Okay. This is going to sound crazy, but I think I actually like the Jump Force Switch version.
Don’t worry. This isn’t some weird sort of hostage situation where I’m writing that sentence to ask for help without alerting my captors. (I have a whole other phrase ready for that eventuality.) But I’ve been playing Jump Force: Deluxe Edition since it launched and, for some reason, I can’t bring myself to hate it. I also find myself going back to keep playing it. It’s the weirdest thing, but I’ve developed the strangest sort of fondness for this misfit.
That being said, the Jump Force Switch port is a travesty. To begin with, the frame rate is abominable. It doesn’t allow you to record footage in-game to share, but there were times when I swear it felt like my heroine was trudging along at about 15fps when jogging through the hub.
So okay. Jump Force with low fps isn’t exactly shocking. Which means it also shouldn’t shock you that it does not look as good as it does on other consoles. The Xbox One version I played originally was far sharper, even if my avatar at the time still had eldritch abomination movements in cutscenes and there were many instances of character just… not always looking right. Whenever I played the Switch port, it was undocked, which probably didn’t do it any favors.
And honestly, attempting to play online is a fool’s errand. The terrible frame rate and lag team up to keep matches from feeling fair. There were times when I won and absolutely shouldn’t have, because I could tell the other person had delayed responses. There were probably times when I lost and shouldn’t have for the same reason, but honestly I’ve never been a competitive-level fighting game player anyway, so I’m not going to act like this was all Jump Force’s fault.
This is probably the part of this whole thing where you go, “Wait a minute. Jenni, this whole playtest is called, ‘I Think I actually Like the Jump Force Switch Port.’ Also, slip us your coordinates, we want to help you.” But here’s the thing about this version. For some reason, all of those points up there didn’t seem to bother me when I hopped into the game the second time around.
It’s like now, Jump Force has this B-movie effect. I know this isn’t high art. If I want an iconic anime fighting game from Bandai Namco, I can hop over to Dragon Ball FighterZ. It’s more like I’m embracing this game because it is so bad and goofy. The frame rate is poor, yes. But I’m mainly taking missions from counters in the hub and don’t always have to run around. I only played online to test the lag for this playtest, and since then have only played the offline missions. It doesn’t look as good on the Switch as it does on my Xbox One, but I’m not playing it because it looks pretty.
I am playing it and somehow even enjoying it because, to me, Jump Force feels like video game junk food. The other games I’ve been focusing on right now are Moon and Marvel’s Avengers, and both are pretty heavy in their own ways. Sometimes, I need a break. So, I join the “Force” for a little while. I play a match or two. Maybe I buy some new cosmetics for my avatar. She may not be as sharp as my original OC, but I’ve been having fun dressing her up. And I really do like all the DLC characters that have been added in the time since I last played.
I suppose it comes down to not expecting as much, so I’m not disappointed. But I’d also say that it being on the Switch makes it easier to accept its flaws. I’m not getting competitive or serious about it. Jump Force: Deluxe Edition is just a fling for me. I can hop in when I want, play for 15 minutes, and laugh about all those situations where it isn’t at its best, rather than feeling disappointed or enraged about them. I mean, I definitely wouldn’t recommend it without warning a newcomer about the lag, frame rate, and visual downgrade, but I would definitely let them know that despite all that, I’m having fun.
The Jump Force Switch version is immediately available. You can also find it on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.
