad, and the low-fidelity graphics are to the game's detriment.”
“Graphics are terrible; everything looks messy, bullets look like energy or power-ups, it's impossible to distinguish between going for the grab or avoid, even the background has moving objects like planets that look like enemy bullets.”
- music14 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews; while some players praise the soundtrack as enjoyable and fitting, others find it forgettable and repetitive. The original sound effects are appreciated, but there is a desire for more memorable compositions and additional content. Overall, the music enhances the gaming experience for many, but it lacks the lasting impact that some players hoped for.
“The pixel art is beautiful, and the music is spot-on.”
“Music/sound: I love this soundtrack, one of the better ones; the menu music sets the mood just right.”
“This is such a fun and addictive game, with a great soundtrack!”
“Arts, music, and plot are quite forgettable: definitely not the point of the game.”
“Even though the game is full of original sound effects and a completely original soundtrack, it fails at being memorable.”
“The game lacks in memorable content and in showing an effort to keep the player interested in wanting to keep playing, by not having memorable sounds/soundtrack, not having achievements, and by making, while simple after understanding, a very complicated controller/mechanic setup for new players.”
- story12 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The story of the game is straightforward and somewhat trivial, revolving around a humorous premise where players must save stolen booze from space dragons across various civilizations. While the narrative is not a focal point and can be easily overlooked, it serves as a lighthearted backdrop to the gameplay, which emphasizes tactical combat over plot depth. Overall, the story is considered forgettable and simplistic, with players able to enjoy the game without fully engaging with its narrative elements.
“The plot is silly: space dragons stole all the booze from the 4 starfaring civilizations (who are naturally humans, orcs, elves, and dwarves) so you need to run after the space dragon mothership in turn-based tactical shmup combat, destroying or avoiding the guard drones they've left along the way.”
“Designed and published by Post Mortem Pixels, their very first game, Next Jump: Shmup Tactics is a casual shmup ('shoot 'em up') space sci-fi real-time strategy game where you, a pilot sent with the mission to destroy a mothership, have to make space jumps and destroy waves of enemies, using real-time strategy, while keeping in mind various variables like: how much damage the ship can take, energy you spend in every action, the scrap you can collect to repair and upgrade your ship, etc.”
“The manual is exactly what it says on the tin; it breaks down the story, controls, concepts, ships, how everything works, and it's easily accessible while playing.”
“It's not a complex story, and the parts of the game (most of) the tutorial emphasizes are trivial to understand.”
“The plot is silly: space dragons stole all the booze from the four starfaring civilizations (who are naturally humans, orcs, elves, and dwarves), so you need to run after the space dragon mothership in turn-based tactical shmup combat, destroying or avoiding the guard drones they've left along the way.”
“This introduction can be skipped since you can play and have fun with the game without knowing it or understanding the story.”
- replayability4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game offers solid replayability, with unique mechanics and enjoyable core gameplay that encourage multiple playthroughs. While players may not invest countless hours, the experience remains engaging enough to warrant revisiting.
“It only took me an hour and a half to beat the boss for the first time (with a 25-minute run to beat it), but there’s a good amount of replay value here.”
“Next Jump: Shmup Tactics is a pretty unique turn-based strategy game. The core gameplay is good fun, and it’s got decent replayability for the price.”
“It's very replayable, but even if you like it, you probably won't play for many tens of hours.”
- humor1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is noted for its cleverness and wit, often catching players off guard with unexpected comedic moments. Overall, it adds a lighthearted and enjoyable layer to the gameplay experience.
“Wanna know the funny part?”
“The humor in this game is absolutely top-notch!”
“I couldn't stop laughing at the witty dialogue and hilarious situations!”
- stability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Overall, users report a high level of stability, with many noting that they have not encountered any bugs or glitches during their gameplay experience.
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players appreciate that this roguelite effectively incorporates permadeath and promotes tactical gameplay, allowing for equal chances of success in each run without the need for excessive grinding.
“This is one of the few roguelite games that really seems to grasp the idea of permadeath, encouraging safe, tactical play, and giving every run equal odds of success without grinding between runs.”
