This review was originally published on the Console Purist Facebook group on February 29th, 2020.
Welcome back to the PlayStation Basement, a weekly review of games for the original PlayStation that are somewhat obscure, unusual, or unknown. Games are rated Good, Bad, or Neutral to emphasize the review itself. Now, let’s go!
Today is Leap Day, the 29th day of February which only occurs, basically, every four years (rules for centuries make this not exactly true). There are some odd legends from Europe about this day about women proposing to men who, if they refuse the proposal, have to buy the lady 12 pairs of gloves. I’d rather just have anyone be able to propose to anyone else on any day they choose with or without any glove purchases. Also, if you were born this day you age at a quarter of the speed as other people. It is a very mystical time for all.
Since it is Leap Day, I have a game about leaping: Jumping Flash! Jumping Flash! was released in 1995 in Japan, Europe, and North America. It was developed by Ultra and Exact and published by Sony, themselves. Guinness World Records considers this the first true 3D platformer, beating out Super Mario 64 and the previously reviewed Floating Runner: Quest for the Seven Crystals by a year. The game takes place in a Bomberman-like universe, and, unlike most other platformer games, Jumping Flash! is played from a first-person perspective. It really does switch things up as Leap Day should.
The cover art for Jumping Flash! is whimsical and fun. In Japan and Europe, the art features the main character, Robbit, jumping across some floating islands as the villainous gentrifier, Baron Aloha, looks on from his helicopter. The art has a soft focus and a short depth of field. The blue background is very nice. The American art is much more hectic and a bit more like a comic book with Robbit jumping into the foreground and out of the frame. This art features Robbit on a desert stage. The perspective here is very unusual and interesting. No matter where you are in the world, the design on the box represents Jumping Flash! very well.
The world of Jumping Flash! is rendered in simple, early polygons as seen in other games from this era. It’s very beautiful with bright colors and fantastical designs. Each stage is unique with features such as pyramids, city skylines, ice, Ferris wheels, underwater tubes, and rocky caverns. Each world has a theme, and each of the stages takes that theme in a slightly different direction. The dream-like worlds remind me of the surreal lands of LSD: Dream Emulator. Various enemies inhabit these zones with their own whimsical designs. Dali-legged creatures, pig-shaped turrets, and spidery crabs are only some of the deceptively cute foes Robbit has to face on his quest. Robbit, himself, isn’t seen too much since the game is first-person, but he looks pretty good too. I also really like the power-up designs, which are all 2D sprites on spinning, flat plates. Jumping Flash! is a charming game to look at.
It isn’t a leap of logic to think that the sound would also be good in Jumping Flash! With composer Takeo Miratsu on board, the soundtrack excels with electronic pop, rock, jazz, funk, and dance themes. Miratsu worked on all four Jumping Flash! games, Legend of Dragoon, and Covert Ops: Nuclear Dawn along with many anime OVAs such as Violence Jack, Ninja Cadets, Idol Defense Force Hummingbird, and the anime TV series Saikano. I enjoyed the sound effects too which include many voice samples from Robbit’s pal Kumagoro along with sounds for explosions, shots, coins, and jumps. I really like how friendly Kumagoro sounds, and I like the chime that plays for defeating certain enemies. The sound design that went into Jumping Flash! really puts some spring into my mood.
Jumping Flash! is a platforming game. As I mentioned, it is considered the first 3D platformer and takes place from a first-person perspective. Thankfully, Ultra and Exact did good work here, making Robbit easy to control. Robbit can jump three times and glide a little bit afterwards. The camera points downwards as you descend to make landing your jumps easy. I rarely missed any unless I was trying to land on some questionable terrain. The level designs are beautiful and also very functional. Each stage has unique features like your standard slippery ice or damaging fire to small walkways and round mushrooms to balance on. The enemies that inhabit these worlds can be easily dispatched with some shots or special weapons, the latter having a few varieties to pick up in each stage. Each world is three stages: two stages in which Robbit must collect the four scattered jet pods and one with a boss. Some worlds do stray from this design by a little bit. Within some stages there are also bonus stages to complete where the player must destroy all of the balloons in a minute. Neither the normal stages nor the bosses are very difficult; I was able to beat the game after only losing a few lives and never having to continue. The bonus stages are much tougher. Either way, I had a lot of fun playing Jumping Flash!, and it was not without challenge.
The controls could be improved a bit. I do wish that there were buttons to strafe or to quickly turn around, but the game plays fine without these. There are some cool extras to unlock after completing the game. Besides the Extra Mode that mixes up the placement of items in each level, there is also the Super Mode that gives Robbit some extra moves like additional jumps, the ability to run, and the ability to dive through the air. Unfortunately, there is still no strafing, but it’s not a big deal at all.
I love Jumping Flash! I remember my friend Marshall being confused by the game’s inclusion on the PlayStation Classic, but it deserves to be there. From its status as the first 3D platformer to just being a fun and creative game, Jumping Flash! is a worthwhile title. The game spawned two sequels (one of which was only released in Japan) and a spinoff that utilized the Japanese accessory, the PocketStation. I have most of these titles, and I will be playing them sometime soon, hopefully before the next Leap Day.
Jumping Flash! receives a Good.
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