CJ: Strike Back is a arcade styled game for Windows Phone where you play the role of the hero. A hero set on saving he city from invading aliens. Oddly, you do so by running up the screen jumping from side to side from building lining the sides of the screen, taking out the bad guys in mid jump. The further you progress up the buildings, the higher your score.
I'm not sure how much staying power CJ: Strike Back has but for short bits of time the game isn't a bad time waster.
The "CJ" in CJ:Strike Back stands for City Jump, which makes sense seeing that you are constantly jumping around in the game. The main menu has options to play the game, view the help screen, check out the high scores, view more games from the developer and access the IAP for gaming shields. The only setting available for the game is a mute button that sits in the center of the giant robot's chest.
The object of CJ:Strike Back is to see how far up the screen your hero can make it before the aliens take him out. You do have boss battles at various stages to keep things challenging.
Game play is fairly simple. Tap the screen to jump from one side of the screen to the other to avoid dangers that line the sides of the buildings. You can attack the aliens by striking them in mid-jump. Take out three of a kind and you get an invincibility boost. At the bottom of the screen you have a pause button and your shield count. At the top of the screen is your score. You can use shields to protect your hero from one hit.
Should you make contact with an alien weapon, ship or the alien boss you fall to your fate and the game's over.
CJ:Strike Back picks up in speed as you progress up the buildings and you'll need to be on your toes to jump around all the dangers. Graphics aren't too shabby, game play challenging enough to keep things interesting, but the game lacks that addictive quality to keep you pulled in for longer bits of time. For shorter periods when you need help passing the time, CJ:Strike Back isn't a bad option. I just don't know if it has the staying power to survive those times your in the mood for lengthier gaming sessions.
CJ:Strike Back is a free, ad-supported game for both Windows Phone 8 and 7.x devices. You do have the in-app purchase options to buy additional shields. You can pick up CJ:Strike Back here in the Windows Phone Store.
George is the Reviews Editor at Windows Central, concentrating on Windows 10 PC and Mobile apps. He's been a supporter of the platform since the days of Windows CE and uses his current Windows 10 Mobile phone daily to keep up with life and enjoy a game during down time.
