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double jump... next step in evolution?
lumberjackrock | 1:35 PM on 03.24.2008 8 comments


So I was thinking in class today - not about gendered communications, mind you - but about
the good ol' staple of platformers and various action/adventure game characters:
the Double Jump.

{Yes, that's Penny Arcade. Yes, I read it from time to time. No, I didn't have this in mind, nor
had I seen it, before I googled "double jump" to get an effective picture to add.
Cause we like pictures.}
Really, this perfectly illustrates what I was thinking. Now, in some games it makes sense.
Psychonauts gives you mental powers, and the double jump relates that - he has a little
mental bubble pop up underneath him. Castlevania gives you magic boots. Any game in space
gives you rocket boosters or rocket boots or whatever.
But why did developers decide this was so supa fresh? Was it to give their levels more space
within the constraints of not having a 3D world? Was it just to give their levels more
dimensional perspective?
I don't know. But I was trying to remember all the games that gave you double jump just
cause, and I really couldn't think of any, but I know they exist.
So, the question is this:
Do we still need the double jump? And if so, is it because we're just so used to having that as
an asset that games would be weird without it, or is it because developers don't feel like
making levels that are designed around using a well-timed single jump or box to crawl up on?
Really, it doesn't matter much. I never had a problem with the double jump, I was just bored
in class. Any thoughts?



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8 comments | showing # 1 to 8

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SanityMask's Destructoid Blog
because you have more control over your character when you have 2 little jumps than just one big jump. It's mainly related to level design and gameplay mechanics though. example, in a free roaming environment the programmers don't want you to reach "that special thing" until you have first unlocked "that ability"
twincannon's Destructoid Blog
hehe, ironically I was actually thinking about writing on article recently on game mechanics that have stood the test of time, with double jump being the obvious champion of such a list.

For such a silly, outlandish thing, it works incredibly well. I wonder which was the first game to feature it?
Tubatic's Destructoid Blog
original Metroid, I think was the first.
king3vbo's Destructoid Blog
Double Jump is badass. Always. I have no idea why.
Wexx's Destructoid Blog
I luvz the double jump.
BluFire's Destructoid Blog
I would rather have the double jump in real life rather than in video games.
TrailerParkJesus's Destructoid Blog
Double jump is sweet. I've never questioned it's existence before, but now that I do, it's seems like a cheap game mechanic introduced to compensate for level design.

But without any of it, those games wouldn't have been as fun, and it is something I've come to expect, so I say keep it.
Aziel13's Destructoid Blog
I can double jump


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 about me

I'm a long-time gamer from VA. I have 2 young daughters and holler in a rock and roll band.I play 360 almost exclusively now because of a lack of good PC and no desire to play the PS3 yet. I'm also working on my Communication Studies degree with a history minor. And bears.

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