You’ll want to bring your friends along with you for the ride, because Hive Jump really shines when you’ve got four players blasting bug guts all over the walls. 

 

Unfortunately, this is also where some of the small cracks start to show in Hive Jump’s gameplay.

 

With three different main modes to play in, Campaign, Arcade, and Challenges, and the fact that each player has their own profile with separate unlock tiers, you’d naturally want to play as much as you can with your friends.

 

However, it would seem that Graphite Lab had other plans in mind, as only Campaign and Arcade are available for local multiplayer play, and there is zero online multiplayer option available.

 

This is real disappointment due to the fact that Challenges offers four really great modes that would be a blast to play with others.

 

Clean Run has you entering the hive with fresh boots, and your goal is to decimate the bugs lair without any of your upgrades or unlocked equipment.

 

Speed Run is pretty self explanatory, but your goal here is to get through a staggering 12 depth hive in as quick a time as possible.

 

Hardcore not only ramps up the difficulty and strength of the Ordovicians, but also removes the backpack mechanic, giving you just one life to destroy the hive.

 

Endless, which would be my favorite multiplayer mode if it was available, is where you go until you can’t go any further, fighting bosses and ambushes and queens along the way.

 

This felt a little backwards to me, and I really think Hive Jump would be at it’s greatest potential if multiplayer was brought to every mode.

 

I’ve already talked a little bit about Campaign mode, but there is something unique to it that I haven’t gone over, which is how in-between each side-scrolling shooter mission, you’re presented with a strategy-lite game.

 

This little mini-game is actually kind of enjoyable, though I do wish it was flushed out a little bit more, as even in the later difficulties it really just felt like I was far too overpowered. 

 

Strangely the difficulty of Hive Jump, while playing single player, seems to escalate at a staggering rate only once you reach the Queen’s lair.

 

In fact, after countless attempts made by myself with every combination of equipment that I could think of, I was only finally able to beat the Queen when my fiancé, Amanda, jumped in and played with me.

 

Not only that, but we beat her in one try, and Amanda was fresh to the game other than one rampage with me through an arcade mode on easy, which just felt a little off to me since the choice was made to not include multiplayer everywhere.

 

All in all though, the gameplay mechanics of Hive Jump are really addicting, and Graphite Lab has done a great job at giving you reason to continuously jump, pardon the pun, back into the game for more.

 

After unlocking everything, and beating the game to the best of my ability (some of the harder challenges have yet to be achieved), I still find myself gravitating towards this beautifully crafted title, despite shortcomings from a multiplayer standpoint.