Jetpack Joyride 2 is the primary cellular sport I’ve liked in a really very long time.

I used to be obsessive about staying on high of one of the best iOS video games within the early days of the iPhone — titles like the unique Angry Birds, Hook Champ, and Ridiculous Fishing — however because the overwhelming majority of cellular video games have shifted to a time- and money-gobbling free-to-play mannequin, I’ve largely stopped taking part in them. I’ve sufficient leisure to juggle already; managing one more free-to-play sport simply isn’t interesting.

But to my shock, I saved discovering myself opening Jetpack Joyride 2 once I had a couple of minutes to burn. It occurred throughout my Dedicated Video Game Playing Time, too. Over the course of some days, I simply couldn’t cease gathering cash, dodging missiles, upgrading my gear, and getting so far as I may via every stage.

Image: Apple

Jetpack Joyride 2 is an Apple Arcade-exclusive sequel to Jetpack Joyride, one in all my all-time favourite cellular video games. (Maybe it shouldn’t shock me that I find it irresistible.) The core of Jetpack Joyride 2 is far the identical as the primary: your character, outfitted with a jetpack, will routinely rush down a hallway as you jet up and down to gather goodies and dodge obstacles. As you full missions and collect foreign money, you’ll be capable to improve your gear and purchase new gadgets and in-game gear.

But the sequel mixes issues up in just a few key methods. Jetpack Joyride 2 provides enemies that you must cope with as you’re dodging obstacles like missiles and electrical traces — however the brand new sport additionally offers you a gun and particular weapons to take the baddies out. And whereas the unique was an infinite runner, that means that the first objective was to outlive for so long as attainable to get so far as you may, in Jetpack Joyride 2, you’ll be making an attempt to get a sure distance in particular person ranges.

The change to ranges is what actually acquired me hooked. Levels usually take just some minutes to complete, and on the finish of every one, you’ll try a bonus problem to get some further cash or struggle a boss of some form. (There’s a Mega Man-like warning alert earlier than the bosses that at all times made me smile.) The construction made it simple for me to try a stage once I had a little bit of time, or, if I knew I may play for a short while, I wold typically tackle a bunch in a row. More than as soon as, I informed myself I’d play via only one extra stage however would truly work via three.

Image: Apple

That drive to simply hold going is inspired by the sport’s many upgrades you may spend money on. You can enhance rather a lot of issues, together with your well being, firepower, automobiles, and power-ups. You may even improve the “factory” that passively farms among the in-game currencies. And though there’s a good quantity of stuff to reinforce, I used to be virtually at all times capable of enhance not less than a few issues after every run, which helped me really feel like I used to be continuously progressing ahead.

Jetpack Joyride 2’s economic system additionally feels nicely designed to scale naturally along with your development. That’s completely different from many different cellular video games, which could be weighted in such a approach that you just’ll need to spend actual cash so that you don’t need to grind for foreign money. Apple Arcade video games don’t have in-app purchases, which implies builders have the chance to be extra considerate about in-game economies — and I feel Jetpack Joyride 2 is a mannequin to emulate.

My greatest disappointment with Jetpack Joyride 2 is that it ended far before I’d have appreciated. The construct I performed had 30 ranges, and once I beat the final one after about 5 hours of whole playtime, issues simply ended. While the in-game map has a message that extra ranges can be “coming soon,” Apple spokesperson Jennifer Tam stated the corporate doesn’t have something to share about when new ranges may be accessible. I can nonetheless play via the ultimate stage or grind among the smaller arcade challenges for extra in-game foreign money, however since I’ve already “beaten” the sport, there’s not a lot motive to do this.

Despite the abrupt finish, I nonetheless appreciated Jetpack Joyride 2 greater than any cellular sport in years. If you’re in any respect , I feel it’s price paying the $4.99 month-to-month payment for Apple Arcade to have the ability to test it out. Depending on when developer Halfbrick provides new ranges, Jetpack Joyride 2 won’t supply a lot to maintain you paying for greater than only a month. But at any time when new ranges do present up, you may wager that I’ll be leaping proper again in.

Jetpack Joyride 2 can be accessible completely to Apple Arcade subscribers on August nineteenth.