As featured in Retrogaming Times Monthly issue #29, October 2006.

Arcade games of the 1980's were great because it seemed that no flight of fancy would be turned down.  While today realism is the driving force behind game development, years ago that was not the case.  Creativity and fun gameplay once ruled the video game landscape and kept those quarters dropping into the coin boxes.  In 1982 Data East combined driving action with platform jumping and created Bump 'n' Jump.  Video driving wasn't a new concept nor were jump and hop games but once these two gameplay mechanics were joined together something totally new emerged.  Speed along treacherous roads clearing you way through traffic by any means necessary.  Bump other cars off the road or use your car's special jumping feature to smash them from above.  That jumping power is needed for more than just smoothing out the commute, the road has a tendency to abruptly end and the only way onward is upward.  Think of Spy Hunter (which wouldn't be released for another year) meets Frogger and you'll have a good idea of what this game is all about.  Bump 'n' Jump was released on many of the popular joystick era consoles, as reviewed by Alan Hewston back in Retrogaming Times #60, so it made perfect sense for it to appear on the NES as well.

While using the same basic game mechanic as the arcade original, the NES version goes in a slightly different direction with the backstory of the game.  In the arcade the player was simply racing along in their jumping car, driving along through season after season.  The NES version follows the trend of console video games of the day in that it paints a backstory of kidnapping and rescue.  A ruthless gang known as the Jackals attacks you and kidnaps your girlfriend, driving off with her in their off-road vehicle.  You have no choice but to hop in your car, called the "Popper," run down the Jackals and rescue your girlfriend.  Corny as it may be, at least it gives the game a real objective other than just driving along.  There are sixteen stages until the showdown with Dark Jackal, the gang's leader.

To start things off, control is nearly exactly the same on the NES as it was in the arcade.  The joystick controls are mapped to the directional pad: left and right are used for steering, holding up accelerates, and holding down decelerates.  The A button causes your car to jump once it's speed is greater than 149 km/h, in the arcade the jump velocity was anything higher than 99 although the units of speed are not given.  An addition over the arcade controls is that the B button activates an emergency brake that is a welcome change, as it is critical to setting up some of the jumps and avoiding road obstacles in the later stages.  Another addition to the NES version comes in the form of power barrels which fuel you car's jump ability.  This is measured via a meter in the upper right of the screen that constantly ticks down.  Once it reaches zero your car cannot jump, regardless of its speed, until a power barrel is picked up and the meter is replenished.  This adds another element of strategy to the game as you have to constantly keep your eyes peeled for power barrels to keep your jump meter healthy.  It's very similar to having to pick up fuel in games like Scramble, Super Cobra, and the later released Road Fighter.  The last new feature is a repair mode which can be accessed by picking up a special icon.  Honestly the repair mode would be useless if it wasn't for the fact that it adds 50 units to your jump meter, which is often a life saver.

The graphics aren't direct recreations of the arcade originals but are inspired by them.  In the arcade each stage was based upon a different season.  This is done away with on the NES and instead sixteen different stages are presented, however most of them borrow graphic tiles from others.  A few of the later stages look downright ugly due to how they are colored but all the stages do have a different color set so at least there's some visual variety.  Personally I feel the NES versions of the enemy cars are much more nicely done than the arcade originals, which looked like sticks and boxes with flashing colors for the most part.  All the stages are completely different with different jump obstacles and blockade patterns when compared to the original.  Additionally certain enemy cars seem to respond to the player location better than they did in the arcade, putting up a better fight.  Another change between the two versions is that bumping into cars in the arcade would rob you of quite a bit of speed and momentum, on the NES this is barely noticeable.  Audio is far superior to the humble music and sound effects of the arcade original and includes a series of background tunes that complement the action very well.

Without a doubt I prefer the NES release to the arcade original, it just feels to me like a more complete package.  While things like momentum loss from getting bumped around are removed, added elements such as the power barrels and end of game objective more than make up for them.  My only complaint comes after you get all the way to the end of the game and defeat Dark Jackal in an actual boss battle but I won't ruin that for anyone.  Up until the last moments this game is a blast and expands and enhances virtually everything that made the arcade game entertaining and challenging.  If you're looking for more of an arcade translation then the joystick era home versions are what to play.  However if you want a remixed twist on the gameplay of a lesser known arcade classic, then Bump 'n' Jump for the NES would be a great addition to anyone's game library.  Although different, it retains enough of the original game to make for an excellent gameplay experience.
 

"InsaneDavid" also runs a slowly growing gaming site at http://www.classicplastic.net/dvgi

BACK to RTM Archives