Parents' Guide to

Pokemon: Magikarp Jump

By Neilie Johnson, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 4+

Silly Pokemon spin-off offers boat loads of fishy fun.

Pokemon: Magikarp Jump Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this app.

Community Reviews

age 5+

Based on 1 parent review

age 5+

Hours of fun, with some caveats

My kids (5 and 8) both love this game. I'm writing this review to point out some things that aren't mentioned in the Common Sense Media description of the app, most of which is accurate. The main difference I have noticed is that there is no timer in this game, wish there was, as my kids would go on for hours (and have a few times). But the most troubling part of this game is that when the player touches the little archaic tv icon that the support pokemon hang out near, it open ups youtube and next thing you know your kid is watching streams of pokemon videos. The videos my 5 year old has found include pokemon "killing" each other, not just battling until someone "faints". Also Pokemon videos with voiceovers with inappropriate language, in my opinion. There appears to be no way to unlink youtube from Magikarp Jump. If someone is aware of a way, please write a review to let us know. Overall fun but problematic.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (1 ):
Kids say (1 ):

This simple little app is more entertaining than it has any right to be. It takes a sense of humor to build a game around the world's worst Pokemon, and humor is what makes this silly collectible-slash-competition game so much fun. After fishing a promising Magikarp out of the water, (if you get a bad one you can -- providing you have diamonds in your pocket -- throw it back and cast your line again) you feed it, train it, then when you're ready, take on other Magikarps in various challenge leagues.

Though much of the gameplay is automated (training and jumping, for instance) it's fun upgrading your Magikarp's food supply and training options, not to mention using your reward money to buy Pokemon friends like Pikachu to cheer you on. Further, there are themes and decorations to buy for your Magikarp's underwater home, and of course, Pokemon Magikarp Jump wouldn't fit into the Pokemon world without a collection feature. Avid collectors will enjoy collecting the many Pokemon companions and different Magikarp patterns, while sharing their finds on social media. If the app has a down side, it's that its free play is limited. A built-in timer forces you to space your Magikarp's training out over many hours unless you're willing to spend the cash to speed the process up. If you're not, the most you can hope for is five or ten minutes of play at one time. Even with this hindrance though, Magikarp Jump offers a lot of fishy fun and proves that even world-class flops like Magikarp sometimes finish first.

App Details

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