Review: Spunk and Moxie

A platformer stripped down to its basics. Spunk and Moxie is a one button platformer that puts simplicity first. Tap to jump, hold to jump longer, and hold to wall jump. With only these 3 basic actions your only goal is to find and reach the exit of each stage.  This sounds rather basic. Yet, Spunk and Moxie does just enough to challenge the player and motivate them to master the game.

There are a few tricks that complicate the jumping. There are the standard spike pits and saw blades. One way doors or switches that manipulate the stage. Some potions that allow you to break certain blocks, or dash through the air. As well as collectable crystals that add to your score. Each of the games 30 stages have 7 bonus challenges in them. Such as clearing under a time limit, collecting all crystals, taking no damage. You can get a lot of replay value out of trying to perfectly beat each stage.

Now, I play a decent amount of platformers, but i found Spunk and Moxie to be rather frustrating at times. If you miss a jump, and hit a wall you will turn around. Since you can only jump, this can lead to a lot of running backwards. Your health bar depletes over time, and acts as a hard time limit to beat each stage. This means that taking damage will lower the amount of time you have to clear. The game also has some rather harsh difficulty spikes that take a lot of patience and practise to beat. Your character moves rather fast and a lot of the jumps need precise timing. Missing can often lead to unwanted backtracking, which is frustrating.

At the end of the day though, Spunk and Moxie is still a good game. It is long enough and has enough content to feel fleshed out. But doesn’t overstay its welcome. The graphics are cute, and look good even during the quick gameplay. The one button controls are perfect for a touchscreen. Even if I wish they were a bit more precise. It may prove difficult for some, but if you feel confident in your platforming skills. I would recommend it.