Jake Escapes HD Review

By , on May 15, 2012

Jake Escapes HD
Download on the AppStore
3 out of 5

PROS

  • Clever visual touches; Tetris-man!
  • Unique climbing gameplay; fulfill various short, but challenging missions.

CONS

  • Lacking in depth; doesn't take long to learn level layouts and solve the 'puzzles' you're given.
  • No real evolution to the character's gameplay; minute one is much the same as minute 30.

VERDICT

A unique concept and clever visual designs aren't enough to stretch Jake Escape HD's gameplay beyond its limited borders, making a fun, but short title lacking depth.


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Jake isn't very bright - sure, he's the world's greatest thief, but stealing ultra-secret technology from the Government never ends well. Now he's caught up in the shadowy world of spies, agents and super criminals as they attempt to claim what Jake has stolen, so now he has to escape... up the side of a building.

It's a flimsy premise to justify having someone springing their way up the side of a building, but you can take or leave the story as you dive in to the shallow, yet briefly amusing gameplay contained within.

Swiping your finger will launch Jake up the side of the building with the restriction of never being allowed to go back. Not that you'd want to go back as you're being chased up the building by an agent sent to capture you, so it's onwards and upwards, collecting various items on the way to satisfy various mission requirements. These may require some puzzling such as taking a white glove from a death-defying mime and dipping it in red paint from a painter, while others will need you to take more time in planning your route.

There are several types of people living in the building you're climbing, changing from nation to nation and in the case of Russia, an amusing character drops Tetris blocks from his window. If you complete enough missions you'll be able to take on the 'boss' in a relatively challenging fight, placing an emphasis on your ability to dodge and attack (by tapping and zapping them with a laser) at the same time.

Jake Escapes HD doesn't offer a whole lot more than this and until further levels are added in an update, the game won't take long to finish. It's an amusing distraction, but lacking in any depth as it doesn't explore its puzzling aspects as much as it could.

Screenshots

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