Jump Step Step

In Brief

Jump Step Step is a game with bonsai trees, a crazy robot and a broken rocket. Bob is short-circuited and goes mental. Please send him a series of moves to guide him back to his ship. Without your help Bob will probably tell himself to step on a spike and die. Also check out the end of my review for links to the pirate based Assassins Creed IV: Black Flag, which is free from Ubisoft until Dec 18th, plus Plants vs. Zombies is also still free from Origin.

Before you decide to enter this competition giveaway for a chance to win one of the 20 keys for the Steam game 'Jump Step Step' ; please do check out the in-game videos of gameplay (spoiler alert) HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE (Russian), HERE, HERE and HERE.

Please only post comments about today's game giveaway; other comments either inappropriate, or comments with only one or a few words; for example vg, good, thank you, TY, bad, rubbish, this game is ****** etc , or if the comment has nothing to do with today's game or is complaining (send your complaints to the giveaway team via the contact form that I've linked to below), they may be deleted at the moderator or administrators discretion; however, a little light banter among community members/friends and with the moderator to keep this a friendly place to visit is acceptable and welcomed. All comments not specifically about today's game giveaway will be judged by the moderator and if deemed inappropriate, will be deleted and usually with no explanation. Please see the moderation policy HERE for details about posting comments.

Installation:

The installation is via the Steam client. If you win a key but aren't familiar with activating a Steam game, go to the top menu and select Games. From the drop down menu select 'Activate a Product on Steam'. The game will then be available to install on any computer you install the Steam client on and sign in using your Steam account. If you're new to Steam, you can download the Steam client HERE and create a Steam account HERE. Once the key has been added to your account it will be permanantely tied to that account and cannot be changed.

Introduction:

Inspired by the "BIG TRAK" toy the developer created a funny programming game (coding game) with bonsai trees a mental robot and a broken rocket. Bob (a bot ) has just woken up on a lost planet. He lost all of his limbs somehow, and has no idea of what happened. He is a little bit crazy, but he can communicate with you.. You don't have much clue of what to do either, but since you are a little bit smarter than Bob, you are in charge.

At the start of the game, Bob's battery is now nearly empty. Coincidentally there is battery pack just up the road ahead. If he goes and gets it himself, he will trip over and fall down the pit. Your first task is to look at the path and send him instructions on how to get there. Bob is very happy you are going on this adventure with him because you will help him find his lost limbs which are currently scattered around, and also plenty of oil tins . You are admired for your ingenuity in guiding Bob through this difficult journey. Not everything will be easy-going though. Bob will find himself in challenging situations and you both will need to work hard for him to get back.

Edited reference accessed HERE. 10th December 2017

The Game:

Review 1:

As with most puzzlers, Jump, Step, Step promises to be a relaxing experience and one that is full of humour. It tells the tale of Bob, a small robot who has short circuited and gone mental – much like me after trying to solve some of these puzzles. It is up to you to help him retrieve numerous body parts and bits for a broken spaceship, to discover the truth behind the entire tale.

But you won’t ever find yourself controlling Bob directly. Instead, the basic mechanics of Jump, Step, Step revolve around the same coding system that you may have enjoyed as a kid, when that Big Trak turned up in your Christmas stash. You are basically left to input a chain of commands, from which Bob will go about his business. You’ll need to let him know exactly how many steps to move forward, exactly when to turn 90 degrees, exactly when to jump and exactly when to pick up and drop obstacles that are in his way. If you are an 80’s kid who grew up with bedroom coding, and used to use your Trak in order to transport dirty plates from your bedroom, then you’ll get the grasp of things pretty quickly. But if you’re not, then I’m afraid you may just come unstuck multiple times.

For a sequence to be successful, Bob will have to end up by meeting an objective, whether that be finding a piece of his scattered body, or hitting a checkpoint. If he doesn’t, then he’ll be whisked back to his starting point as you go in search of the solution. If you get things wrong, then Bob will fall to his death, before magically reappearing in the same spot, prepared to go through it all again. He’s a bit of a sucker for punishment is old Bob, and will thankfully let you use him as a test run dummy an infinite amount of times.

All is well and good initially, and the first few puzzling aspects are decent enough, as you direct your robot friend along tight and twisting paths. But the further you get into the slow paced adventure, the more commands you’ll get at your disposal… and the more confusing everything will become. These include the likes of commanding Bob to stop and wait until it is safe to move forward, and getting him to check his direction before executing an altogether more complex and appropriate sequence. Full on loops in code, utilised by a marking system, will need a thorough understanding of the GOTO command and more. The problem is, these, when combined with randomly moving level blocks, are all super confusing to anyone who doesn’t work in the programming sector on a day-to-day basis. With no proper tutorial to walk you through their use, chances are you’ll be left utterly frustrated.

Add in the limited command structure, seeing you sometimes run out of options before Bob has hardly moved, and those loops can, in theory, get so complicated you’ll be left clueless as to what they really do. It is about then when you’ll wish back to the easy days of that Big Trak, as you are left to quickly see why Jump, Step, Step ends up crossing the line from relaxing to annoying more times than you would wish.

Thankfully, each and every puzzle is pretty short in length, so should you manage to luck your way through things – perhaps even just sitting back and randomly dropping command bombs in the hope they will work – you will at least be safe in the knowledge that you’ll not have to spend too long with Bob. But my god, should you not be able to muddle your way through, you’ll find yourself sat wondering where on earth this game is going to take you next. Deep dark puzzle filled closed holes of shame aren’t a nice place to be.

Graphically things are pretty basic with Jump, Step, Step as the isometric camera system in play does the job intended of it, but never allows things to get any easier. Each visual aspect is well defined, and there is most definitely plenty of colour included to stop this being a completely drab affair. But all too often you either can’t see exactly which direction your little robot friend is facing, ensuring that multiple test runs are needed for even the most basic puzzles, or the environmental obstacles that have been chosen to create a more puzzling aspect just get in the way of the all-seeing eye. The triggers will allow you to rotate your screen, to an extent, but it can never be locked in place and will constantly roll back to default once you let go. Perhaps this is for the best as even at the best of times, you’re left to wonder what the check direction command is going to do, but I’d much rather have had the option to twist the camera orientation to my own liking.

The audio never wows either, and comes with nothing short of basic robotic beeps, bops and general movement sounds. The backing soundtrack that accompanies your puzzling struggles is pleasant however – but you may just find yourself wanting to switch it off before it worms its way into your head.

Perhaps I’m being a little harsh on the game, and if it was just a couple of quid, then it would be much easier to recommend. What is included though really warrants no more than a few pennies because it is only when you do manage to finally fire off a decent sequence of commands Bob’s way, that things are good. But the overall disappointment that Bob’s tale brings unfortunately doesn’t make up for the asking price. Perhaps if the command structure was laid out less confusingly, or if the pidgin English text help that is included was of a higher quality then things could have been preferable. Hell, it would even be nice if the ‘collapsible’ leaderboard was actually a worthwhile addition. But it isn’t, and as it stands I’m struggling to see how it is worth spending too much of your time in order to help Bob out. In fact, there are too many grievances and annoyances included to really warrant the cheap time you’ll get to spend with the strange command ‘em up puzzler that is Jump, Step, Step.

See, at the end of the day, as with the vast majority of gamers, I don’t mind a good puzzler. But it’s got to bring a bit of fun to the table at the same time. Jump, Step, Step struggles in that department.

Edited reference accessed HERE. Originally posted by Neil Watton 10th aug 2017. Edited and reposted by Whiterabbit-uk 10th December2017

Review 2:

Well, well, well. Where do I start? This has got to be one of the most frustrating and disappointing games I have ever played. This is a PEGI 3 rated game and there is no way on this universe a 3 year old can play this game, hell unless you are really smart or have a lot of time to waste then buckle up, because Jump Step Step will be impossible to complete.

Released just a few days ago on the 11th August 2017, Jump Step Step was developed by Phung games and published by Thunder Cloud Studios. To be fair the graphics are pretty decent and the storyline is borderline okay but that is where the “goodness” ends.

You start Jump Step Step as the main character Bob. Bob Is a short circuit robot who has lost his limbs and your first task is to retrieve your legs so you can get around easier. As you progress through the different stages you come across a spaceship. Yes it’s Bobs and he needs to get home. I enjoyed the first few levels of the game as I guided Bob around the dense jungle, but it got far too intense and difficult.

You don’t control Bob directly, not until after you complete the game once anyway. You have to pick special commands to move Bob forward. This is where it gets really complicated. There are basic selection movements turn right, turn left, forward and jump, sounds simple enough and at first it is. But then as you progress other options become available like wait one second, which is used for dodging spikes, wait to move safely, which is for crossing moving platforms. After that comes the really messy part, you can create loops by clicking on markers, these are for repeating the same movement over and over. You can also chose the check direction option which can turn into a very lethal combination of 1000s of different combinations.

Jump Step Step is meant to be a “relaxing” and “Funny” puzzle game but I did not find it relaxing at all, if you do get stuck you can play, pause, stop and delete to help you decide what to do next along the way. Which really comes in handy for when you use repeats, loops, switches and branches. There are other things Bob can learn like punching and picking things up which help along the way.

I really didn’t enjoy Jump Step Step. For me, it got far too complicated far too quickly and I`d probably never play this again, but there are some positives as I mentioned earlier the graphics are actually quite good and makes for a peaceful scenic environment and the music and sound effects really help the story unfold, there are a few witty remarks which will make you chuckle and the story is actually quite decent too.

If on the other hand you really like puzzle games then you`re going to love Jump Step Step. It will test every single inch of you. If you can run programmes at a blink of an eye there is something for you clever folk to try and achieve. That is an Active leader board where you can challenge yourself against the best and get your name up their. It does have a decent price tag and is well worth it for the challenge it gives. Good luck all.

Edited reference accessed HERE. Originally posted by Mike Whitley on 17th Aug 2017 . Reposted by Whiterabbit-uk 10th December 2017.

Other Reviews and Videos of Jump Step Step:

You can see some reviews from the Steam community for Jump Step Step HERE. There are several in-game videos of game play HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE (Russian), HERE, HERE and HERE.

Conclusion:

Overall I found this a frustrating game to play. With no mouse, keyboard or handset control over the robot, only programming several steps at a time, which of you got one step wrong it would restart, this game became very frustrating soon into the second puzzle. That said, you can buy a dlc pack for £0.79/$0.99 that gives you direct control of the robot once you've played through the game once. That said, if you like puzzle games you may like this. The graphics are excellent. Personallly I can't give this more than a 6 out of 10 for game play. Thanks to the developer for the Steam key. appreciated.

Suggestions:

If you win a key and once you've had an opportunity to play Star Vikings Forever ‘PLEASE’ take a few moments to give some positive or negative feedback; for example, what you liked or disliked about the game, or how it could be improved. If you don't like the genre at all, please explain why and if any, what improvements would change your mind? Once the competition is over, you can access the comments section by going to the game giveaways home page, then scroll to the bottom of the page where it says Archives and select the date the giveaway was live (giveaway days are in bold type). This will open up the appropriate page for you to post your comment or review (Mon 6th Nov). Alternatively, you can Google the name of the game and include Gamegiveawayoftheday in the search. This should give you a list of links to when this game was given away.

If you miss the competition or fail to win a key for ’Jump Step Step’ you can always get the game via Steam HERE for £3.99/$4.99

Problems getting the game to work:

If you're having problems installing or activating or getting ’Jump Step Step’ to work please visit the FAQ's Thread HERE and read through the communities comments in case someone has already posted a fix, or alternatively visit the Steam forums.

If, for any reason you want to contact the giveaway team, for example, you have a game to offer the community, or are unable to complete all the competition requirements that the FAQ's thread or these comments don't cover or solve you can do so HERE

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank the developers ‘Konstructors’ for giving away their game, and also to the game giveaway team, as always, for securing other ways to get free games.

Useful Information not related to today's game giveaway:

If ’.Jump Step Step’ doesn't interest you, but you still hanker for something new to play, you'll find details of some game deals whether they be sale items, indie bundles or games being given away for free HERE (I've not updated the thread in a while, but most of the links still take you to the latest deals).

The rest of the information that used to be posted in the game review can be found in the forums HERE. Finally, check out Delenns threads for details of other free games and offers HERE and eslewhere in the game discussion forums HERE, (usually on the first page of the game discussion forums).

The latest Origin giveaway is Plants vs. Zombies Game of the Year Edition. which you can find HERE. If you love Tower Defense, or arcade games in general, this is a fabulous game. It's not like your typical TD game. It's easy to pick up, but hard to stop playing. A fantastic and well balanced arcade game, with brilliant game play and in my opinion one of the best of its kind. You can see a couple of game play videos HERE and HERE. Also available from Ubisoft for the next week is Assassins Creed IV: Black Flag HERE, a pirate based Assassins Creed game with lots of sailing ships etc. You can see a couple of game play videos HERE and HERE. I highly recommend both games, especially Assassins Creed. Game Sessions are giving away Worms Reloaded HERE for free until the 28th December. Reminds me a little of that freeware game Scorched 3d (based on the DOS game Scorched Earth) and which you can get HERE. Grim Fangango is free for a day only (13th to 14th Dec 17) from GOG HERE.