Jack Lumber

Last updated
Jack Lumber
Jack Lumber logo.png
Developer(s) Owlchemy Labs
Publisher(s) Sega (iOS)
Owlchemy Labs (Win, Mac, Lin, Droid) [1]
Platform(s) iOS
Microsoft Windows
OS X
Linux
Android
Windows Phone
ReleaseiOS
16 August 2012
Windows, OS X, Linux
30 April 2013
Android
19 July 2013
Windows Phone
16 July 2014
Genre(s) Arcade, action
Mode(s) Single-player

Jack Lumber is a video game developed by Owlchemy Labs. [2] [3] [4] The iOS version was the first game published by Sega's third-party publishing program Sega Alliance. [5] [6]

Contents

In addition to mobile stores, the game is also available on Steam. This version was released independent of Sega because, according to Owlchemy Labs founder Alex Schwartz, "[W]orking with publishers has been a big experiment, and so far it hasn’t been financially successful for Owlchemy." There are also plans to release it on other platforms that "don’t involve a publisher." [7]

Plot

At the beginning of the game, a cutscene shows the death of lumberjack protagonist Jack Lumber's grandma when an evil tree falls on her. Jack is outraged, and goes on a rampage, cutting down every tree he sees on his way to fight the evil tree and keeping the animals he comes across in his cabin. The story progresses through letters from a competing lumberjack and a park ranger. [8]

Gameplay

The game is a slicing game along the lines of Fruit Ninja , [3] but according to Eli Hodapp of Touch Arcade, "it feels like the game is only merely inspired by the Fruit Ninja mechanic instead of just falling in line with other re-skins and clones". [9] In order to avenge Jack's grandma, the player must slice logs that fly across the screen longways, and sometimes with additional restrictions like multiple required swipes or logs you can only cut in one direction. When the player begins a swipe, the logs slow to "Lumbertime" (extreme slowdown) and a countdown timer begins. The player must slice all the logs correctly before the time runs out. Bonus points are awarded for special slices such as straight shots and syrup bottles, and woodland animals sometimes show up that need to be avoided. [2] [8] [10] [11]

Like many mobile games, unlockables abound and in-app purchases are available. Beards increase the difficulty but give higher point values, syrup gives the player certain one-time perks like the ability to redo a cut, and paintings provide decoration in Jack's cabin. [4] Optional side missions are assigned three at a time and give small bonuses of logs, the in-game currency. Completing the main game will unlock "Infinitree" mode, a mode with endless logs to cut and three lives. [8]

Reception

Polyon's Chris Plante titled his review "Axe-identally in love" and concluded by saying "Jack Lumber is quirky, stylized, and unlike anything on iOS." [4] David Flodine of AppSpy said that it's "kinda like Fruit Ninja with bullet time". [10] To promote the game, the developers showed it off at the 2012 World Lumberjack Championships. [9]

Related Research Articles

<i>Frogger</i> 1981 video game

Frogger is a 1981 arcade action game developed by Konami and manufactured by Sega. In North America, it was released by Sega/Gremlin. The object of the game is to direct a series of frogs to their homes by crossing a busy road and a hazardous river.

<i>Sonic Jump</i> 2005 vertical platform video game

Sonic Jump is a vertical platform game developed by Hardlight and published by Sega for iOS and Android. On its original release, the app was released in Japan on February 21, 2005, and then North America USA, South America, resume Asia, Africa, and Europe UK worldwide in April 2007. It was then remade and released worldwide on iOS as a paid download on 18 October 2012, and then released for Android on 21 December 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NaturalMotion</span> British video game developer

NaturalMotion is a British video game development company with development offices in London, Brighton and Birmingham. Founded in November 2001 as a spin-out company from Oxford University, NaturalMotion specialises in creating animation technology for the game and film industries. In January 2014, NaturalMotion was acquired by Zynga for US$527 million.

<i>Infinity Blade</i> 2010 video game

Infinity Blade is an action role-playing game developed by Chair Entertainment and Epic Games and released through the Apple App Store on December 9, 2010. It was the first iOS video game to run on the Unreal Engine. In the game, the unnamed player character fights a series of one-on-one battles in a derelict castle to face the immortal God King. When in battle, players swipe the screen to attack and parry, and tap the screen to dodge and block enemy attacks. Upon defeat, the player restarts the game as the character's descendant with the same items and experience level.

<i>Fruit Ninja</i> 2010 video game

Fruit Ninja is a video game developed by Halfbrick. It was released April 21, 2010 for iPod Touch and iPhone devices, July 12, 2010 for the iPad, September 17, 2010 for Android OS devices. It was released for Windows Phone, on December 22, 2010. Also, in March 2011, versions for Samsung's Bada and Nokia's Symbian began to be distributed on their respective application channels. Just prior to E3 2011 Fruit Ninja Kinect, which utilizes the Kinect peripheral, was released for the Xbox 360 on August 10, 2011. Fruit Ninja was also released for Windows 8, on June 7, 2012. Versions with alternative names exist, such as Fruit Ninja HD on the iPad, Fruit Ninja THD for Nvidia Tegra 2–based Android devices, Fruit Ninja VR for HTC Vive and PlayStation 4, and an arcade version called Fruit Ninja FX. In the game, the player must slice fruit that is thrown into the air by swiping the device's touch screen with their finger(s) or in the case of the Xbox 360 version, the player's arms and hands, and must not slice bombs. It features multiple gameplay modes, leaderboards and multiplayer.

Halfbrick Studios Pty Ltd is an Australian video game developer based in Brisbane. The company primarily worked on licensed games until 2008. The company is best known for Fruit Ninja (2010) and Jetpack Joyride (2011). They create games for Windos, Xbox, PlayStation, Windos Phone, Android and iOS.

<i>Puss in Boots</i> (video game) 2011 video game

Puss in Boots is an action game based on the film of the same name. It was developed by Blitz Games, and released by THQ for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii and Nintendo DS. It features support for Kinect and PlayStation Move on the respective platforms. It was released on October 25, 2011 in North America and on December 2, 2011 in Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Owlchemy Labs</span> American video game developer

Owlchemy Labs is a video game developer based in Austin, Texas. The company was founded in 2010 by Worcester Polytechnic Institute graduate Alex Schwartz. Owlchemy is best known for its virtual reality video games Job Simulator and Rick and Morty Simulator: Virtual Rick-ality. In May 2017, the studio was acquired by Google.

<i>Jetpack Joyride</i> 2011 endless runner video game

Jetpack Joyride is a 2011 side-scrolling endless runner action video game created by Halfbrick Studios. It was released for iOS devices on the App Store on September 1, 2011 and has been ported to other systems. It was released online as a Flash version on May 11, 2012; on Android on September 28; on PlayStation Portable on November 20 in North America and November 21 in Europe; on BlackBerry PlayBook on December 13, 2012; on PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita on December 21 in Europe and December 31 in North America; on BlackBerry 10 on March 6, 2013; and on Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8 on June 5. It was also released on PlayStation 4 on April 26, 2016.

<i>Sonic Dash</i> 2013 video game

Sonic Dash is a 2013 endless runner mobile game developed by Hardlight and published by Japanese game studio Sega. It is Hardlight's second Sonic the Hedgehog game, the first being 2012's Sonic Jump. The game was released in March 2013 for iOS, November 2013 for Android, and December 2014 for Windows Phone and Windows, along with an arcade release in November 2015 as Sonic Dash Extreme. It was initially released as a paid application, but was made free-to-play a month after its iOS release.

<i>Ridiculous Fishing</i> Mobile fishing video game, 2013

Ridiculous Fishing is a mobile fishing video game where players use motion and touch controls to catch fish and subsequently shoot them out of the sky for cash. The game is known for its developers' battle against a cloned version of their game released by another company. The game was developed and published by Vlambeer—Rami Ismail and Jan Willem Nijman—and released for iOS on March 13, 2013, and later that year for Android.

<i>Fruit Ninja: Puss in Boots</i> 2011 video game

Fruit Ninja: Puss in Boots is a video game developed and published by Halfbrick Studios. A spin-off from the highly successful Fruit Ninja, it is also a crossover of the 2011 animated film Puss in Boots. The game was released on October 20, 2011.

<i>Shadow Blade</i> 2014 video game

Shadow Blade is a fast-paced ninja platforming game for iOS, Android and Ouya, from developer Dead Mage. It features intuitive touch controls and an array of weapons and challenging levels. There is also a PC version of this game called Shadow Blade: Reload that is enhanced for PC and PlayStation 4 gamers, with a level editor and more levels.

Crazy Taxi: City Rush is a free-to-play racing video game developed by Hardlight and published by Sega for iOS and Android.

<i>Tony Hawks Shred Session</i> 2014 video game

Tony Hawk's Shred Session is a cancelled endless runner sports video game developed by Big Bit and published by Activision. A free-to-play game for iOS and Android mobile phones, it was to be the first game in the Tony Hawk's franchise created specifically for the platform.

<i>Dyscourse</i> 2015 video game

Dyscourse is a survival adventure video game developed and published by Owlchemy Labs. It was released on March 25, 2015 for Windows, OS X, and Linux. The game has he player take on the role of Rita, a barista stuck on a desert island after a plane crash. Along with five others, Rita has to lead the group to survive. The game was funded by a Kickstarter campaign, raising over $40,000 from 1,816 backers. Inspirations for the video game are The Oregon Trail, tabletop role-playing game Werewolf: The Apocalypse, and television series Lost.

TouchArcade is a mobile video game website that launched in 2008. Arnold Kim of MacRumors worked on the site and its editor-in-chief was Eli Hodapp from 2009 to 2019.

Retro Engine Multiplatform game engine

The Retro Engine is a multiplatform game engine developed by Australian programmer Christian Whitehead, best known for its use in Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog series.

Apple Arcade is a video game subscription service offered by Apple Inc. It is available through a dedicated tab of the App Store on devices running iOS 13, tvOS 13, iPadOS 13, and macOS Catalina or later. The service launched on September 19, 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hardlight</span> British mobile game developer owned by Sega

Hardlight is a British video game developer founded by Sega and based in Leamington Spa, England. Revealed in January 2012, it is focused on mobile games for smartphones and has become one of Sega's five studios under Sega Europe.

References

  1. ↑ "Jack Lumber - Overview". AllGame. Archived from the original on 1 December 2014. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 Davis, Justin (22 August 2012). "Jack Lumber Review". IGN . Retrieved 12 November 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 Faciane, Alex (19 September 2012). "Jack Lumber (iOS) Review". GameZone Next. Retrieved 12 November 2014.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Plante, Chris (16 August 2012). "Jack Lumber (iOS) review: Axe-identally in love". Vox Media. Retrieved 12 November 2014.
  5. 1 2 Dotson, Carter (21 August 2012). "Jack Lumber Review". Steel Media Ventures. Retrieved 12 November 2014.
  6. ↑ Hillier, Brenna (17 August 2012). "Sega Alliance launched as new indie publishing scheme". vg247. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
  7. ↑ Carmichael, Stephanie (30 April 2013). "Mobile game Jack Lumber now chopping on Steam". GameZone. GameZone Next. Retrieved 14 August 2015.
  8. 1 2 3 Acavedo, Paul (16 July 2014). "Jack Lumber review—Easily the best lumberjack game on Windows Phone". Mobile Nations. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
  9. 1 2 Hodapp, Eli (30 October 2012). "Actual Lumberjacks on Owlchemy Labs' 'Jack Lumber'". TouchArcade.com LLC. Retrieved 12 November 2014.
  10. 1 2 3 Flodine, Dave (28 August 2012). "Jack Lumber Review". Steel Media, Ltd. Retrieved 12 November 2014.
  11. 1 2 Albert, Brian (28 September 2012). "Jack Lumber Review". Future US, Inc. Retrieved 12 November 2014.
  12. ↑ "Jack Lumber on GameRankings". CBS Interactive, Inc. Retrieved 12 November 2014.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.