Story by
Rachel Kaser
Internet Culture WriterRachel is a writer and former game critic from Central Texas. She enjoys gaming, writing mystery stories, streaming on Twitch, and horseback Rachel is a writer and former game critic from Central Texas. She enjoys gaming, writing mystery stories, streaming on Twitch, and horseback riding. Check her Twitter for curmudgeonly criticisms.
The Pokémon Company just released Magikarp Jump, a mobile game starring the world’s least-loved finned Pokémon. To use the developer’s own words, “What is this world coming to?!”
If you’re hoping for a Pokémon game similar to Pokémon GO, you’re going to be disappointed. Jump‘s borderline-mindlessness puts it closer to Flappy Bird. The goal is to make your fish jump the best. You can train it to jump higher using a variety of minigames, getting help from the Pokémon you actually enjoy, such as Pikachu.
It seems the developers are just as aware of the absurdity of the premise as gamers are. The app description is thoroughly tongue-in-cheek:
- “It’s famous — for being pathetically weak, unreliable, and generally useless.
- It can’t learn any powerful moves — all it does is flop around and splash!
- When it flops its way too high in the sky, it’s sometimes snagged by the Bird Pokémon Pidgeotto — never to be seen again!”
The Pokémon Company used SELF-DEPRECATION. It’s super-effective!
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