Whether you’re playing Halfbrick’s Jetpack Joyride on iOS, Android, or Windows 8, you’ve probably reached the conclusion that the game is pretty damn hard considering it only uses one friggin’ button.
But there’s a lot more to this addictive and lovingly detailed gauntlet game than just “should I turn my jetpack on or off?” Sure, you’ve gotta hone your reflexes and quickly adapt to the rockets, lasers, and other obstacles in your way, but a lot of it also comes down to picking the right gear. These equipment tips will have you beating your high scores in no time.
Strategy Part 1 : Gadgets
As you collect coins in Jetpack Joyride, you’ll have the opportunity to buy and equip up to two gadgets at a time. Some will single-handedly boost your survivability or money-earning rate, while others are basically useless. And a few gadget combos can help you beat challenges or overcome particularly difficult scenarios. Here’s a point-by-point breakdown of all your upgrade options.
Air Barrys: When equipped, these sneakers will allow Barry (your character) to jump three times his height from the ground. This means your vertical mobility is greatly increased and you can more quickly escape floor-level traps. You won’t gain any benefit from non-running heights, and it also means you can inadvertently launch yourself into mid-level traps if your timing isn’t perfect. For these reasons, you shouldn’t equip the Air Barrys unless you’re trying to complete a running-only challenge.
Nerd Repellent: By wearing this noxious spray, you’ll find the entire game is devoid of scientist NPCs. That won’t impact your coin collecting or your score, but it will make pacifist challenges (reach X meters without killing a scientist) very easy. Aside from those goals, though, you’re better off taking something else.
Insta-Ball: Whenever you die with the Insta-Ball in your inventory, your corpse will bounce a few dozen extra meters past your point of demise. Sometimes, if you’re lucky, your body will grab a few extra coins or tokens before it finally comes to a halt. This ability, much like the Freeze-O-Matic, is a good option for getting higher scores and salvaging yourself from unlucky situations. Keep in mind that equipping Insta-Ball may make it harder to precisely perform “Die between X and Y meters” challenges.
Gravity Belt: The opposite of Air Barrys, the Gravity Belt will increase your default rate of descent by about 50%. Unlike Air Barrys, the Gravity Belt works at all altitudes, so it’s a more reliable way to increase your vertical acceleration for precise maneuvering. This is a great option for runs where you’re spending most of your time scraping along the ceiling, since it lets you dodge roof-based traps easily.
Missile Jammer: Missiles headed your way will have a high (but random) chance of failing to track you, making them essentially useless. But unless you’re really bad at dodging missiles, this luck-based upgrade just isn’t worth it. Instead of equipping Missile Jammer, just practice guiding missiles away from you and paying attention to where they’re firing.
Token Gift: By equipping this gadget, Barry will start every single run with a Token that homes in on him. You can technically dodge it (in fact, you’ll get an achievement for it!) but it’s an otherwise guaranteed means of getting more turns or coins out of your Final Spins. The Token Gift, along with Magnetic Tokens, is great for challenges that require you to collect a certain number of Tokens, either total or in one run.
Freeze-O-Matic: Almost identical to the Insta-Ball, the Freeze-O-Matic will cause your corpse to slide a longer distance every time you die. Unlike the Insta-Ball, your body will only move horizontally across the ground, decreasing the odds it will bump into Tokens and coins. Of course, it can help you beat challenges associated with how far your body is dragged upon death, but these are relatively rare. The Insta-Ball is better in most cases.
X-Ray Specs: When equipped, X-Ray Specs will allow you to see what vehicle is hidden inside every vehicle upgrade pack. But, as noted in the section below, there’s no reason to ever not take a vehicle, since even the worst ones still grant you an extra life. If you want to equip X-Ray Specs for their hilarious side effects (like being able to see scientists in their underwear), that’s great, but don’t expect this gadget to help you win games.
Gemology: This perk will automatically convert a small percentage (around 10-20%) of coins into ruby-like gems each worth a lot more than one coin. In effect, it boosts your income whenever you’re picking up gold, which is hopefully often. There’s never a bad time to take Gemology, other than “Go X meters without collecting coins” challenges. Otherwise, pair this with Magnetic Coins for a huge revenue boost!
Ezy-Dodge Missiles: Unlike Missile Jammer, the Ezy-Dodge Missiles gadget will work on all projectiles, slightly decreasing their homing capabilities. But like Missile Jammer, this upgrade is pointless. Missiles are among the easiest obstacles in the game to avoid (They have a visual andaudio notification!), so just practice dodging them manually. You’re better off saving your gadget slots for something you can’t learn with practice.
Magnetic Tokens: Whether you believe in the power of luck or you simply need to unlock challenges like “Collect X Tokens in one run,” Magnetic Tokens is a great choice. It pulls otherwise difficult or impossible-to-get Tokens right towards you, all but ensuring you get every single one. Combined with Token Gift or Lucky Last, you’ll find yourself swimming in these shimmering rewards.
Flying Pig: When activated, Flying Pig will randomly appear to drizzle extra coins on the bottom of the screen. If you manage to hit him out of the sky, this profit-producing porker will explode into a golden rain, giving you an even bigger monetary boon. Flying Pig’s not always easy to pop, though, so don’t expect to benefit from him if you’re in the middle of a navigational challenge. If you can’t collect him, try teaming it with Coin Magnet or Flash.
Free Ride: Turn this gadget on and you’ll start every run with a vehicle pre-equipped! You won’t get to choose your ride, so you could get stuck with something crappy, but any vehicle is better than no vehicle, especially if you’ve purchased vehicle upgrades. This is a great gadget for increasing survivability and is the #1 choice if you’re trying to complete any vehicle-related challenge. You’ll increase your odds of getting the craft you need by guaranteeing you get at least one per game.
Coin Magnet: Easily one of the better gadgets (if not the best), Coin Magnet creates a field around Barry that pulls money directly towards him. This means you only have to get kinda closeto gold in order to pick it up, giving you more room for error and greater income on every run. Coin Magnet can be paired with Flying Pig or Gemology to further boost your profits, too. Do note that Coin Magnet doesn’t work with vehicles; they require separate vehicle magnet upgrades.
Lucky Last: If you’re a Token fiend, you’ll love Lucky Last. It boosts your Final Spin (the actual final one, not all of them) to ensure you win something on your ultimate attempt. It may not be much, but you’re guaranteed to walk away with some kind of bonus, assuming you collected at least one Token during your run. Note that this perk actually gets worse the more Tokens you collect, since it only improves your spin on one of them (the last one).
Flash: Wanna add a Mega Man vibe to Jetpack Joyride? Flash the robo-dog will follow your character around, collecting coins and Tokens for you, as well as knocking over scientists for fun. What’s better, if you activate a vehicle, Flash will get his own miniature version, piloting his ride alongside yours. Flash isn’t as effective at collecting coins or Tokens as their respective magnet gadgets, but he only takes up one slot, freeing up your second ability for something else.
Dezapinator: Like the Missile Jammer, the Dezapinator will randomly disable zappers, preventing them from killing you. Unlike the Missile Jammer, Dezapinator is actually useful, since hard-to-bypass zappers are probably the most frequent cause of death in Jetpack Joyride. It’s still a random effect, so you can’t count on it, but when it does occur, your life will be significantly easier (and longer).
Turbo Boost: The game’s final gadget offers one of its most powerful effects. When equipped, a portal-generating orb will intermittently appear, opening a trail of three glowing gateways in the air. If you touch them, Barry will be accelerated forward 100 meters for each portal, for a total of about 300 meters. What’s more, activating a Turbo Boost will destroy all zappers, missiles, and lasers on screen, essentially giving you 300 meters of guaranteed survival. As long as you’re skilled enough to hit the first boost, you’ll find yourself reaching farther distances faster than ever before.
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