This week's game is Funky Jet, a combination of a single screen platformer and a beat 'em up that equips you with a jetpack and asks you to punch dudes so hard that they fly into each other. It's funky, it's fresh, and it's fun!
Funky Jet is a straightforward game with a curious name that doesn't take long to get through, but it still managed to make an impression on me. Who knew that taking the foundation of a single screen platformer and adding the core fundamentals of a beat 'em up would work so well? I'd go as far as to say that this game seems to be underestimated based on the lack of enthusiasm surrounding it on the internet! Thanks to lively visuals and proper feedback that gives your punches sufficient oomph, the act of playing Funky Jet just feels right and the game does a great job of empowering the player in a way that I imagine people don't usually expect from arcade games. They're not all "quarter munchers", y'know?
Beyond the fun idea and lighthearted nature lies a game that knows how to get mileage out of its mechanics. You're encouraged to launch enemies into each other and you have a jetpack and repositioning move that aid you in doing just that. The jetpack naturally gives you multidirectional movement which allows you to approach situations with an advantage, but certain enemy attacks are designed to make you think twice about your chosen direction. Successfully smashing enemies into each other gives you a bounty of power-ups, but the way the invincibility item works encourages you to think twice before picking it up during a lull in the action. There's some fine detail here in Funky Jet that practiced players can use to their advantage, but it's also the kind of game that lets you just jump in and have a good time. Definitely give it a go if you're looking for something breezy!
