Doodle Jump

File:Doodle jump icon.jpg App Store art
Developer(s)	Lima Sky
Publisher(s)	Lima Sky
Platform(s)	iOS, Android, BlackBerry, Mobile Phones, Samsung Mystic
Release	iOS April 6, 2009 Android March 2, 2010
Genre(s)	Platform
Mode(s)	Single-player

Doodle Jump is an electronic game developed and published by Lima Sky for iOS, BlackBerry, Android and Nokia S60. It was released worldwide for iOS on April 6, 2009, and was later released for Android and Blackberry on March 2, 2010. Since its release, the game has been generally well-received. The game was inspired by PapiJump, from SunFlat, with similar gameplay. On June 25, 2010 it was announced that the game had totalled over 5 million sales. It has been reported of having 28,000 downloads per day.

Gameplay consists of guiding a four-legged creature known as "The Doodle" up an unending series of platforms without falling in an attempt to gain a high score. The character is controlled by tilting the gaming device in the desired direction. The greater the angle, the greater speed. In the BlackBerry version, direction of the Doodler is determined by tapping in the desired direction.

Gameplay

In Doodle Jump, the aim is to guide a four-legged creature called "The Doodle" up an unending series of platforms without falling. For devices with accelerometer, players tilt the device from side to side to move the Doodler in the desired direction. Players can get a short boost from various objects, such as propeller hats, jetpacks, rockets, springs or trampolines. There are also monsters and UFOs that the Doodler has to shoot or jump on to eliminate. You can aim your shot by tapping on different parts of the screen, sending a projectile based on the theme in the direction of your finger. Depending on the game mode being played, projectiles may fly in a straight line off the screen or be affected by gravity and fall downwards eventually. When the Doodler approaches a monster or a UFO, a distinct sound is played, warning the player. There is no definitive end to the game, but the end for each gameplay happens when you fall (by reaching the bottom of the screen), jump into a monster, get sucked into a black hole, or abducted by a UFO. The newest updated version of the game lets players choose between versions of the game (normal, Halloween, Christmas, Rainforest, Space, World Cup or Underwater) without changing their names. Also recently added with the latest update was the Easter version, which can be played by entering the name "bunny" for your name. After losing the game at least 500 times (600 in the BlackBerry version) the Doodler is given the opportunity to wear a pickle costume. Alternatively, you may put the names of one of the Pocket God pygmies for your name, as the Doodler will become one.

Obstacles and power-ups

Obstacles

There are several obstacles the Doodler must evade in the game:

• Monsters – There are many different types of monsters which the Doodler must either shoot, jump on top of, or pass by. Monster may be stationary but some variants move around the screen. Some monsters require the Doodler to shoot it more than once (two, three or five times) to kill it, however jumping on any monster kills it instantly. If the Doodler touches any monster except for jumping on it, the game ends. The monsters can be different in different themes.
• UFOs – UFOs abduct the Doodler when it jumps underneath them into their beam, ending the game. These can be shot or jumped on to be eliminated. The UFOs can be different objects in different themes.
• Broken Platforms - Landing on a broken platform is equal to falling through game space, as the Doodler will fall through them and fall down. The Doodler may land on another platform and continue gameplay, but if it does not, it will fall to its death and the game ends.
• Black Hole - The Doodler will be sucked into the black hole if it jumps in front of it, and the game ends.

If the game ends, the player can play again by pressing the "Play again" button, and the game will start again at 0

Power ups

Power Up	Function	Points
Jetpack	Thrusts Doodler upwards for a few seconds. The Doodle becomes unable to shoot but immune to obstacles while activated.	3307
Propeller hat	Similar effect as the jetpack, but slower ascent for a longer time, during which Doodler may destroy the monsters by passing through them.	1736
Spring	Doodler may bounce on a spring for higher ascent than on a normal platform. It can shoot during the jump.	352
Trampoline	Similar effect as the spring, but with a backflip, during which Doodler cannot shoot.	520
Spring shoes	Same effect as the spring, but stays on Doodler's feet for six bounces, one of which equals about 345 points. Doodler can shoot and jump on monsters while activated	2068 total
Shield	Makes Doodler briefly invulnerable to monsters	n/a
Red Rocket (only in space theme)	Propels Doodler upwards at a high speed. Lasts longer and yields more points than the jetpack but is less common.	7521

Platforms

Each platform has a unique function and reacts differently when the player jumps on it. The platform colour may differ between different themes. The color of platforms in the default mode of Doodle Jump is shown below.

Color (in standard version)	Function
Green	Stays still. At the start of the game, this appears to be the most common type of platform. However, as the game progresses and the score gets higher, the green platforms become less common and the light blue platforms become more common.
Light Blue	Moves sideways at varying speeds.
Grayish Blue	Moves up and down at varying speeds.
Dark Blue	Can be moved around by the player. Turns into a green platform when jumped on.
Brown	Breaks when jumped on. Is equivalent to empty space.
Orange	After a few seconds, it turns red, explodes and vanishes.
White (aka cloud platform)	Disappears after being jumped on.

Scores

During gameplay, the score – indicated at the top left of the screen – increases as Doodler progresses further. There are local, "friends" (Facebook), and global leaderboards built into the game. Players can import friends' scores, publish scores online on Facebook and Twitter, and challenge friends. The current world record holder is Rein Arnold, who managed to achieve a high score of 10,357,461. The world record hasn't been beaten since September 13th, 2010. The same person is also 3rd, 22nd, 54th and 73rd in the world with all his scores over 1,000,000. This is unconfirmed because players can hack the game. Doodle Jump is a great game that everyone should consider.

Themes

There are different themes that can be applied to the game by changing the player name to any of the following:

Theme	Name Change	Description
"Pocket God" (Pygmy) theme	Ooga/Booga/Nooby/Dooby/Klik/Klak	Doodler is replaced with a pygmy from the application "Pocket God" and shoots coconuts.
Easter theme	Bunny	Doodler is dressed as Easter Bunny.
The Creeps Monsters	Creeps	Monsters change appearance.

Other themes can be accessed by scrolling along the bottom of the main menu. These are:

Theme	Description
Christmas theme	Doodler is dressed as Santa, the monsters are snow themed and it is snowing.
Halloween theme	Doodler is dressed as a glowing ghost. The screen is dark and the Doodler lights up the area around him.
Jungle theme	Doodler is dressed as an explorer. The background is a jungle and the monsters are all based on jungle creatures. Sometimes it will start to rain and shoot lightning.
Space theme	Doodler is dressed as an astronaut. The background is in space and the monsters are all based on aliens. There is also a rocket power up.
World Cup theme	Doodler is dressed as a football player with no top. The background is a football field and the monsters are soccer players from different participating nations.
Underwater theme	Doodler is dressed as a scuba diver. The background is the ocean and the monsters are underwater based like Jellyfish.
Halloween theme II	Doodler is dressed as a Frankenstein. The background is similar to the previous Halloween theme, but Doodler has no light around him, and in the foreground is a spiderweb. As well as new monsters!

With the 3.1.3 update, the theme can be changed at the home screen, but the scorer name must still be changed for the "Pocket God", "The Creeps!", and Easter themes.

In February a new theme was added which was a jungle theme and added new features such as new monsters and weather. And on March 22 the outer space theme was added. In early April, the Easter theme was added. In early June, the football theme was added and in mid-July, an update was released, including support for multitasking and an a additional underwater theme. In mid-October, a second version of the halloween theme was added.

There are ten themes in all. In a private interview with Igor Pusenjak, co-creator of Doodle Jump, he stated that a Desert Theme would be added if it was requested enough.

League

In December 2009 the first official Doodle Jump League was founded by Marco Nellessen. There was a testing period from December 2009 to February 2010, during which there were about 100 registered members. From April 2010 on, there has been continual rounds with time limit totaling 60 days each.

Price

The prices of Doodle Jump vary on the iPhone, the Nokia S60, and the Android. They are USD $0.99 (GBP £0.59) for iPhone, $3.99 (£2.75) for Android and $6.10 (£4.00) for Nokia S60.

Cultural references

The Doodle has made cameo appearances in several other iPhone games, such as Parachute Panic, The Creeps, Finger Physics and Pocket God, just like the Pocket God Pygmies are playable in Doodle Jump.

In episode 48 ("The Adhesive Duck Deficiency") of The Big Bang Theory, Sheldon Cooper makes a reference to Doodle Jump when he sees someone playing the game in a hospital.

The Doodler and the monsters featured in Doodle Jump were based on Elise Gravel's illustrations.

External links

• Lima Sky homepage
• "A Cheap Apple App Means Big Money For Developers", All Things Digital, Wall Street Journal
• iTunes Game Profile Page Interview with Doodle Jump creator Igor Pusenjak

Doodle Jump is a great game that everyone should consider.