The classic endless jumping game Doodle Jump has had a big update that includes a bunch of new unlockables and a big change in its pricing structure. There's now a store built in, where players can buy new outfits with different abilities. For example, a sumo outfit stomps platforms to shake off enemies off the screen, a shadow outfit which hides you from monsters, and another which enables double jumping. Coins are now peppered throughout levels to help you acquire your new items, upgrades to the propellor hat and jetpack, and one-off power-ups.
If you've never played it, Doodle Jump has you perpetually ascend by leaping on an endless series of platforms. The controls are deceptively simple, since all you really have to do is tilt your iPhone or iPad to drift towards your next target, but the challenge of landing on firm ground without falling and avoiding enemies can make things rather challenging.
Good on Doodle Jump for keeping things fresh after this long, and as a fan of ninjas, this theme gets my personal seal of approval. Are any of you guys still playing Doodle Jump, or have you burned out on that one years ago? Is it a terrible thing that basically every game, paid or otherwise, is drifting towards in-app purchases?
Reader comments
Doodle Jump adds ninja theme and in-app purchases
It is pretty disgusting, really. And that's why as each of my favorite games goes down this path (Fruit Ninja, Cut the Rope, now Doodle Jump) I steadily delete them. It's really sad to see the good ones go but I can't stand it when I have ads to buy more useless crap shoved in my face AFTER I bought the damn app. Pretty soon it's just going to be me and Tilt to Live...
I love Doodle Jump, and with each and every update it becomes more fun.
Doodle jump has always been a favourite of mine, I bought it early and loved it to death. But I too am getting so disgusted at the way the development is going and fed up with all the junk they keep adding to it.
If any of the developers are listening ...
- it's not "fun" the way the icon changes with every release, it's an *annoying* advertisement for your latest garbage.
- the "news" is not news, it's *advertising*.
- the themes have gone way too far and are just ridiculous now.
- in app purchases might be the last straw for me
As of now I'm resisting updating because I don't want the icon *ruined* by this latest ninja crap they are advertising. Hopefully the icon will return to normal with the next update as it sometimes does.
I don't understand why the developers are doing this. the whole freaking point of DoodleJump was supposed to be it's *simplicity.* That's why it was drawn the way it was originally right? This is just an unseemly money grab.
I don't mind the update other than the fact that the Easter theme is messed up! You get to a point where there are no platforms around and you are forced to start over