Growing up mostly in the 1990s, I played more than enough 2D platform games. Given that decades of experience, it’s no surprise that I consider myself a relatively strong platformer. Despite the precise controls, Mr. Run and Jump’s challenging neon-colored obstacle courses and hard-to-reach collectibles made me question my skills at every step.
Originally developed as a handcrafted Atari 2600 game, Mr. Run and Jump errs on the side of simplicity with its gameplay. The protagonist, also called Mr. Run and Jump, can perform double, long and high jumps; roll into a ball; wall jump; and even lunge forward in mid-air. This unassuming train set works together, allowing players to pull off intricate combinations while navigating the game’s many difficult rooms.
As I ventured deeper into the game’s 20-level main campaign, I quickly began combining these traversal options to achieve impressive results. With tight control, I was able to roll under an obstacle and instantly high jump into a wall jump, lunge forward to gain extra distance and avoid an obstacle, and use my double jump to land on a narrow platform. When those moments happen, the experience is truly immersive and I feel unstoppable. But these moments of triumph come at a price.
Getting far in each multi-room stage requires a keen mastery of every move in the hero’s arsenal. As my skills developed, so did the hardships. The initial walls of spikes and predictable enemies quickly gave way to obstacles deliberately designed to trip you up. In later worlds, I’ve encountered enemies that charge forward the moment you land, mosquitoes that move in patterns at lightning speed, and even predators that pose as spikes stuck into the ground and jump out to eat you if you get too close. These enemies often have predictable patterns, and learning how each one interacts with you is important, especially in the game’s optional challenge rooms.
With that ever-expanding enemy gallery and the fact that you die in one hit, Mr. Run and Jump is asking a lot of you. It requires lightning-fast reflexes, keen improvisational skills, and the patience of a saint. In some rooms I scratched my head and wondered how I could get through the various obstacles unscathed. If you take a hit, you’ll immediately respawn at the beginning of the room. In some of the longer rooms, I grunted and cursed as I failed near completion.
Instead of a boss fight at the end of each world, you’ll instead have to traverse The Void, a series of platforming challenges with an ever-tightening wall that ensures you don’t have much time to think about how to navigate the sequences. These Void stages bring together all the elements of the world up to that point to deliver the biggest adrenaline rushes of the entire game. While they often resort to trial and error rather than intentional platforming due to their rushed nature, mastering these fast-paced levels has always thrilled me.
After several failed attempts in any room, the game gives you an optional temporary invincibility power-up or checkpoint in the middle of the room to help you break free, but this only made me more determined to go it alone and experience the overwhelming thrill of my accomplishment. Choosing to accept the help will disable the collectibles needed to unlock the final challenge: the insanely difficult five-tiered Dark World, which takes every aspect of the experience to the next level.
Mr. Run and Jump may look humble at first, but the challenges that await will have you screaming in frustration until you scream in triumph. Although the trial-and-error style of each difficult room sometimes tired me, after each success I couldn’t wait to see what hurdles I had to overcome next.
