Junk Jack

Junk Jack is a 2011 video game released on iOS platforms and lately for computers. A sequel entitled Junk Jack X was developed by Pixbits and released on August 29, 2013. The series is reminiscent of Minecraft and Terraria.

Gameplay

Junk Jack is a 2D sandbox game where the player collects resources and aims to explore and survive in a randomly generated environment full of treasures and hidden secrets, filled with biomes on the surface and underground.^[1]

Plot

Like all sandbox games, the game has no clear objectives and has no concrete plot; the player creates their own storyline based on their individual experience.

Development

The developer and coder is Jacopo Santoni (Jack), and the graphics/sfx artist is Silvio Eusebio (XsX). The pair met on multiplayer in Minecraft, and decided to collaborate on a similar game for the iPhone; at that point there were no iOS sandbox games.^[2]

Critical reception

Junk Jack

The game has a Metacritic rating of 85% based on 11 critic reviews.^[1]

Slide to Play described the game as fun and addictive,^[3] while 148Apps deemed it a must-own for lovers of the sandbox-crafting genre.^[4] Pocket Gamer noted that it had a high learning curve, but that it was enjoyable once the player eased into it.^[5] Multiplayer.it even said it was way better than Minecraft: Pocket Edition. ^[6]

Junk Jack X

The game has a Metacritic rating of 83% based on 7 critic reviews.^[7]

Touch Arcade noted that it added new features to the sandbox, and built upon its prequels success, without drastically reinventing the genre.^[8] Pocket Gamer reasoned that the game wouldn't convert non-believers to the genre.^[9] Gamezebo appreciated the extra easing-in the game does to help keep players who may have left Junk Jack due to frustration over difficulty.^[10]

At April 27:th, Pixbits released Junk Jack x for steam, but now back at the original title "Junk Jack".

References