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Johnny Platform Saves Xmas! review

Johnny Platform returns with his sequel to the popular Johnny Platform’s Biscuit Romp, can he save Christmas and get extra roast potatoes or will he be left with a bowl of Brussels sprouts? Read on to find out.

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The aim of the game is simple, work your way through 100 levels of platform and puzzle based challenges and save Christmas. The initial levels introduce you to the game with simple level designs to teach you the new skills Johnny has learnt since his original outing. Amongst the new moves Johnny can now perform are rolling moves which allow you to avoid gaps in the platforms, adding a jump at the end of the roll to reach platforms you would not normally be able to reach with a standard jump. Johnny can also use the roll when landing on enemies to bypass obstacles. The new skills are a welcome addition and add more depth to the game.

Once you have completed the first dozen or so levels the level designs start to increase in complexity and provide more of a challenge. They can require good old fashioned platform and enemy timed jumps, puzzle solving such as rolling a bomb on to a fire then onto a destructible block or quick reflexes jumping on Christmas crackers that explode shortly after being jumped on. The level themes change throughout the game and include deserts, mountains and the ever fun ice levels with sliding platforms to make things even trickier!

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To complete a level you will usually be required to kill all the enemies on screen to open the exit. There are a few types of enemies such as walking guards on platforms and static enemies that fire weapons whose bullets must be dodged. The enemies usually provide much of the challenge on the levels and are strategically placed to make things difficult for Johnny, there are occasional times when bullets from multiple enemies make it near impossible to bypass as they go a little out of sync but some patience will usually reward you with a safe gap to get through them once a few bullets have passed.

Along the way you must collect cups of coffee which when a certain number are collected gains you an extra life. You should make an effort to collect them as the game only saves your progress every five levels. If you run out of lives on level 24 for example you will restart at level 20, some levels can be very tricky and easily cost you a few lives. The level saving every five levels seems fair and while it can be annoying getting stuck on a level before the save it does add to the challenge to perfect your platforming skills.

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Graphically the game looks fine, they suit the theme and are detailed to give a cartoon feel to them. As mentioned there is a variety of locations to play which all look good and keeps the game fresh. I did think at times some more Christmas stuff could have been added to keep with the theme of the game but upon reflection this means I wont be hearing jingle bells in the summer! Also it is worth pointing out is that the game now has full screen graphics, the original used up 1/3 of the screen which seemed a waste, the full screen graphics looks much better and easier on the eye.

Sound effects are used very well with a range of humorous spoken phrases for Johnny, some of them had me cracking up laughing such as Pigs in blankets (mini sausages with bacon wrapped around them) being said during the game. The phrases are just so funny it really adds to the game and cheers you up when you have died several times in a row trying to complete a level!

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Fans of Biscuit Romp will have probably already purchased this game as it is much the same as with some new skills and gameplay elements added. This is no bad thing as Biscuit Romp was great and the sequel improves in all the right places and looses nothing from the original. The Christmas theme does not get in the way of the game too much so you can play this all year round without feeling too silly. And this is exactly what you will be doing as there is plenty of game, not just for Christmas there’s enough leftovers to last well into the New Year. Johnny Platform Saves Xmas! gets two thumbs up from me.

Johnny Platform Saves Xmas! costs 240 :MSPoints: and more information as well as the trial and full versions of the game can be found on the Marketplace.

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