Jetpack Joyride has enjoyed unbelievable popularity on Android on iOS phones for devices, but its latest release lets users on Windows join in on the fun. But does the fun carry over?

When I heard that Jetpack Joyride had been released for Windows 8 I could hardly wait to download it. I was a self-confessed addict of the game on my iPhone, and I could picture my productivity dwindle right before my eyes as the download bar reached 100% on my Windows PC.

Controls

Controls are arguably the most important part of any game, and I knew playing Jetpack Joyride on my non-touch Windows 8 laptop was going to be a revelation of sorts.

For those of you acquainted with the game on your touchscreen phone, you have probably adapted to the one-touch control scheme with ease. But I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a tad nervous to see my favourite mobile game butchered on Windows 8 – but thankfully, these fears were unwarranted.

Jetpack Joyride’s splash screen

For those of you lucky enough to use Windows 8 through touch, you will have no problem adapting to the hold-to-accelerate control scheme. But those of us with non-touch machines obviously don’t have the luxury of tapping our screen and getting a response. Thankfully, the control scheme for non-touch is just as simple. Just hold down your spacebar to accelerate, and release to drop.

Graphics

One of my favourite parts of Jetpack Joyride is it’s stunning graphics. The graphics of Jetpack Joyride could only be described as a cross between 8-bit pixelated games and intricately designed games with beautiful textures.

Bursting through the wall which marks the beginning of the game!

Thankfully, these graphics don’t appear to be very resource intensive so players needn’t worry about potential stuttering on their PC whilst playing the game.

Coins, Coins, Coins

One of the main objectives in Jetpack Joyride is to collect as many coins as you can throughout the game without dying. Once you have amassed a sizable amount of coins you can then enter the Store and buy upgrades for your character.

These upgrades can range from anything to gadgets that let you see what bonus is in front of you before you select it, to a rubber ball which adds an extra 30-40m to your score.

The Stash – where you can purchase everything in Jetpack Joyride

If you decide that you’re a die-hard fan of Jetpack Joyride, like myself, you can opt to purchase a ‘Coin Counterfeiter’ for $0.99. Once you buy this, every single in-game coin you collect is instantly doubled. I thoroughly recommend buying this, because aside from supporting the developers, the game also gets a lot more fun when you have lots of gadgets and upgrades!

Double up your coins!

Vehicles

Although the name might make you believe otherwise, the Jetpack isn’t the only mode of transport in Jetpack Joyride – far from it in fact!

When you play a game of Jetpack Joyride you will notice that there are floating boxes with machinery parts on them. Drive your Jetpack into one of these and you will immediately be put in a vehicle of some sort. These vehicles range from the zany (a dragon) to the more believable (a motorbike).

The content of the box is a mystery until you open it

As an added bonus, if you happen to hit an obstacle whilst being inside a vehicle, rather than dying your vehicle just explodes. So in some ways, you could think of these vehicles as an extra life.

A personal favourite mode of transport – The Crazy Freakin’ Teleporter!

Interesting Extras

Jetpack Joyride has a few interesting extras to say the least. Firstly, the presence of achievements will be a welcome addition for the competitive out of us. It uses Xbox Live so your friends who also play Jetpack Joyride should appear and give you ample competition!

My personal favourite is what happens when you snap the game to the side of your screen. In most cases, when you do this a game it just pauses or reverts to a static screen – but not with Jetpack Joyride for when you snap it to the side – the game changes to an interactive game where you can interact with the scientists that you see within the full game.

Have fun interacting with the scientists side-by-side with another app.

But perhaps most interesting of all is that this game is free. Of course, a free game is nothing rare – but one of this calibre and with absolutely no in-game ads must be lauded.

Missions

Coins aren’t the only thing in Jetpack Joyride that you might want to collect, as there is also a level system in place. It works very simply, the game tells you three challenges – each with a different star value. You complete these challenges and you get the stars added to your level.

My current goals

Of course, it would just be boring if you amassed a large amount of stars and could do nothing with them. But fret not, because every time that you go up a level within the game you get a sizable coin reward.

I recently wiped my save data, so please excuse my abysmal level!

Gadgets

Although only added in a recent update of Jetpack Joyride, Gadgets have already added a whole new challenge to the game – and a lot more new bonuses to strive for whilst playing the game.

Again, the fact that I wiped my save data explains my sad lack of gadgets!

There are gadgets to suit all types of players. For one that focuses on collecting-coins, there is the coin magnet. For those who rely on the Final Spin there is one which spawns a token immediately at the start of the game. And for those who prefer a clean play area, there is one that rids the labs of the pesky scientists.

Final Spin

When you die in Jetpack Joyride, the fun doesn’t end there. Throughout your game, you will notice ‘Spin Tokens’ flying at you. Each one you collect can then be redeemed for a spin (or 50 coins) at the end of your game.

About to collect a Spin Token

From your spin, you could win anything from a blast that adds 100 metres to your score to more spin tokens which can be used to try your luck again.

My luck seemed to have run out!

Conclusion

Although the endless runner genre has become very crowded as of late, Jetpack Joyride is still without a doubt my go-to-title whenever I need a quick gaming fix.

With it’s great graphics, endearing gameplay and fun bonus features – I would recommend Jetpack Joyride to anybody who is even a mild fan of the endless runner genre.