Jersey Devil
PlayStation
Nostalgia Factor:
Back in the late 1990s, 3D platformers were probably my favorite video game genre. I was a giant fan of titles like Mario 64, Banjo-Kazooie, Spyro the Dragon, Gex: Enter the Gecko, Croc, etc. So of course I was drawn to Jersey Devil. I fondly remember renting the game from Blockbuster Video for a weekend and playing the absolute bejesus out of it. I don't remember if I actually beat the game or not, but I remember enjoying it. Of course, this was nearly 30 years ago. Looking back, I couldn't really remember many specific details about the game, other than there being a park area that I got lost in for a very long time. Aside from that? Not much else but vague memories of liking the game.
Ever since I learned how to emulate, I've been thinking of coming back and playing through Jersey Devil. Fast forward to 2024. That time has finally come. How does the game hold up in modern times? Let's find out!
Story:
This game does not have a very deep storyline. A mad scientist has been terrorizing a small Jersey town with the monsters he has created - most of which are hybrid creatures made out of fruits and vegetables. It is up to the legendary Jersey Devil to swoop in and save the day, defeating the evil scientist and freeing this small town from the clutches of his tyranny.
Gameplay:
I didn't realize this back when I first played it, but Jersey Devil handles a lot like Crash Bandicoot. The character movement, the jumping, even the spin attack is the same. I guess if you ever wondered what Crash Bandicoot would feel like in an open 3D world, this would be it. The only major difference is how Jersey Devil can glide. When you jump, you can hold the triangle button in mid-air to glide across long gaps. I'm sure you've encountered this mechanic in games before. Unfortunately, this is probably the worst glide I've ever seen in a video game. Jersey Devil's wings don't pop out until he's already on his way down. And he sinks really, really fast. So while it has its uses, it is not as helpful as you'd think it would be.
Action starts in a hub world. You can see several different areas of the game, but the only one immediately accessible is the museum. I was a little confused when I entered the museum stage at first. I didn't realize that there are hubs within hubs in this game. It's a little hard to explain, but when I entered the museum area, I thought I would be going directly to a series of museum based platforming stages. But no. Instead, I entered an area directly outside the museum, where you can pick which museum stage to play first. So you start the game in a hub and have to enter another hub before you actually start playing the platforming stages. Once I figured this out, the game became much easier for me to wrap my head around.
As you play through the game's stages, more areas unlock within the central hub. There's a park, a cemetery, a dump, and a sewer area to explore - in addition to the aforementioned museum area. Once you complete all these stages, the final area is unlocked. Unfortunately, you will not be able to beat the game until you have collected EVERY green nitro box in the game. There are hundreds of these things scattered across the game's levels. This might be why I can't specifically remember if I beat the game as a kid or not. I can't imagine being this patient combing through all the stages and collecting all these things when I was younger. In fact, I almost didn't do it here. Normally when I play a game and then discover I have to go back and replay old levels to find things I missed, I stop playing the game, because that shit irritates me. Look at Jet Force Gemini and Ultimate Ghosts 'n Goblins. I said hell no when the game pulled that on me. But it was a little more tolerable here, because I actually enjoyed playing this game. If I was having a bad time with it, as I was those other titles, I may have very well stopped before finishing this.
The game's stages are pretty straightforward. There's a lot of precision platforming action. The combat is pretty basic. Some enemies take a lot of hits to kill, which is annoying. Be prepared to take a lot of damage from enemies, although the game is more than generous with its health items and extra lives. In fact, I completely maxed out my lives at 99 about 75% into the game. I was never in any danger of running out. That does not mean this isn't a challenging game. It is. Some of the platform areas are tough as nails. And the bosses, while really fun to play, can drain your health quickly too. I guess it is more of an issue of trial and error and repeating yourself till you get it right than it is actual challenging gameplay.
The stages are large, and often filled with interesting puzzles. The game is at its best when things are clicking and you are moving from one area to the next with relative ease. Unfortunately, your objectives aren't always crystal clear, and I did find myself getting stuck from time to time. Luckily I had the good ol' internet to help me in times of need.
So yeah. The game is fun. I liked it. I have to say, though, that it felt a bit generic from time to time. Jersey Devil doesn't do anything I haven't seen dozens of times already. There were times where I was literally like: "This is Croc. This is Crash Bandicoot." And it doesn't always do these things as well as the game that clearly inspired it. But it was good enough for me back in 1998, and it is good enough for me in 2024.
Graphics:
Jersey Devil looks primitive by today's standards, but in the 1990s this was about as good looking as you could get. Your enjoyment of the game solely depends on your perspective. If you grew up playing these types of games, you'll probably love the graphics and the look and feel of the game. I know I did. There's an undeniable charm coming back and playing games from this era, when they were just figuring out how to make games in 3D. If you are younger or a new gamer, you may not be able to see past the pixels and the draw distance, and the overall jagged look of things. I can totally see things either way.
Before we move on, I have to note that this is essentially a Halloween themed game. You control a devil with a tail and wings. Instead of coins, you collect pumpkins. The locales of the game, like the graveyard and the museum, are clearly Halloween inspired. You fight freakish monsters. Almost everything takes place at night. The whole game just has a really campy Halloween feel to it. Coincidentally, I played through most of this game in late October. I'm not someone who plays scary or Halloween themed games when they are in season. I play these types of games all year long. It just happened to fall on Halloween this time around.
Sound:
The Halloween feel of the game carries over to the sound, too. It's like the game's music is tailor made for Halloween season. Upbeat, jaunty, and spooky at the same time. Ultimately, however, it is forgettable in the long run.
Sound effects are decent. Many of them sound like they were pulled straight from Crash Bandicoot - like the sound of your spin attack and the sound of boxes breaking. Heck, they probably were pulled straight from Crash Bandicoot. They sound good though, so I won't complain.
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Overall:
I had a good time with the game, but deciding a final score is where I am running into trouble. I liked the game; I think that my words have made this clear so far. But "like" is about as far as I'd go. I won't say I loved the game. I won't even say I'll ever come back and play this again in my lifetime. In fact, I am almost certain I won't.
The problem with this game is that despite its cool theme and fun Halloween atmosphere, it fails to do anything new or interesting with its gameplay. Mario 64 was way better. Banjo-Kazooie was way better. Spyro was way better. The list goes on and on. Like I said, I liked this game, but it failed to leave any kind of lasting impression on me whatsoever. It's just so tame and vanilla. We've "been there, done that" so many times before.
I almost compare it to the 2D beat 'em up games that were so popular in the arcades. So many of them are very similar in gameplay, and it boils down to the skin or the theme that makes each game interesting individually. Would you rather play Captain Command, or would you rather play something like The Simpsons or the X-Men? You'd take the Simpsons or the X-Men game 99% of the time. Of course. In this example, Jersey Devil is Captain Command, while games like Gex and Spyro are the Simpsons and the X-Men. Despite the game sharing many similarities as its counterparts, there is just something very generic and milquetoast about this version of it. Not to say it is a bad game. It's just something that is easily overlooked and forgotten.
That sounds like I am being mean, but I am really not trying to be. I'll say it for the millionth time - I liked this game. At the same time, I can't say I got a whole lot out of it. It doesn't have originality, creativity, or staying power. It's just a generically "nice" game that left little to no impact on the gaming world. You can completely skip over this game and you won't be missing a whole lot.
I can't in good faith give this anything in the B range. At the same time, I can most assuredly say in good faith that this is an above average title. So I'm giving it a C+, with the caveat that this is about as close to a B- as you can get without actually being a B-. If this game just had a little bit more originality, a little bit more nuance to its control system, just a little bit more something, it would have done a world of good.
THE GRADE:
C+
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