Jazz: Trump's Journey Review

Jazz: Trump's Journey is a puzzle platformer set in 1920s New Orleans. Gamers play as Trump, an aspiring jazzman with a time-stopping trumpet. Over the course of the adventure Trump jumps, climbs & bounces his way through more than 15 lengthy side-scrolling stages. Gamers control Trump with standard D-Pad & Jump virtual buttons. The aforementioned trumpet introduces some light Braid-esque puzzles, requiring players to problem solve by freezing enemies on top of switches, or stopping moving platforms, among plenty more.



Although Jazz remains enjoyable throughout, it never quite lives up to its heady premise. The game promises a fight against injustice and racism, but this really just means jumping over spike pits and onto police officer's heads. Missed opportunity aside, Jazz is still a fun and competent platformer. The virtual buttons do lead to a few unintentional deaths, but this frustration is mitigated thanks to generous checkpoints.

Where Jazz truly shines is in its excellent presentation. It's hard not to be charmed by nearly every aspect. Trump grabs his hat when he jumps to ensure he doesn't lose it. "Speech" is spoken first, followed by word cards showing up on screen like a silent film. The Jazz soundtrack is among the best on the App Store – especially the soothing piano stage selection music.



Jazz is nearly worth its $2.99 asking price for the soundtrack alone. It's disappointing more wasn't done with such an interesting premise, but credit still has to be given to Eggball for not churning out another safe and colorful mascot platformer. Some control and translation issues aside, Jazz remains fun throughout.

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