Spark the Electric Jester

Spark in his cool form. With this power, Spark can run on water.

Spark the Electric Jester is a 2D side-scrolling platform game. The player must guide the eponymous Spark through a series of differently themed levels; each typically containing an assortment of obstacles, robotic enemies, and boss fights. The player can jump off of both horizontal surfaces and walls to ascend vertically and execute dashes to accelerate forward. Dashes can also be used to parry enemy attacks, harmful projectiles, and various level hazards if initiated upon collision. Alongside standard attacks, a combo can be executed by quickly pressing the attack button three times consecutively to damage enemies. A projectile attack can be charged and released both horizontally and vertically as well. While some enemies can be dispatched with one attack, others take multiple hits to defeat.[2] Dealing attacks in quick succession will prompt a blue meter, referred to as the "static bar", to appear on screen and increase. The static bar must be continuously built up through attacking or it will begin to deplete. Once the meter is full, the player can release an enhanced projectile attack dealing greater damage, at which it will be expended. The static bar will also completely deplete when damage is taken. If the player is damaged with all six health points lost, they will return to the last checkpoint reached. A traditional life system, typically employed in many platformers, is absent.

Two types of collectables are obtainable. Radiating capsules replenish health points[3] and smaller collectables, entitled Bits, fill a yellow meter in the heads-up display. If this meter is full upon death, the player will forthwith be revived with fully replenished health instead of returning to a checkpoint.

A variety of power-ups can be obtained throughout each level, which can be used to traverse levels and engage with enemies in ways unique to each other.[4] A majority of powers utilize the combo meter. The action that can be performed with a full combo meter is different amongst the powers, in most cases being a form of a special attack. If the player takes damage with a power equipped, there is a chance that it will release, temporarily bouncing across the screen for the player to retrieve. Two powers can be held at once and be swapped out for one another on the fly.[3] Powers can also be manually released.

Once Spark's campaign is completed the player can revisit the game's levels through a time attack mode, with their fastest time being recorded in the game's menu. A hard mode is also available, consisting of reduced health, altered enemy placement, and new boss patterns. Additional game modes can be unlocked upon meeting certain requirements.[5]

The story begins with Spark explaining his origins to the player. After obtaining a gig as a circus performer, he was swiftly replaced with a robot bearing a close resemblance to himself. Present day, Spark overlooks his city in discontent. Robots suddenly begin attacking people, to which Spark intervenes. As Spark eliminates the robots throughout the city he runs into his robotic look-alike from the circus. The robot derides Spark and tells him to go home, instigating a rivalry between the two. Spark would later go on to dub this robot "Fark," a portmanteau of "Spark" and "fake." Spark traverses the planet dispatching the hostile robots, catching wind of plans of world domination.

Spark is eventually introduced to a small resistance movement of robots and their leader, a roboticist named Doctor Armstrong. Armstrong explains that upon the construction of Megaraph, a gigantic industrial tower designed for the production of robots, he created a robot to guard it. The robot, dubbing himself Freom, went rogue and has been waging a war against the planet. Armstrong discovered that Fark's intended purpose was to masquerade as an ally of Freom and terminate him, but he had been unsuccessful in doing so. Armstrong enlists Spark in infiltrating Freom's fleet of aerial battleships and Megaraph.

After defeating Fark in a final dual Spark makes his way up Megaraph, encountering Freom sitting atop a throne of machinery. Freom reveals his plan to launch Megaraph into the planet's orbital ring to bring about mass extinction. As Megaraph, repurposed as a rocket, lifts off into space, Fark thrusts his staff into the sky to aid Spark from the surface. Brandishing the staff, Spark transforms into a more powerful form and pursues Freom up to Megaraph's peak. With his newfound strength, Spark is able to defeat Freom and thwart his plans.

Spark the Electric Jester was created by Felipe Daneluz, who conceptualized the main character, Spark, off of a power-up from one of his fangames,[6] with Ristar, Sonic the Hedgehog, and Kirby being cited as influences for the character's design.[6] Daneluz found that the reaction to Spark's design was mixed, and although attempts were made to redesign the character, he concluded that it just needed refinement.[6] On July 27, 2015, a Kickstarter campaign for the game was launched. The campaign was successful, with over two thousand dollars being funded over its project goal. After a series of minor delays, the game was released on April 10, 2017.

On June 14, 2018, an update was released for the game. Performance improvements, bug fixes, a rewritten story, and the addition of hard modes were included in the update.[7]

Spark the Electric Jester received positive reception. Critics felt that the gameplay was original and distinct, with Jed Whitaker of Destructoid stating "These powers make all the difference in this game, without them it would just be a serviceable Sonic clone, but with them, it sets Spark at what I'd consider equal or better footing than the classic Hedgehog titles".[5] The soundtrack was praised, with Amr Al-Aaser of Rock, Paper, Shotgun remarking "It’s a powerful feel good mood that’s easy to get swept away in".[4] The game's performance was criticized, with Richard Seagrave of GameSpew commenting "Perhaps the only thing that really lets Spark the Electric Jester down is its performance. The developer has battled to eradicate the game’s framerate problems but some still persist".[3]

On September 12, 2017, a sequel under the title of Fark the Electric Jester was announced.[9] The game was developed with Unity and released on May 16, 2019, for Windows as Spark the Electric Jester 2.[10] Unlike its predecessor, Spark 2 features 3D gameplay and stars Fark as the protagonist.[11]

Daneluz is currently developing Spark the Electric Jester 3. The game was simultaneously announced on September 7, 2020, with the release of Spark 2 for the Xbox One.[12][13] The game sees the return of Spark as the protagonist and aims to iterate on the 3D gameplay established in Spark 2.[14]

• Official website