Game:

Bump 'n' Jump (1982)

Category:

Let's Play

Duration: 20:48

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Developed by SAS Sakata
Published by Vic Tokai
Released December 1988

Overview: https://www.giantbomb.com/bump-n-jump/3030-5075/

Bump 'n' Jump (known outside of North America as Burnin' Rubber, which is not to be confused with the 1990 game of the same name) is a top-down action driving game developed and released by Data East in arcades (running either their DECO Cassette System hardware or dedicated hardware) in 1982. The North American hardware version was released by Bally-Midway.

It later received ports in 1983 and 1984, with North America receiving the Atari 2600 (ported by Mattel), Intellivision (ported by Mattel), and ColecoVision (ported by Coleco) ports and Europe receiving the Commodore 64 port (which was ported by Colosoftware). The game later received a port for the Nintendo Entertainment System by SAS Sakata (released in October 8, 1986 by Data East in Japan as Buggy Popper and later in December 1988 by Vic Tokai in North America), adding a new storyline (where the protagonist's girlfriend is kidnapped) and new gameplay mechanics (such as limited fuel).

Gameplay

In Bump 'N' Jump, players drive a red car down an open road at up to 220 MPH. The main objective is to reach the gas station at the end of each roadway without crashing into obstacles, trees, or water. The road is filled with traffic of both light and heavy cars and trucks, some of which attempt to take the player's car out by bumping into it and sending it skidding to the side. Points are earned for progress made down the road, as well as bumping into other cars and sending them skidding off the road or into obstacles.

Once the player's car reaches 100 MPH, the car can jump high into the air. Around 40-50 MPH in speed will be lost by a single jump, so players will need to use some strategy to decide when it is most advantageous to utilize jumping. Jumping can come in handy to avoid skidding off the road when bumped, and also for avoiding patches of heavy traffic. Landing on enemy cars will destroy them and earn points.

Broken bridges, water, slight curves, and splits also pose problems along the road. Well-timed jumps are often the only way to clear some obstacles such as broken bridges, and also are the easiest way to clear most water hazards. Because timing is essential for clearing major hazards, a warning beep sounds and a "!" will appear at the top of the screen when a hazard requiring a jump is imminent (though some hazards may still have safe causeways on one side). Landing on islands in the middle of water or bridge hazards will earn bonus points.

At the end of a roadway, the number of enemy cars taken out is added to the player's score as bonus points, usually 300 to 500 points per car. In the event no enemies were crashed during the roadway, a significantly large bonus of 50,000 points will be awarded.



Enemies

Differentiating every type of enemy car can be difficult, especially in console versions with lower detailed graphics. For the sake of simplicity, it is best to assume that any cars not mentioned here are light, may weave back and forth on the road in a non-hostile manner, and will skid a long way if hit.

Tractor
The tractor drives in a straight line, and is extremely slow and easy to pass. Bumping a heavy tractor will barely budge it, and will send the player skidding further than usual. For this reason, caution should be used when passing tractors on narrow sections of road.

Skull Car

The skull car is obvious in appearance, as it has a large skull and crossbones on its roof. When the players gets near a skull car, it will usually move toward the player, attempting to bump them off the road and generally get in the way. While this is far more dangerous in writing than in practice, poorly-timed encounters with a skull car can cause bumping that slows a player down at a crucial moment, ruining a necessary jump. The same warning applies to narrow roads and splits, especially when trying to navigate around other vehicles.

Dump Truck



Dump trucks only move in a straight line, and often must be watched closely while engaging other traffic. Simply touching a dump truck will destroy it -- an important fact to keep in mind if shooting for the 50,000 point no-kill bonus.

During the first roadway, and select seasons afterwards (depending on version), the dump truck will make its dumping animation, but won't actually dump any debris onto the road.


White Car

The white car is not as aggressive as the skull car, but will move towards the player and attempt to interfere upon approach. As with the skull car, care must be taken to avoid letting the white car botch jump speed and timing.


Yellow Truck

In more graphically detailed versions, this truck may be blue with a yellow front. Otherwise, it looks like a pure yellow heavy-duty dump truck. The yellow truck is appropriately heavy, much like the tractor, but also weaves across the road frequently, making it tougher to simply dodge.