On May 25, 2017, The Pokémon Company released a funny mobile game in France: Pokémon: Magikarp Jump, devoted to the most useless Pokémon of all, Magikarp, whose only move, Splash, does nothing. The idea: catch Magikarp, feed them, train them and make them jump as high as possible in jump leagues. A free game developed by SELECT BUTTON that fully embraces its absurdity. Nine years later, how does it hold up?
A minimalist raising game
Magikarp Jump is played one-handed, in short sessions. You catch a Magikarp with one of three rods, tap the berries that fall into its pond to feed it, start training sessions, three at most before you have to wait, and watch the jump points climb. When the Magikarp reaches its maximum level, it challenges the league: a jumping duel won by whoever jumps highest. If it loses or finishes the league, it retires, and you start over with a new Magikarp, a little stronger than the last thanks to your rising trainer rank.
The game is therefore an incremental game, where you make numbers grow, from a thousand to several billion HP. There is no real thinking involved: strategy boils down to choosing which upgrades to buy and when to challenge the league.
Irresistible humor
What makes Magikarp Jump charming is its tone. The rambling mayor of Hoppy Town, the rivals with pun names, from Jean-Carpe to Di Carprio by way of King Karpe, and above all the random events: a Pidgeotto that carries off your champion, an evolution into Gyarados that ends its jumping career, a Snorlax taking a nap. Every disaster is staged with comic seriousness, and you grow attached to each Magikarp for the length of its short life.
The collection
Replayability comes from the collection: dozens of Magikarp patterns to discover and archive, friendship items to call Support Pokémon, pond decorations, achievements. Catching a rare Magikarp with a new pattern brings a real little thrill.
A well-balanced free model
The game is free, with diamonds available to buy. You can still finish it without paying: diamonds drop regularly, at league milestones, with achievements and with newly archived patterns. Purchases speed up progress without being essential, and the shop has a purchase limit.
Progress that keeps accelerating
Progression is well paced. The first leagues are over in a few minutes; the following ones take several Magikarp in a row, each a little stronger thanks to trainer rank, upgraded food and decorations bought between careers. The numbers explode: a few hundred jump points at the start, millions in the Fast League, billions in the Master League. This inflation, typical of incremental games, offers a simple pleasure: seeing your efforts pay off.
Support Pokémon, called in with friendship items, add a small management layer: Pikachu, Eevee, Mudkip or Gengar come to give HP, coins or items, then you have to wait for them to recharge. Pond decorations, for their part, offer permanent bonuses that guide your spending.
Who is it for?
Magikarp Jump is for players looking for a light pastime, to launch for a few minutes several times a day. Younger players will find a simple, funny game, and Pokémon fans an affectionate nod to a Pokémon that has been mocked since 1996. Those expecting a real challenge or an adventure, however, will pass.
The limits
Magikarp Jump is repetitive by nature. Once the leagues are finished, all that is left is replaying the Master League and completing the collection, and interest fades. The short sessions imposed by the training cooldown suit commutes, but frustrate those who want to play for a long time. Finally, the game has received no new content since 2017, only technical fixes, the latest in October 2022.
Playing it today
Magikarp Jump is still listed on iOS and Android in many countries, according to app-tracking data, with no update since October 2022. It is a good pastime for a few weeks, worth discovering for its humor.
Our verdict
Magikarp Jump is a funny, well-designed little incremental game that turns the most useless Pokémon into a jumping champion. It entertains for a few weeks, in short sessions, before repetition takes over.
What we like
- Absurd, endearing humor
- Instant pick-up-and-play, one-handed
- The pattern collection
- A free model that is not pushy
What we like less
- A very repetitive game loop
- Few decisions to make
- No new content since 2017
- Interest fades after the Master League
