1. Gameplay

2. Development

3. Reception

4. Sequel

5. References

Spark the Electric Jester is an action-platform video game developed and published by Brazilian studio Feperd Games. After being funded through Kickstarter, the game was released in 2017 for Microsoft Windows. Primarily developed by Felipe Daneluz, the creator of the Sonic: Before the Sequel, After the Sequel, and Sonic Chrono Adventure fangames, the game incorporates elements from the Sonic the Hedgehog, Mega Man X, and Kirby series.^[1] Players follow Spark, a former circus performer with electric abilities, as he tries to hunt down the robotic clone who replaced him, Fark.

Spark the Electric Jester received positive reviews. The gameplay and soundtrack were praised, with criticism lending towards performance issues. A sequel, Spark the Electric Jester 2, is slated for early 2019.

Gameplay

Spark the Electric Jester is a 2D action and platform game in the style of various 16-bit games.^[1] Players take control of Spark, an electric jester who embarks on a journey to protect the world from robots who have turned on the planet's population, as well as to find his robotic counterpart, Fark. The game is split into 16 stages, with each one concluding with a boss fight.

Spark's base moveset consists of running, jumping, wall jumping, melee attacks, a charged shot, and a dash which accelerates his speed. If the player performs a combo on an enemy in quick succession, a blue "static bar" will appear on screen and fill up. Once this bar is full, using a charged attack will deal a greater amount of damage to enemies then a normal charged attack would. The player can take up to eight hits of damage before dying, and as there is no life system in the game, the player will continue from the last checkpoint they reached. Health can be replenished with H-Capsules, and Bits can be collected to fill up a bar located in the HUD. If the bar is full when the player dies, they can continue playing where they left off without having to start at their last checkpoint.

Throughout each stage different powers can be found inside glass containers. Breaking the container and collecting the power inside will give Spark an altered look, moveset, and new abilities. These powers can be used to attack enemies differently, reach areas inaccessible with other powers, and if the static bar is filled up, the player will be rewarded with a new attack or enhancement. Two powers can be held at once, and can be swapped out for one another on the fly.

Upon completion of different game modes, more are unlocked.

Development

Spark the Electric Jester was created by Felipe Daneluz, who originally conceptualized the main character, Spark, off of a power-up from one of his fangames,^[2] with Ristar, Sonic the Hedgehog, and Kirby being cited as influences for the character's design.^[3] Felipe 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.^[4] 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, updates to the hard modes, and a completely reworked plot were included in the update.^[5]

Reception

Sequel

On September 12, 2017, a sequel entitled Spark the Electric Jester 2 was announced.^[9][10] Unlike its predecessor, Spark 2 features 3D gameplay and has Fark star as the main character. The game is being developed with Unity and is set to be released near the spring of 2019.^[11]

References

• Düssel
• Düsseldorf
• Düsseldorf Airport
• Düsseldorf, Germany
• Düsseldorf Panther
• Düsseldorf (region)
• Düsseldorf school
• Düsseldorf school of painting
• Düsseldorp
• Düsum Khyenpa, 1st Karmapa Lama
• Düzce Province
• Düül
• Dāna
• Dāo
• Dātsu
• Dărăști-Ilfov
• Dąb coat of arms
• Dąbie, Greater Poland Voivodeship
• Dąbie Lake
• Dąbie, Szczecin
• Dąbrowa
• Dąbrowa Białostocka
• Dąbrowa coat of arms
• Dąbrowa Górnicza
• Dąbrowski