Jetpack Joyride

The game uses a simple, one-touch system to control the jetpack; when the player presses anywhere on the touchscreen, the jetpack fires and Barry rises. When the player lets go, the jetpack turns off, and Barry falls. Because he is continually in motion, the player does not control his speed, simply his movement along the vertical axis. The objective of the game is to travel as far as possible, collect coins, and avoid hazards such as zappers, missiles and high-intensity laser beams. Contact with any of these obstacles would result in instant death, although Barry’s body will tumble and slide for an additional distance upon dying.

As the player travels, golden coloured “Spin Tokens” occasionally appear, which the player can collect. At the end of each run, these spin tokens are used in a slot machine (one token gives one spin) which can award the player various prizes, including coins, additional spin tokens, a head-start, a player revival, and explosives that can propel the player’s body for an additional distance after death. If the player does not wish to spin the slot, they can cash in all remaining spin tokens for 100 coins each. Rainbow-coloured boxes with gears can also be found throughout the game.

When touched by the player, these boxes provide Barry with a vehicle which lasts until he hits an obstacle. The available vehicles are “Bad As Hog” (a chopper motorcycle), “Mr. Cuddles” (a mecha dragon), “Crazy Freaking Teleporter” (a teleportation device), “Gravity Suit” (the suit used by Gravity Guy, enables gravitational reversing[13]), “Profit Bird” (a bird-shaped plane which ejects banknotes), “Lil Stomper” (a large mech suit), “Wave Rider” (a jet ski), and “Sleigh of Awesome” (a sleigh drawn by two reindeer). In later special events, six additional vehicles were made available: a “Hoverboard” and the “DeLorean Time Machine” (both from Back to the Future), the “Ecto-1” (from Ghostbusters), “Voyager Shuttlecraft” from (Star Trek), and “Cryo Thrusters” (a pair of ice skates).

Most of these vehicles are also available in Magnetic and Golden upgrades that can be purchased for coins in “The Stash” (the in-game store). In a later update, the “Strong Arm Machine” (S.A.M.) was introduced: the only obstacles faced while driving the S.A.M. are missiles, which the player must deflect with its arm. This vehicle, unlike the others, is only available after the player has collected three puzzle pieces, spelling “SAM”, in one day. If the player activates the S.A.M. five days in a row, a special costume is made available as a reward.