Not So Dynamite
Johnny Dynamite is a puzzle game made by Twofivesix, and published by Enjoy Gaming. Their games have had mixed to negative reception with one of their more known series being Pyramids. Johnny Dynamite doesn’t shoot across the sky and leave players in awe, awe, awe, but it isn’t a dud either.
The main objective of the game is to collect all of the dynamite sticks in a level within a set time limit. Johnny cannot jump, but he has a jet pack that allows him to fly for however long he wants. In addition Johnny has an unlimited access to dynamite that he can use to blow up his enemies. There are two modes, the main mode, which is misleadingly called story mode, and an edit mode, but it will be discussed later.
Johnny’s world tour of 54 short levels across areas like New York, Japan, and England has him having to avoid lasers and spikes, flipping switches, and using portals to complete levels. After the end of every level, the player is awarded with 1 to 3 stars depending on how fast he or she completed the level with 3 stars being the best.
The "Story" mode isn’t long, lasting only an hour. The stages rarely last longer than a minute and most take 20 or 30 seconds to complete. Trying to get 3 stars for every stage should add another hour. There is some fun to be had to find out the fastest pathway and then to practice it for the best shot at 3 stars.
Johnny Dynamite also has an overall sound design. However, in terms of story mode, there are a few things holding it back. The levels themselves are rather dull and uninteresting. The locations don’t do much to help them stand out, and one would be hard pressed to remember any stage. It isn’t terribly hard to create custom stages that can rival the story mode ones. In addition, more than a few levels feature narrow pathways that could make navigation awkward. By themselves, they are tolerable, but when an enemy or hazard is introduced, things can be a little bit troublesome. Not helping is that the hit detection can be unforgiving at times. There are moments where players will die from a spike or enemy that Johnny was close to, but not touching. Fortunately, due to the short length of the levels, one isn’t setback for too long.
Another problem is how easy the game is. The story mode levels don’t really get noticeably harder as things go on. The game is a cakewalk except for when one is looking for 3 stars. The game timer gives the players more than enough time to finish the level.
After one is done with the story mode, there is the edit mode. The edit mode allows players to create their own stages. The player can choose a location, how many and what enemies they want, how much dynamite they want and the color of the blocks. They can even change the timer to their liking. The editing is accessible and allows players to create a stage quickly without much hassle.
Players who want to be able to share and play other people’s levels ala Little Big Planet or Modnation Racers however are out of luck. Unlike those games, there isn’t any online component to Johnny Dynamite. In order to share with others, the player is forced to create their own QR code and manually upload it to social media in the hopes someone would play it. The lack of a proper share feature isn’t too surprising considering the budget, but it is disappointing for those who would want to get more bang for their buck.
The game’s presentation isn’t very good either. The only type of music in the game is a forgettable rock tune that does its job and nothing else. The game has a look of a flash game. The animations do their job decent enough, but the background is just boringly static. There are 3D effects, but they do not really impress.
The game is far from a total bomb when all things are considered. It has a sound design and there is fun to be had. However, the game doesn’t last long enough to leave much of an impression. The levels are boring, the only way to share them is through QR codes, and the presentation is unflattering. For players looking for something to kill time during a short car ride, this would be a nice enough game. Those looking for a boom will have to search for a better explosive.
5/10
Review Copy provided by: Enjoy Gaming