If you like short retro-styled 2D platformers, there is one less reason to hesitate. Jump Adventures on Steam no longer costs anything – the price tag is gone permanently, so you can just add the game to your library and keep it. At the time of writing the game has only a handful of user reviews, but almost all of them are positive.
From roughly $3 to zero
Solo developer Daniel Nesov announced the plan to switch Jump Adventures to free-to-play back in August, and the change finally went live on September 24 together with a new update. Until then the game sold for about $2.99. Alongside dropping the price, the update improved the visuals and added a new movement mechanic, so what you download today is not the same build that people were paying for earlier this year.
What you actually get
You control a cube that has to make its way across obstacles and through different biomes while collecting special items. Environmental conditions matter – wind, for example, can be used to your advantage to clear a gap you would not reach otherwise. The cube can also be customized, so you can give it a look of your own, as shown in the game’s trailers.
On paper it is the usual retro package: limited movement options, hazardous environments, tricky jumps and traps to dodge. What stands out is the hand-drawn art and the ambient sound design, which push the whole thing closer to a cozy game than to a reflex-testing gauntlet. There are Steam achievements and an in-game stats tracker if you want extra challenge, but the developer himself describes the experience as a “bite-sized journey” with some replayability rather than a long campaign. It is also his first project, which is worth keeping in mind when you hit a rough edge.
More free games on Steam right now
Jump Adventures is not the only title that recently went free. Keep an eye on these as well:
- Jaywalk: An Endless Arcade Hopper – free now, but it becomes a paid game starting October 13.
- Facing the Rain – dropped its price tag recently and is free-to-play for good.
- Mechabellum – added a free version that any user can download and play.
If you read this before October 12, you can also grab Fireside Feelings and Pony Island as free-to-keep promotions on Steam, though that offer is time-limited and ends soon. October also brings a few giveaways handing out Steam keys for other games – on October 28, Lenovo Legion is giving away keys for Doom (2016). Those require a few extra steps, so they are less convenient than Steam’s own free-to-keep deals.
Where to go next
We track this kind of thing regularly: we covered another wave in our piece on four permanently free Steam games, and mobile players can check the Bridge Constructor Studio giveaway. If you are hunting for more small Steam releases, we also wrote about Nocturne.
FAQ
Permanently. The developer removed the price tag for good on September 24, so this is not a time-limited giveaway – you can add it to your library at any point.
Roughly $2.99. The switch to free was announced in August and took effect in late September.
It improved the game’s visuals and added a new movement mechanic, on top of removing the price.
It is a minimalist 2D platformer that the developer calls a “bite-sized journey.” There is some replayability, plus Steam achievements and an in-game stats tracker if you want more challenge.
Solo developer Daniel Nesov. Jump Adventures is his first project.