Some games will remind you of other media even if they don’t intend to. Books, movies, other games – no matter the source, anything can spark a feeling of familiarity. Hive Jump by Graphite Lab instantly reminded me of one of my favorite guilty pleasure movies – Starship Troopers, and I was elated.
You are a trooper in the Jump Squad tasked with repealing an alien invasion. It is up to you and your squad to squash this threat before any more damage is done. Along with a bevy of weapons and a super powered back pack, you and up to 3 friends can battle against this menace. Use all the tools at your disposal to jump into the alien hives, destroy everything and capture their queen.
Gameplay is divided into 2 very distinct facets. The majority of the game takes place as a 2D shoot em up with some mild platforming. Clear out the hive and move onto the next. In between jumps – if you clear the hive or just die – you play the other ½ of the title. A basic tower defense game. Add troops or traps to your fort for defense and launch nukes at the enemy to weaken their defenses. You will shape your dive by how and if you attack.
Your dive can be as simple or as difficult as you want. Clear out every alien, search extra rooms for health or power ups or just run through quickly to try and reach the boss in the shortest amount of time. No matter your style one thing remains constant – keep your backpack safe. If you die, the backpack can take direct damage while you wait to respawn. Once the backpack is destroyed, that is the end of your jump. Each hive is random, so no 2 jumps will be exactly the same. Some are filled with lava, ice or poisonous gas. You may get lucky and find a hive that has all of them contained at different depths. Remember to upgrade your gear by buying new guns, different throwable grenades and of course special abilities. You purchase these upgrades with goo – the remains of the enemies you slaughter. That’s right, the blood of your enemies is the new world currency.
The game is very retro inspired with its graphics scheme. Hive Jump would be perfectly at home on the old SNES. Even though the graphics are a bit older in style, the gameplay is tight. The music plays perfectly with theme of the game. You will hear foreboding tunes as you dive deeper into hives, and rousing music as you battle the bosses.
Hive Jump is available now on XB1, Nintendo Switch, and Steam. Whether you are looking for a fun game to play solo or locally with friends, this title fits the bill. A blast of nostalgia that just gets better the more you play.
