Magikarp has always been a bit of a sad Pokemon. They’re almost completely useless, although they do redeem themselves when they evolve into Gyarados. However, that has now changed and Magikarp gets its own game called Magikarp Jump. It is free for Android and iOS. The point of the game is to raise a Magikarp and win jumping contests. The higher a Magikarp’s JP (Jump Points), the higher they are able to jump in the air. There are jumping leagues full of battles to win against other trainers.

To begin, the game gives you an introduction and takes you to catching your first Magikarp. Once caught, it will stay in your pond, which can be decorated. Food will fall into the water and you can tap on one to get your Magikarp to eat it. This will increase it’s JP, but you can also train it. Training doesn’t require input from the player, Magikarp will train on its own.

There are also other Pokemon in the game, which often offer support. You can obtain some by playing, but you can also use some of the game’s currency to buy new ones. I have a Pikachu and Piplup that I acquired by progressing through the game. I also have a Litten that I bought with in-game currency. When they get an exclamation mark above their head, I can click on them to get various bonuses. They also appear during jump battles and provide additional support.

Each Magikarp is limited by how high it can level up. Your first one can only get to level 11 or so. As you progress in the game and gain experience, your character’s rank will go up, which will allow you to catch Magikarp that can level up higher. Their higher levels allow them to have more JP. Once you reach a Magikarp’s max level, you’ll need to finish a league and (win or lose), your Magikarp will retire afterwards. Then, the game lets you catch another one.

There are a variety of random encounters that can occur. Some of them require your input. In one, for instance, you see something shiny and have to decide whether to get it or leave it alone. If you get it, it could be something valuable, like a diamond, or a piece of glass, which will take away some of your JP. I was told, by a friend, to be careful of a certain random encounter in which your Magikarp can be taken away by a Pidgey.

As with most free games, you can spend real world money to buy in-game items or currency. Perhaps this would help reduce the amount of time you have to wait for your training sessions to refill. I’ve only just begun, but so far I don’t see a real need to spend any real money on the game. It does seem kind of cool, so I recommend checking it out, if you like Pokemon.

A news source: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/a-new-pokemon-game-is-out-now-for-mobile/1100-6450325/

jdodson   Admin wrote on 06/13/2017 at 04:49am

So i've played this a bit and it's fun but not much more than that.

I sort of think of this game as a "clicker" kind of game but instead of clicking you wait for your ability to collect food and train your Magikarp. It's more like a clicker game in that when you Magikarp looses you get a new one and start over again and then if you upgraded you ability to gain EXP from food and training you can level faster.

I haven't gone too far with the game because i'm not sure there is much compelling me too but it's nice to see smaller games from Nintendo and this seems right at home on the iPhone.

Azurephile   Super Member   Post Author wrote on 06/13/2017 at 05:14am

Yeah, you made a good point in the second paragraph. I still play daily. I have quite a bit of things. I've caught rare Magikarp, the gold one and the pink one.

There are plenty of things going on with the game. Often after training you'll run into an event and have to choose what to do. In one case, it looks like a Pokeball. If you grab it, it could be coins, or a Voltorb, which will kill your Magikarp. There's also a tree of fruit, but if you try to get it, you're likely to see a Pidgeotto take your Magikarp away.

Travis   Admin wrote on 06/13/2017 at 01:34pm

Agreed Jon. I tried this out and kinda fell into the same spot. I didn't really know how to put it but you hit it on the head: It feels like a clicker. Those random events that you run into are interesting because they distract you from the core gameplay, which is good because there's not a lot going on. You're kinda watching the game happen and pushing a button to make sure it keeps happening until those gambling elements present themselves.

But then the App Store reviews are insanely high so I think it's just that this is not my type of game.

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