Spark the Electric Jester 3

About

"Spark the Electric Jester 3" is a fast-paced 2D platformer game where players control Spark, a jester with electric powers. The game features challenging levels, various enemies and bosses, and a variety of mechanics such as wall-jumping and dashing. With improved graphics and gameplay from its predecessors, players must help Spark on his mission to save the world from a powerful threat.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

97%

Audience ScoreBased on 2,544 reviews

story186 positive mentions

grinding48 negative mentions

Incredible high-speed platforming mechanics that feel smooth and responsive.
Varied level design with multiple paths and hidden collectibles, encouraging exploration.
Engaging combat system that adds depth to gameplay, with a satisfying progression of abilities.

The story can be convoluted and is heavily backloaded, making it hard to follow for newcomers.
Combat sections can interrupt the flow of gameplay and feel disconnected from the platforming experience.
Some levels, particularly the final one, can feel overly long and tedious.

story
846 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
71%
7%
The story of "Spark the Electric Jester 3" is a mixed bag, with many players finding it convoluted and poorly paced, particularly noting that much of the narrative is backloaded towards the end. While some appreciate the ambitious and entertaining twists, others criticize the writing quality and presentation, suggesting it lacks coherence and depth. Overall, the gameplay is often highlighted as the main draw, with the story serving as a secondary element that may not resonate with everyone, especially newcomers to the series.
- “I do not think I've ever seen a video game story go from 0 to 75,000 as fast as this one did.”
- “This game is amazing in so many different ways: the combat was great, platforming was excellent, stage design was awesome, presentation in both music and visuals was also great, and the story was a great continuation and self-contained story in its own right.”
- “The story was great too, the twist at the end made me emotional, and really curious to see where this series goes next.”
- “The writing and story are also very mediocre.”
- “Story feels like it wasn't very well thought out and the dialogue is not great.”
- “Unfortunately, just like the last game, the story is unnecessary, ridiculous, and so self-serious.”
gameplay
742 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
34%
63%
3%
The gameplay in "Spark the Electric Jester 3" is widely praised for its fast-paced, momentum-based platforming reminiscent of classic Sonic games, featuring tight controls and a variety of mechanics that enhance player expression and exploration. While the level design is generally well-received, some players note issues with combat mechanics feeling disconnected from the core gameplay, as well as the introduction of a fall damage mechanic that disrupts the flow. Overall, the game is considered a significant improvement over its predecessors, offering a rich and engaging experience for fans of the genre.
- “You’d think this would get boring, but there is a lot of variety in the theming, design, and gameplay elements for each stage to make them all feel unique.”
- “As a huge Sonic fan, this game feels like an absolute love letter with the execution of its gameplay and its ability to balance speed and precision in a way I just haven't seen in many platformers.”
- “The gameplay is fast, precise, and very skill-based.”
- “The game has some pretty floaty wall mechanic controls and trying to get through that final level was just too much for me.”
- “The inclusion of fall damage is dumb in my opinion; it adds literally nothing to the gameplay.”
- “Despite the overall fluidity of the movement and controls in this game, I would still not recommend purchasing it, because it barely manages to qualify as a 'game' and reeks of a lack of polish and quality standards in every place outside the physics and barebones mechanical interactions.”
music
424 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
51%
46%
2%
The music in "Spark the Electric Jester 3" has received a largely positive reception, with many praising its energetic and diverse soundtrack that complements the fast-paced gameplay. While some players noted that certain tracks are forgettable compared to previous installments, the overall quality and variety of the music, which includes rock and electronic influences, enhance the game's atmosphere and enjoyment. However, a few critics expressed disappointment with the final boss theme and felt that the soundtrack lacked the memorable impact of earlier games in the series.
- “The soundtrack is fantastic, the level design is top notch, and the sense of speed and scale are wonderful.”
- “The music is fantastic as well.”
- “The music just enhances everything, with varied tracks as you blaze through riot-filled cities and burning prisons.”
- “I feel the music is kinda forgettable in this game.”
- “The levels themselves, though fun, are kinda forgettable since none of them have any story significance and the music does not help with that, as it is the biggest downgrade this game has.”
- “Spark 2's ending was so hype because of everything, and the music capped it off, while this one... feels like it's missing that musical backbone, making it feel kinda flaccid in comparison to the powerful moment it was supposed to be.”
graphics
144 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
35%
61%
4%
The graphics of the game have received widespread praise for their vibrant and expressive art style, showcasing significant improvements over its predecessor. Players appreciate the smooth performance, detailed environments, and the effective use of light cell-shading that enhances character models, creating a visually appealing experience. While some critiques mention simplicity and occasional visual inconsistencies, the overall aesthetic and design contribute positively to the game's charm and enjoyment.
- “Fantastic music, cool art-style, runs well on my ancient computer.”
- “The graphics have light cell-shading, which makes the character models look more faithful to their 2D artwork.”
- “The visuals kick ass too, like holy hell this is a fantastic looking game, and the detail put into every level is insane.”
- “Overall a great game but the circumstances of its development and the art style it has leads it to having this odd effect of being off.”
- “The gameplay is super solid, it is a bit wanting in terms of visuals but I think it's stylized well enough that it never looks bad.”
- “I saw a clip where you can have infinite combos DMC style, but it's not fun, mostly because there is no visuals and the VFX alone is not enough, especially if it looks atrocious.”
replayability
76 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
37%
59%
4%
The game offers significant replayability through its diverse level designs, multiple routes, and various challenges, encouraging players to explore and perfect their runs. With unlockable content, free DLC stages, and a focus on skillful play, it caters to both casual players and completionists alike. Overall, it provides a rich experience that invites repeated play, reminiscent of classic high-speed platformers.
- “This game has more content than most AAA games do these days, with extremely good replay value, all for a fraction of the price.”
- “If you want to spice up your gameplay, there are a multitude of different routes to traverse through each level, giving pretty much every single one of them tons of replayability, especially when you factor in the exploration and score medals for each level.”
- “The exploration and speedrun playstyles help give more replayability of the levels and the later stages, especially the final ones, are incredibly huge.”
- “The game has a lot of replayability in the form of unlockable characters and the unlockable Spark 2 stages. Overall, beating this game felt like an accomplishment, and I recommend everyone to pick up this game, and Freedom Planet 2, over Sonic Frontiers.”
- “Though the main story took me a little under six hours to complete, the game has plenty of replay value that will keep me coming back in the future, even just to beat my own best times after I've collected everything.”
- “With the addition of all the levels from Spark 2 (excluding bosses and such), there's now quite a bit to do in this game, but ultimately, it relies heavily on replayability, similar to Sonic games of the past.”
grinding
50 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
4%
96%
The grinding mechanics in the game are a mixed bag, with many players enjoying the engaging rail grinding and wall running that require skill and attention. However, some find the grinding for resources tedious, especially due to long cutscenes and repetitive combat that interrupts the flow. Overall, while the rail grinding is praised for its fluidity and control, the necessity of grinding for upgrades can detract from the overall enjoyment.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “So if you're grinding for bits to buy things at the shop, or if you're just replaying the stage for fun, best case scenario, you have to wait for the cutscene to allow you to skip it.”
- “I find the combat to be very tedious and interrupts the fun parts of the game.”
humor
34 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is described as a mix of absurdity and dark twists, with players finding amusement in the quirky premise of a character leading a revolution over mundane grievances like long bank lines. While some moments are genuinely funny, the narrative's sudden tonal shifts and existential themes can lead to unexpected whiplash, leaving players oscillating between laughter and confusion. Overall, the humor is hit-or-miss, with some mechanics, like fall damage, adding to the comedic experience despite their initial awkwardness.
- “Funny yellow bug man can't get his money, so he vows to overthrow the government.”
- “The story, while really funny when you look at the bare minimum context of it starting (the main character creates an anti-fascist revolution because the internet went out), it very much turns into Evangelion and The Big O put into a blender and garnished with crack by the end, including the penultimate stage boss being a giant mech fight, leading into the world ending, and a hellish loop of eternal planetary extinction.”
- “Funny goofy haha 'Spark fights the government because he hates long lines at the bank' gets an extremely dark twist I won't spoil, but it gave one of the biggest cases of whiplash I've had since... well, the ending of Spark 2 when [spoiler]Fark completely changes art style to fight Freom at the end in an anime battle[/spoiler].”
character development
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
75%
11%
Character development in the game has received mixed feedback, with some players finding the character designs charming yet simplistic or "weird." While the vibrant art style and character interactions are appreciated, many reviewers feel that the depth of character development and emotional buildup is lacking compared to other platformers. Overall, the gameplay and level design are praised, but there is a desire for more substantial character growth and voice acting in future updates.
- “Everything about it is incredible, the physics, move set, level design, aesthetics, character design, it's all perfect in my eyes.”
- “The platforming feels amazing, the level design is better than most AAA platformers, the character designs are simple and clean, the music is great, the story not only is pretty good with an amazing ending, but the backstories of certain characters retroactively make the story of the first two games better.”
- “The character design I didn't like a lot, but the game is really fun to play. I hope the character develops more with time and, if possible, add voice acting.”
- “You can't have an over-the-top ending like this and not have enough story elements, emotional buildup, and character development leading up to it.”
- “Spark was a little too simple of a character design, and the hand-drawn artwork and dialogue portraits weren't good enough to mitigate that.”
stability
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
8%
92%
The game's stability has received mixed feedback, with some players reporting a variety of bugs and glitches, particularly in specific sequences and combat mechanics. However, others have noted that the game feels less buggy overall, with tight controls and responsive gameplay that enhance the experience. While minor issues exist, many players find the game enjoyable despite its imperfections.
- “Imagine if all the basic movement mechanics in Sonic Adventure 2 and Sonic Heroes were not buggy, and were transplanted into a more mechanics-driven set of levels.”
- “The game is pretty buggy.”
- “Something else important to note is that there is a strange sequence toward the end of the game, near the end of the final level, that looks extremely buggy.”
- “The sequence seems to be intended, but has no real buildup to it and appears so buggy that I thought the game had broken.”
emotional
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is widely praised for its heartfelt storytelling and genuine character development, particularly highlighted by a touching ending that resonated deeply with players. Despite some gameplay issues, the emotional highs and engaging narrative create a satisfying experience that feels like a labor of love, leaving players eager for future installments. Many reviewers noted that the game successfully evokes strong feelings, making it a memorable and impactful journey.
- “This game is fast, engaging, heartfelt, and best of all, fun and satisfying.”
- “The story was great too, the twist at the end made me emotional, and really curious to see where this series goes next.”
- “I cried hard at that ending last night, and I'm not ashamed to admit it.”
optimization
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
68%
14%
The game's optimization is inconsistent, with early levels running smoothly at 60 fps, while later stages struggle to maintain even 40 fps, leading to performance issues, especially on lower-end hardware. Despite these challenges, players appreciate the level design and the opportunity for speed optimization, particularly during time trials, which encourage exploration and skillful movement. Overall, while the game performs well on devices like the Steam Deck, certain levels can experience significant frame rate drops.
- “Completing the platinum time trial medals is a real treat, giving a reason to focus on the level design, see where you can smooth out your performance, and what parts of levels can be skipped.”
- “The levels are a fantastic mix of multi-level paths, exploration, and speed optimization. You can easily spend 20 minutes combing through a level looking for all the secrets and getting a higher score, and then blast through it again in 2 minutes going for speed.”
- “These can be fun for speedrunning, as they're pretty short and somewhat linear, focusing on movement optimization above all else to get a better time.”
- “The later stages are an unoptimized mess, which is a shame. I was playing on locked 60 fps for the first few areas, but towards the end, the game was struggling to maintain 40.”
- “If you have a potato GPU like me, get ready for performance issues.”
- “I really love this game, but the graphics optimization is lacking.”
atmosphere
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
80%
20%
The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its incredible level design and flexible art style, which effectively adapts to different environments. Reviewers highlight the combination of tight gameplay and immersive settings, particularly noting that the final area showcases some of the best atmospheric experiences in gaming. Overall, the atmosphere is described as wonderful and supportive of the game's narrative.
- “The game has a really flexible art style, knowing what colors and atmosphere to go for depending on the level we're in.”
- “The final area is some of the best gameplay I've ever come across mixed with some of the best atmosphere I've ever seen.”
- “The atmosphere was wonderful!”