Is 'Jack the Reaper' The New 'Kirby'?

I've always been a fan of indie games that resemble games I grew up playing. One indie game that fits this description to a tee is the 2D action platformer Jack the Reaper. Developed in Game Maker Studio, Jack the Reaper is the solo effort of game developer Dream's Bell. At first glance, Jack the Reaper seems like a callback to some obscure Super Nintendo action game, but upon playing has more in common with Kirby. In Jack the Reaper, the titular character can copy enemy abilities by defeating them. Sound familiar? However, Jack the Reaper does a few things that make it better than the Kirby games of recent memory.

Difficulty

Kirby's design philosophy has always been accessibility, but admittedly, the series has become too easy for experienced players like me. Thankfully, when I first started Jack the Reaper, one of the first things I saw was a warning that the game is pretty tough. Unlike Kirby, Jack can only take a maximum of four hits before losing a life and cannot float, needing to perform precise jumps to avoid falling into pits. There are also challenging obstacles that require Jack to deploy a spin move similar to the one in Prinny that grants short-term invincibility. Additionally, without an ability, Jack's only attack is a weak, short-range scythe swipe. Even quick saving is a commodity sold at shops. Fortunately, Jack the Reaper does a few things that offset this difficulty. Every stage has scarecrows that replenish Jack's health, and collecting enough in-game currency will fully restore it. Shops also sell items like Mr. Cherub that save Jack from pits and Scythe Upgrades, which make scythe attacks more effective.

Abilities

I've always liked that the Kirby games, for the most part, give you the choice of which ability you want to use in each stage. However, in Kirby, you choose whether you want the game to be easy or a cakewalk. What makes Jack the Reaper engaging is how every ability has strengths and weaknesses, making you consider which one you want for each level. For example, there was a particular stage where I opted for one ability when I was platforming and another for the boss. Also worth highlighting is how some abilities are very effective against certain enemies, encouraging experimentation. Once you gain the power to mix abilities a la Kirby 64, you'll backtrack to older stages to get abilities you want to combine with a newer one. Upon backtracking, observant players will discover previously blocked-off areas that are now accessible, with abilities gained from a different stage. As you defeat more bosses, Jack will gain additional powers that augment his base abilities, like a hover jump.

I haven't said much about the graphics and sound of Jack the Reaper, but that doesn't mean it's not noteworthy. Jack the Reaper has music and visuals that are good enough to stand with the Kirby games that inspired it. The cutscenes in Jack the Reaper have stunning pixel art that invokes the memory of classic arcade attract modes and even occasionally feature voice acting! Development of Jack the Reaper is still underway (it's about 90% complete), but an expansive demo is available for download. If you want to follow the development of Jack the Reaper, Dream's Bell posts updates on Twitter and its TIGSource development log. If you can't get enough of Jack the Reaper, Jack is also a playable character in the indie game crossover fighter Indie Pogo.

Update: Dream's Bell announced that Jack the Reaper has ceased development, but you can continue to support their work on Patreon.