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You’ll play as either Jack or Jill, with your goal of saving your friend by making your way through 7 different worlds with 20 levels apiece. The controls are extremely basic, this is essentially a one-button runner, but that isn’t to say that once you get a few worlds in the difficulty won’t ramp up on you. Traps and enemies continue to get more varied and challenging as you go, though if anything the pace of it getting harder may be a bit too slow early on… the early levels almost get to be a grind though they do slowly get you accustomed to the mechanics so it’s not for a bad reason. As you complete worlds and collect coins you’ll also unlock a handful of mini games that throw a few different ideas at you as well as challenges if you’re feeling so inclined. The rewards for your efforts are generally pretty simple things like unlocking alternative color palettes but if you dig the gameplay it’s nice to have something to show for your efforts. I think where the divergence of opinion on this title will come into play is on the topic of its one-button controls mixed with the locked-in power and distance of your jumps. For me this was irritating. I understand that the levels were all designed with this in mind but having no influence over the length of the jump just made some situations unnecessarily awkward. Considering the abundance of other platformers on the system, including excellent ones in the same price range, aside from the sheer volume of content or perhaps a twinge of nostalgia I think Jack N’ Jill comes out somewhat favorably but is a bit more dull and lacking in creative level design than its competitors. If you’re pining for some play that skews further back specifically though it’s probably well worth your time.
Justin Nation, Score:Fair [6.5]