JUMP HERO
| JUMP HERO | |
|---|---|
 PC-98 title screen | |
| Developers | Compile |
| Publishers | Compile |
| Platform of Origin | MSX2 |
| First game | JUMP HERO (Disc Station #29) |
| Latest game | BANG! BANG! IVAN (Disc Station Vol. 24) |
JUMP HERO (ジャンプヒーロー Janpuhīrō) is a series of platforming games developed and published by Compile. The series has been released through Disc Station, on MSX2, PC-98, and Windows. Several "gaiden" games and spinoffs were released as well. Two of these gaiden games, Bomber Through GOGO! and JUMP HERO Gaiden 4, were re-released by the way of Compile THE Best (コンパイル THE ベスト), a budget label that took popular games from Disc Station and sold them individually at low price points.
Games
- JUMP HERO (1991, released on Disc Station #29 on MSX2)
- Jyaboon Fight (ジャブーンファイト) (1991, released on Disc Station #31 on MSX2)
- Jyaboon Runner (ジャブーンランナー) (1991, released on Disc Station #32 on MSX2)
- Final Jyaboon (ファイナルジャブーン) (1991, released on Disc Station #32 on MSX2)
- JUMP HERO II: Jinsei wa Jyaboon (JUMP HERO II 人生はジャブーン) (1991, released on Disc Station #32 on MSX2)
- JUMP HERO (1994, released on Disc Station Vol. 4 on PC-98)
- JUMP HERO Gaiden (JUMP HERO外伝) (1996, released on Disc Station Vol. 11 for PC-98 CD-ROM)
- Bomber Through GOGO! ~ Jump Hero Gaiden 2 ~: (ボンバースルーGOGO! 〜ジャンプヒーロー外伝2〜) (1996, released on Disc Station Vol. 12 for Windows)
- JUMP HERO Gaiden 3 Tobikiri Adventure (JUMP HERO外伝3 トビッきりアドベンチャー) (1997, released on Disc Station Vol. 15 for Windows)
- GO! GO! IVAN (1997, released on Disc Station Vol. 16 for Windows)
- RUN! RUN! IVAN (1998, released on Disc Station Vol. 21 for Windows)
- JUMPHERO Gaiden 4 ~ Butchigiri Action World~ (JUMPHERO 外伝4〜ブッちぎりアクションワールド〜) (1999, released on Disc Station Vol. 23 for Windows)
- BANG! BANG! IVAN (1999, released on Disc Station Vol. 24 for Windows)
Setting
The series takes place in a contemporary world with many imaginative elements. It features modern cities, theme parks, and power plants, as well as other natural landscapes such as snowy hills and vast fields. Most of these worlds have wacky twists, such as the aforementioned snowy hills being inhabited by fun-loving anthropomorphic blue penguins, a zoo featuring live kaiju on display, or an island covered almost entirely with cutesy haniwa statues. They also feature other common fictional elements like pirates and robots. Many of the characters are similarly strange or fanciful, such as Margarita Linda, a red-haired girl with dragon wings and vaguely tribal-esque jewelry, and Ivan Pentrovich Guinovski, a chubby penguin prince on ice skates.
Characters
Gameplay
Both JUMP HERO games on MSX and JUMP HERO for PC-98 are vertical platformers. The player (controlling Jyaboon in the MSX games and Billy or Ivan in the PC-98 version) must reach the top of the stage in the shortest amount of time possible, and do this through three different stages.
JUMP HERO Gaiden is a hybrid of a point-and-click adventure and a tactical turn-based strategy game. The story focuses on Billy de Babine's journey to Chicken Island in order to participate in the Jump Hero Tournament. Each chapter begins with an "adventure" segment, and a "simulation" segment; the adventure segments have Billy and friends visit various islands and interact with objects and characters, which trigger the simulation portions, which involve moving units to attack foes in a gridlike manner.
Bomber Through GOGO! ~Jump Hero Gaiden 2~ is an action game, where the players (choosing either Billy, Linda, or Ivan) throw bombs at enemies in order to clear the stage. The story of the game is that Billy and friends are attending a party celebrating Ivan's ascension to the throne, but the event is crashed when the outer space invaders, the Tap Aliens, show up and begin wreaking havoc, forcing Billy and pals to jump into action and stop them. The game bears some similarities to Comet Summoner, as both share similar gameplay mechanics and level structure, as well as both having enemies spawn from statues of themselves.
JUMP HERO Gaiden 3 is an adventure game, similar to games such as Rulue's Spring Break of Fists. The premise is that after a week-long cruise with Captain Honey, Billy, Linda, and Ivan are dropped off at the seaside city of Port Town and explore, while Honey takes the rest of their friends home. The trio decide to look into the mystery of the town, and run across various new characters, such as Honey's kind sister Sugar, and her vulgar doll Oligo.
JUMP HERO Gaiden 4 is an action platformer game, though now with a focus on more traditional stage design seen in other platforming games. The plot sees Billy traveling the various lands in order to stop an evil alien invader who has landed on Earth. There are three worlds Billy must venture through, each with various enemies as well as bosses.
There are also three spinoff games for both Jyaboon and Prince Ivan:
- Jyaboon Fight is an action puzzle game where Jyaboon runs over blue tiles that reveal red and white spaces, and must deduce what sort of picture they are making. After figuring this out, Jyaboon must retrieve a small version of said image from the right and bring it to the top of the stage to clear the level.
- Jyaboon Runner is a reskin of Compile's Maze Runner and involves Jyaboon trapping enemies with spinning walls in a maze.
- Final Jyaboon is a multi-directional shooter where a tank costume-wearing Jyaboon must shoot down all enemies in each stage to clear the game. The gameplay and stage layout is reminiscent of Namco's Tank Battalion series.
- GO! GO! IVAN is action platformer where Ivan must travel through three stages in order to save his kingdom, as well as his subjects who have been captured. Ivan can use his royal guards as projectiles (functioning in a similar manner to Rayman where they return upon being launched) to hit enemies.
- RUN! RUN! IVAN is an action platformer/runner where Ivan, using his skates, must dash as quickly as possible through each stage for the best times. He can pick up powerups to help maintain his speed or score points.
- BANG! BANG! IVAN is a maze puzzle game in the vein of Pipe Mania.
Connections to Puyo Puyo and Madou Monogatari
One of the most notable connections to Compile’s flagship series are the early appearances of Billy Burn and Mrs. Eve in Madou Monogatari I (Mega Drive). This was seemingly an attempt to drum up anticipation for JUMP HERO Gaiden, which would release a few months later on Disc Station Vol. 11 and feature them as minor characters. Said game would be directed by Kasumi Hakuryuho (白龍鳳 霞), who was also director of Madou Monogatari I's Mega Drive port. Billy Burn would later appear in Super Nazo Puyo Tsu: Rulue no Tetsuwan Hanjouki as an opponent.
References to Puyo Puyo also appear in the JUMP HERO games as well:
- JUMP HERO II: Jinsei wa Jyaboon:
- Stone carvings of Carbuncle appear scattered throughout the mountain setting of each level.
- JUMP HERO Gaiden:
- Billy de Babine's father appears as the antagonist of the game, dubbing himself "Masked Satan Tsu" whilst disguised almost identically to his namesake. His moniker also doubles as a nod to the game this new persona is lifted from.
- Arle Nadja and Carbuncle (appearing in a childish hand-drawn style) appear in the game over screen, poking Billy de Babine with a stick as he lies face-flat on the ground. They also appear near the end of Thunder Island where they chase off Masked Satan Tsu, and in the ending of the game.
- Metropolis Island houses a tall skyscraper adorned with a Red Puyo on its top. Clicking on it reveals it to be Compile's headquarters, and clicking a little below it reveals it has a Progenitorial Puyoman Shop inside.
- Bomber Through GOGO! ~Jump Hero Gaiden 2~:
- The first world of the game takes place in a theme park, and in the background, a merry-go-round with Carbuncle topping it can be seen.
- GO! GO! IVAN:
- Puyos appear as secret collectibles in the game.
Lastly, Billy de Babine would appear as a playable character alongside Arle Nadja and other Disc Station heroes in Restaurant King. Sugar and Oligo also appear as hosts of the game, and several other JUMP HERO characters appear in the game and in Billy’s ending.