Rocket Jockey

July 1, 2010

by Eric-Jon Rössel Tairne

In his remake of of Rocket Jockey, The Moonkeeper author Ben Pettengill has delivered something of a gem. Both engrossing in its own right and faithful to what little there is to Active Enterprises’ original, Rocket Jockey is one of the highlights of the Action 52 Owns game jam.

The game begins as you find all your cows beamed into space by interstellar cattle rustlers. So you run out back of your barn, hop on the back of your solid-fuel rocket, and blast off in pursuit. Aside from the arrow keys, the game uses a single button. Rather than shoot, you sling out a lasso. If you rope a steer, you get to sustain another hit and your lasso begins to glow and grow in length. Snag a gunman, and you may pull him off his own rocket. You can also grab barrels, and toss them forward.

Level, enemy, and boss design are all clever and well-balanced. Although the game hints a bit of Gradius, and has some of the surreality of Wings of Wor, it really traces out its own identity. It’s not hardcore, and it doesn’t try to be (though it does include a high score table). It’s just playful, clever, and ultimately endearing.

Of particular note is the presentation. The game looks gorgeous, both in still shots and in motion. There’s a bunch of parallax going on, and the animation is cute. The music is splendidly appropriate, and the sound effects reward just about every action without going over the top.

I think that’s what sells the game. For all its absurdity, the game tends to underplay the humor. Instead of going for wacky, the game takes its subject seriously and treats it gently. Likewise, Pettengill took the effort to make a real, engaging game yet kept it accessible enough for anyone to appreciate. So yeah. Good stuff.

You can download Rocket Jockey here.