Rockers and Rockettes! Do the recent holidays have you down? Are you looking for a co-op game to play with your significant other for Valentine’s Day? Well then, you are in luck because we might just have the game for you and your significant other to jump into. Gamers and alien hunters alike, it is time to jump into the world of Hive Jump.
Hive Jump is a sci-fi 2D action platformer that allows for four players to enjoy Co-Op action using either a controller or keyboard and mouse on PC. Space marines, known as Jumpers, are set with the task of clearing out alien hives in order for colonization. Players blast and frag their way through the levels, but beware of the dreaded hive queen. As players slaughter the hive swarms, they can collect a currency called goo in order to purchase new weapons and skills. As players progress through the levels, they can enter relic rooms in order to gain power ups and additional goo.
Players can also find NPCs during a drop, some will provide help, others are just glad to get out.
Hive Jump uses a backpack system in order to respawn the players. At the start of the game, a player is designated the backpack carrier and carries the backpack until their death or until another player scoops it up temporarily. The backpack can bring players to it in case a player gets lost or a relic room or cave exit is found. If the backpack dies players are unable to respawn and the jump ends once all players are dead. At the end of the level, if the backpack has been destroyed players lose a portion of the goo they collected as well.
Hive levels are randomly generated, so players can never be certain of what environment they are going to jump into and even then the cave may change as you go further down into the hive. Players must be prepared for one of four caverns with their own set of perils: Lava, Ice, Crystal (electric), or Mushroom (poison). Before each jump, players pick their load out deciding between rifle and grenade modifications and a utility item to use during that level.
The player can choose from one of four game modes: Campaign, Arcade, Challenge, and Tutorial.
Campaign – Easy, Medium, Hard, and Impossible. The player can use the goo they have collected to reinforce their base with troops, traps, and a Mech Guardian or they can scan the enemy hive to see how deep it is, perform a psionic sweep to see if a queen is at a hive location, or bombard the hive to reduce the hive’s strength
For those who do not feel like braving the dark chasm of the Hive Jump’s campaign, players can play either arcade mode or challenge mode. Arcade mode implements four game modes ranging from Easy to Queen which will leave anyone seeking a casual experience satisfied. Players who are seeking more of a challenge can enter challenge mode with the goal of proving that they are the best jumper either in the Daily, Weekly, Speed Run, Hardcore, or Endless challenge.
Hive Jump has the potential to provide the player with countless hours of alien-slaughtering enjoyment. The Co-Op option allows players to jump into action with one another whether in the same room or across the globe. Players can easily be engulfed by the fantastic Hive Jump soundtrack, whether in the main menu or exploring the deep dark caverns. The different rifle mods and utility features help players destroy the hive’s nests and makes conquering the hive easier as long as an appropriate strategy is used. Although Hive Jump uses a 2D graphic art style, the visual effects are smooth with only the occasional desynchronization due to lag.
Although Hive Jump may be a lot of fun at first; it gets old quickly when playing solo. The Hive Jump servers feel pretty barren taking an incredibly long time to find a single player in matchmaking. Luckily the developers of Hive Jump have created a Discord with the goal of helping other players find someone to jump with. Hive Jump has a limited amount of enemies with an even more limited amount of bosses, begging for a bit more variety.
Hive Jump is an enjoyable 2D platform experience with a soundtrack that draws the player into the atmosphere. Hive Jump reminds me of the early 1990’s when Castlevania, Tomb Raider and Metroid were popular. Hive Jump’s controls are rather simple requiring very little from the player to pick up. The jetpack is the most difficult feature in the game, but once it is mastered you will be clearing levels left and right. Overall, Hive Jump is an enjoyable indie game that could be played with anyone. The game does not focus solely on the campaign which means players can jump into Hive Jump as much as they want. If you are looking for a fun Co-op experience then Hive Jump might just be the game for you.
Hive Jump is available now on Steam, while a Wii U version is slated for later this year.
