Turns out Jack was nimble, Jack was quick, and Jack knew how to whip every candlestick; I doubt that very much classifies as much of an excuse, but I suppose with a retro auto-runner of this sort you don’t really need one.
Especially when it’s decided to test your squint by restraining its resolution and color palette to 1989; then again, I don’t think Sean Noonan had much of a choice on that aspect of its design, seeing how Jack B. Nimble started life out as a Game Boy Game Jam entry five years ago.
Three years later Jack was on the iOS, received a few good claps, and decided towards a full-fledged Steam launch pending a July, 24th release this year. When it does come out the silliness of a premise will persist; Jack must leap across the rooftops of various Gothic cityscapes, progressively picking up speed and whipping candles hung off street posts while at it.
The distance he covers amasses itself in the form of a base score which, when multiplied against the number/accuracy of candles whipped, adds towards a total high score. This high score unlocks more of the proffered six levels of progressive difficulty and seven other characters, the latter of which don’t contribute much besides a little diversity.
All it takes then, it seems, is a smart use of the mouse click/double-click to have Jack jump, whip a candle or two, and be on his way, right? Um, not really as a series of Noonan developer logs will reveal, Jack B. Nimble has all the makings of a rage quitter’s delight.
I mean take for instance the patches of grass across Viridescent Verge, level one. These momentarily slow Jack/his friends down by a few paces which should be helpful in catching your breath and a few candles, when instead you’re probably setting yourself up for insufficient speed on your next jump.
Or the bonfires of Old Londinium for that matter. These will cause Jack/his compatriots to burn, obviously, consequently doubling their pace and increasing the likelihood of a pit fall. And then of course there’s the rising/falling tide of Rocky Rapids with its various abandoned storage crates.
Expert mastery is needed, he says, and sure you’ll be unlocking a few varying color palettes to mix things up along the way. An itch.io release is to follow.
