Jungle Rumble

PlayStation console exclusive

Jungle Rumble mixes elements of real-time strategy with rhythm-based gameplay.

Released: 2014
Platforms: Android PlayStation Vita
Genres: Real-time strategy Rhythm Strategy
Developers: —
Publishers: —
Country: United States

About

Jungle Rumble: Freedom, Happiness, and Bananas is a 2014 indie game developed and published by American indie studio Disco Pixel. The game is a crossover between a rhythm game and a real-time strategy game in which the player drums on a mobile screen to control a tribe of monkeys.

Keywords

digital distribution
music and rhythm
monkey
pax prime 2013
pax east 2014
pax east 2013

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

The game is played on a mobile device held vertically. The player drums on monkeys to control them, with different patterns for moving and attacking. Consistently moving builds "mojo" which increases the player's power. Enemy monkeys attack and the player must strategize to avoid being overrun.

The pattern tapped on the screen specifies the action and the objects tapped on specify what performs the action. The player continuously drums on things in the jungle in order to play the game. Designer Trevor Stricker has called this a "Rhythmic Grammar".

Reception

The game has been praised for pushing the breadth and scope of rhythm games. Chief comparisons have been to Patapon and Rhythm Heaven. It has been criticized for difficulty. The game received generally positive reviews.

148 Apps praised the "goofy concept" in a 4/5 review. Apple'N'Apps cited the "unique experience" in a 9/10 review. Indie Gems called it an interesting mix of rhythm and RTS in a 9/10 review.