Flight games might be my favorite kind of game for mobile devices.
The repetitive notions and addictive quality are a perfect match for the style of play I want to experience in bite-sized increments. I've been playing Jumping Finn Turbo—a flight game based on the Adventure Time series—obsessively these past few days. And the further I get to the distant goal of Ice King's castle, the more the game opens up to me, and the more my obsession grows.
Jumping Finn Turbo starts off slow, teaching you its mechanics and introducing the same playful animations and silly Jake and Finn relationship you might recognize from the show (albeit in a much more micro-sized manner). I was immediately attracted to the iOS game because it felt like a true Adventure Time experience.
And then I started to gain star points, which can be spent on upgrades to Jake's kick to Finn's butt that sends him launching through the air towards the Ice Kingdom. Then I unlocked Lady Rainicorn, who Finn can ride into the sky if he happens to crash into her. All sorts of other flight-boosting abilities can be unlocked, some that require tapping and others that immediately activate on collision. In the midst of kicking Finn's butt repeatedly as Jake's big fat foot cools down, you'll have to deal with flying penguins sent by Ice King to freeze you mid-flight.
At first, I wasn't sure if I wanted the game to give me more control over Finn's flight. I'd have to seemingly cross my fingers in the hopes that I'd crash into one of those boosters I'd unlocked or upgraded, but in time I saw just how much I could affect each flight by improving my skills through the practice the game requires of you, gaining more points in effect, and persevering. I was rewarded with not just more powerful upgrades to my boosts, but with a noticeable difference in their strength and influence to my flight. Gratifying puts it lightly. Once I really got into the groove of the game, I didn't want to stop until I unlocked and upgraded every single ability.
By the time the weekend rolled around, I spent almost all of my Sunday playing this addictive game (with Freaks and Geeks in the background—I'd never seen it before) marathoning it until every ability was unlocked. I haven't been that obsessed with a mobile game since Super Hexagon. And you know what? I'm still playing.
Read it and weep, my friends. That's my glorious high score (you're looking at that flagged number which indicates the distance I reached before plummeting to my cartoon-approved death).
Jumping Finn Turbo [iTunes, $1.99]