Freemium Perdition: Magikarp Jump

Magikarp Jump
Click the Screen
1 Player
System: Android
Developer: The Pokemon Company
Year of Release: 2017

In the wide world of Pokemon, one in particular has always risen to the top. From competitive tournaments, to contests, to popularity, truly Magikarp reigns supreme. Maybe not exactly, but Magikarp has always had a certain appeal, usually due to his evolution. Magikarp Jump goes out of it's way to put the titular Pokemon in the lime light.

Magikarp Jump might be one of the simpliest games I have played. Your goal is to beat six leagues focusing on Magikarp jumping competitions. In order to improve your Magikarps jump you need to feed them, train them or use other support Pokemon you collect throughout the game. None of this is complex, the game is more of a "watch numbers go up until they max out, then watch numbers go up again!" While simple, I can't deny there is a strange appeal here, but that could just be my huge Pokemon bias shining through.

There is no real challenge to be found here. As your trainer rank increases (every time you win a league battle, or retire a Magikarp) the max level of your Magikarp increases. In many cases you simply have to grind in order to get through the next challenge. It literally comes down to your Magikarp's total "jump points" compared to it's opponents. Once you hit max level and can't beat the league your Magikarp retires and you are able to catch another one.

Honestly, that alone is probably my favorite aspect. They introduce several patterns that you will randomly unlock. I adore this. I've always wanted more variation for individual Pokemon. I know it's Spinda's whole gimmick, but it's really cool running into the same Pokemon with slightly different features. Here you get different patterns of (mostly) white and orange, and can even catch a gold Magikarp!

You'll earn gold which you can buy new forms of training and new food, both offering strictly better options the higher your trainer rank. The only problem being that both are randomized. This is especially frustrated in training because each time you train it randomly picks your routine, so you can get stuck with the worthless early routines which provide essentially no jump power. Food also spawns at random. There are multiple cooldowns in effect in the game. Mainly you can only train three times in a row, with one use taking half an hour to respawn. Support Pokemon offer numerous benefits, but depending on which one take an hour and a half to half a day to recharge. Finally, anytime you fail a league battle you'll have to wait in order to try again, unless you hit max level. In that case you automatically go into the league until you lose or win and your current Magikarp retires.

The premium currency here is diamonds, and there is a slightly cool feature. There is a maximum amount you can purchase with real money, I assume it's enough to buy everything and nothing more, though I'm not sure. You can also earn diamonds through normal gameplay, though at the usual slow rate. Diamonds are used to purchase primarily exclusive support Pokemon, and decorations. Decorations offer minor bonuses and support Pokemon offer a plethora of bonuses with varied cooldowns. Within a few days of playing I'm nearly able to purchase the most expensive option, Charizard, without having spent a dime. This is one of those games where paying money lets you win faster, but is more than doable completely free. Which is my favorite kind of free to play game.

This is a fairly niche game, but for those intrigued by the idea of a game revolving around training Magikarps to jump this is a fairly worthwhile time waster. Emphasis on "time waster". There really isn't much to this game, I could boil it down to simply tapping the screen to progress. You tap to feed Magikarp, you tap to train, you tap to compete in jumping competitions, you tap through events. There is literally no skill involved whatsoever, just maxing out Magikarp levels and catching new ones with higher level caps to, hopefully, get further. Honestly, the title alone will let you know if this will be of interest to you or not. As a massive fan of Pokemon this silly little distraction has been quite enjoyable. Tapping away while watching a movie, or even playing an actual game, Magikarp Jump has been well worth the time investment for me personally, though I can't exactly recommend it willy nilly. If you're big into Pokemon and, like me, think the idea of a town dedicated to Magikarp is hilarious and ridiculous I'm sure you'll enjoy this. Non fans of Pokemon won't have much reason to check it out though.