Jetpack Joyride Review (PlayStation Minis)

PlayStation Minis were made to be small, cheap, bite sized PlayStation fun that could be downloaded in seconds and enjoyed on your PS3, PSP and PS Vita and played anywhere. Sometimes they can be ports of popular smartphone games and that is the case with Jetpack Joyride. But how well does Halfbrick transfer over Jetpack Joyride to PlayStation devices? The answer: Very well!

In Jetpack Joyride, you are Barry Steakfries: A man stuck in a dead end job until he stumbles upon a secret facility where he discovers a machine gun jetpack (yes that’s right, a jetpack that is propelled by firing two miniguns on the floor) which he decided to take. You then have to try and get as far as you can while collecting coins, dodging missiles, avoiding lazers and more.

You would imagine this would begin to get repetitive after a while but that is simply not the case. With the coins you collect you can purchase new gadgets that help during the game such as increasing gravity, turning into a bouncy ball when you die to gain distance, or magnates that attract coins. You can also buy boosts that can add effects such as a boost to a certain distance from the beginning or attract coins. Barry can also be customised with clothing as well as different Jetpacks like the Jetpack that fires $1000 bills in order to gain lift.

Missions and ranks help add longevity to the game by making you fulfil certain criteria in order to gain stars that help you rank up. This can be from narrowly avoiding missiles, getting to a certain distance, using gadgets and more. I found myself concentrating more on the missions rather than beating my high score due to the reward of completing them and kept me hooked on it longer. You will always have 3 missions to complete and once it is done then it is replaced with another so just when you thought they were all done, there is another challenge.

During the runs you can also collect a range of vehicles that act as both a shield in case you get hit but also a boost from the fire breathing metal dragon: “Mr Cuddles” to the Bad As Hog which lets Barry ride on a Harley while harbouring a shotgun gunning down scientists. They are wacky, fun and great to use. All with the exception of the teleporter, you don’t get much control of it and be more of an annoyance than a beneficiary.

The game is very easy to pick up and play. The only button you need to be concerned about pressing while playing is the X button which controls thrust which means its very quick and easy to get into. This is really what a PS Mini should be like. A game which is not difficult to learn how to play and can be quick to get into. The graphics resemble that of the old Metal Slug games and has a very retro ascetic compared to the more polished graphical finish of Halfbricks other game Fruit Ninja.

All in all Jetpack Joyride is one of the best PlayStation Minis I have played and should be an essential to any PSP or PS Vita owner. Unlike many over games on the portables library, this game can be enjoyed whenever and wherever and doesn’t require a substantial block of free time in order to play. But unlike other “5 minute thrills” this is a title you’ll want to keep coming back to again and again. Jetpack Joyride is a game that is so simple to play but with an extremely catchy soundtrack and loads of re-playability.

The only problem is price… on Smartphones, Jetpack Joyride is now Free-To-Play while the PS Mini is around £3. Also updates for the smartphone version will unlikely carry over to the PlayStation Mini. I feel like this should have been on the new PlayStation Mobile suite as then it could be updated to keep up with the Smartphone version. If you don’t mind paying up for the Minis version and really want it on your PlayStation device then get it as you will love it. Otherwise, it would probably be best to get it on the smartphone…

9/10