Video Game / Jumping Flash!

"Baron Aloha - a black shadow threatening the safety of peaceful worlds. An evil scientist who frightens children and is bent on slavery. A giant robot has seized the peaceful world and carried it off. Aloha’s evil plan is to turn it into a huge private retreat for himself.

Universal City Hall, here to help the people! Robbit can do the job! Let’s go Robbit! JUMP AND GO!"

— Opening narration of Jumping Flash!

Jumping Flash! is a series of games for the PlayStation and PocketStation. It follows the adventures of Robbit as he fights various villains with essentially the same plan: steal chunks of planets for their personal use.

The gameplay of the Jumping Flash! series is a First-Person Shooter that focuses on jumping physics...or maybe it's a Platform Game in a first-person perspective. Either way, you control a robotic space rabbit sent by Universal City Hall to return stolen pieces of planets by collecting all the (carrot shaped) jetpods in each level so that they can fly back to the planet. The sequel keeps this formula the same, but swaps out jetpods with the MuuMuus, the adorable henchmen of Baron Aloha. You start out armed with a simple laser gun, but you can pick up other cool toys that'll really blow away your enemies, like Cherry Bombs or Roman Candles. Also, a big part of the gameplay is utilizing Robbit's rather outstanding jumping capabilities, which allow him to triple jump (which tilts the camera downward so you can see his shadow and plan his landings).

The first game in the series, Jumping Flash!, was released in 1995 on the PlayStation. It chronicles Robbit's mission to take back chunks of Crater Planet from the clutches of elderly scientist Baron Aloha, who is using them to create a personal resort for himself. A sequel on the same system came out in 1996, named Jumping Flash! 2: Big Trouble in Little Muu. Here, the roles have been reversed; Aloha's hideout planet, Little Muu, is under attack from the enormous and effeminate Captain Kabuki, who is plucking away pieces of Little Muu to add to his collection of bottled worlds (and by extension trapping the Baron's MuuMuu henchmen). Robbit must once again leap into action to save the MuuMuus and Little Muu itself from Kabuki's chaos.

1999 saw the release of two more games in the series: Pocket MuuMuu and Robbit Mon Dieu. Pocket MuuMuu is more or less a Minigame Game, where you can play minigames and earn in-game currency called Mu to download applications to the PocketStation peripheral (which isn't required to play the game, by the way, as they can also be played in the hub world). Robbit Mon Dieu is more in the style of the first two Jumping Flash! games, only this time there's no real villain you must take care of. Instead, you are tasked with helping out various residents of Hananuma Island, and can get cash and other collectibles for various missions. It's currently the last game in the series.

The Jumping Flash! series, while currently dormant, has seen digital re-releases through the PlayStation online storefront, with the most recent being the first game making its way to the PlayStation 5. Robbit has also been making reoccurring appearances in the PlayStation Stars loyalty program's series of digital collectibles, along with other characters like Baron Aloha and Captain Kabuki.

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Jumping Flash! provides examples of:

• 1-Up: Little cards with Robbit on them.
• Accessory-Wearing Cartoon Animal: Kaeru-san and its kin (Kaeru no Prince, Kaeru no Uncle, etc.) are cartoonish frogs who wear hats that match with their names (e.g., Kaeru no Prince wears a crown).
• Accidental Pun: Kabuki does one after you clear a world, on two separate instances.
  Kabuki: "Now you've done it, you rapscallion rabbit! I'll make you into a - a dust bunny!"

  "Robo-bunny not funny! Time to grind out some bunny burgers, 'cause you don't know jack, rabbit! Jackrabbit, haha, I made a funny."

• Adorable Evil Minions: The MuuMuus, as well as just about every other enemy in the series.
• All There in the Manual: The manuals and official guidebooks have quite the trove of knowledge regarding deeper aspects of the series, such as the Baron's life story and the biology of the MuuMuu species.
• Amazing Technicolor Battlefield: The final stage of both games is a boss stage against a robotic Aloha/Kabuki in a floating boxing ring with a colorful background.
• Amusement Park of Doom: World/Extra 3 in the first game and World/Extra 5 in the second game are amusement park levels, with the second game having a circus motif for the second half of that world and the boss fight.
• Batman Can Breathe in Space: In JF!2, Baron Aloha and his MuuMuu buddy are no worse for the wear while stranded on a small asteroid in space with no protective gear.
• Beary Friendly: The Kumagoro line of support robots who accompany Robbit on his adventures, providing encouragement and the occasional hint.
• Big Bad: Baron Aloha in the first game and Captain Kabuki in the second, until Kabuki is demoted to being Aloha's Dragon in the extra mode.
• Boss-Only Level: There are three stages in each world in both games, and the third stage is a boss fight. The last world has stage 2 as a mid-boss level in addition to the final boss fight with Baron Aloha/Captain Kabuki's robot in stage 3.
• Bottomless Pit: You will see these in almost every level, and of course, you are treated to a scene of Robbit falling if you fall into one of these.
• Breath Weapon: The first boss of game 1 is a dragon that breathes fire.
• Bunnies for Cuteness: Because why else would you be a robotic space rabbit?
• Camp Gay: Captain Kabuki. If his voice didn't tip you off, his skintight wrestling singlet and frilly collar certainly will.
• Circus of Fear: The second half of World/Extra 5 in the second game is a giant circus level, with a pair of clowns as the boss.
• Company Cross References: Two of the series' most iconic enemies, Kiwi and Kaeru-san, would have cameos as harmless wildlife in Pet in TV, which was developed by the Jumping Flash! series' co-developer MuuMuu Co., Ltd.
  • Dig a-Dig Pukka (a spiritual successor to Pet in TV also by MuuMuu) would also see another cameo by the Kiwi.
• Cutscene Power to the Max: Robbit's loooong jump as he returns to his spaceship after beating a level.
• Difficulty by Region: The US/EU versions of Jumping Flash! 2 cut down the time limits of every stage by two minutes. While many stages are generous with time extends (namely 4-2) and make this change a non-issue, the boss battles in Extra mode (which now only have three minutes) are where this alteration can start causing problems. It's especially stifling during the last showdown with Captain Kabuki's robot.
• Double Jump: Robbit can triple jump, thanks to his powerful electromagnetic spring legs.
• Dual Boss: The bosses of World/Extra 5 in the second game are two homicidal clowns named Aaron and Heron. You fight them both together until half of their health is drained, at which point one of them dies. In the first run, you'll be left with the weaker short-hat clown (Heron), but in the Extra version, you get the top-hat military clown who has an arsenal (Aaron).
• Enemy Mine: The premise of the second game involves Robbit helping Baron Aloha rescue his Mooks and reclaiming his secret hideout from Captain Kabuki.
• Eternal Engine: World/Extra 4 of the second game takes place in a large factory with flames and oil. The second stage of World/Extra 6 also has this theme, as it's a boss stage where Robbit has to confront Kuragera 7.
• Every 10,000 Points: You get your first three extra lives at 100,000 points, 300,000 points and 500,000 points; and then you get an extra life for every 1,000,000 points thereafter.
• Excuse Plot: A man in a Hawaiian shirt steals conveniently level sized chunks of a planet that happen to correspond to common level themes.
• Expy: The final boss of the second game, Captain Robo, is essentially the same as the final boss of the first game, Aloha Robo, aside from some cosmetic and tactical changes.
• Floating Platforms: Most levels are made of little else, with the main level being little more than the largest one. Of course, this is pretty well grounded in the story.
• Flunky Boss:
  • Fake Robbit in World/Extra 6-2, after taking enough damage, will jump onto a gate at the rim of the stadium arena you are in and release four mini-Robbits that are normal enemies (you can get powerups including a possible invincibility from destroying them). He will do this twice before you defeat him.
  • Shogun Machine of World/Extra 2 in the second game has two floating enemies behind him that breathe fire your way; in the "Big Trouble on Little Muu" episode, they breathe spiral orange flames, but in the Extra episode, it's a sustained stream of white fire.
  • The boss of World/Extra 3 in this same game, Monster Flower #5, will sometimes smack the ground and bring out mini-plants with pitchforks in the first phase of the fight. Once it starts raining, they stop appearing.
  • The boss of World/Extra 4 in the first game, Spider Machine, can unleash baby spiders that explode.
• Giant Space Flea from Nowhere: The final boss of the third game.
• Goomba Springboard: You can also bounce off the enemies repeatedly and use them to propel yourself to new heights.
• Goomba Stomp: Makes up one half of your basic arsenal. Its damage increases as Robbit falls and you can shoot the enemies while you're falling toward them.
• Gotta Catch 'Em All: Robbit must find every booster carrot/MuuMuu in each stage to be able to leave, and the second game has a medal system for completing certain goals.
• Green Hill Zone: World 1 of Game 1.
• Grumpy Old Man: Aloha really takes the cake in the second game with his constant irate yelling directed at his poor assistant.
• Hard Mode Perks: Super (for normal levels) and Hyper (for Extra levels) modes in the first game start you off with less health, but with extra abilities: a dash with L1 that makes you go much faster, two extra jumps, and fast falling with the triangle button, which increases the damage done by the Goomba Stomp.
• Heal Thyself: The HP Charge card (symbolized by a single carrot) restores a portion of your Life Meter, and the HP Max card (symbolized by a bunch of carrots) fully restores your Life Meter.
• Heel–Face Turn: The MuuMuus in Jumping Flash 2, due to Robbit rescuing them. They completely become faces after their master starts the whole thing all over again.
• Herr Doktor: While the Mad Scientist Baron Aloha sounds (slightly) British in the first game, he suddenly has a German accent in the second game.
• Ironic Name: "Aloha" is a Hawaiian word that means all sorts of positive things (love, peace, affection, etc.), yet it also happens to be the first name of the series' resident vindictive and ill-tempered mad scientist. Though, it does match with his fashion sense, all things considered.
• It's All Upstairs From Here: The first stage of World/Extra 3 in the second game has a big stone tower in the middle of the map, and a ramp around the tower that the player needs to scale to complete the stage.
• Jerk with a Heart of Jerk: You'd think Baron Aloha would be at least a little grateful to Robbit for helping him take back his hideout and rescuing his MuuMuus. Well, he apparently hates Robbit so much, that he makes Kabuki, the guy tearing up his planet to begin with, his Dragon and basically repeats the whole thing all over again just to get rid of him. In the end, his own Muu-Muus want nothing to do with him and tell him off.
• Killer Rabbit: Now with lasers!
• Our Dragons Are Different: The first boss of the first game is a fire-breathing dragon.
• A Space Marine Is You: Yes, you're a cartoon robot bunny fighting frogs and flowers, but he's essentially a space marine.
• Laughably Evil: Captain Kabuki in the second game.
  Kabuki: Here, bunny, bunny, bunny, come to papa! Time to wrap you up in a big bunny burrito! Hippity-hop, hippity-hop, kaboom! Hahahahaha!
• Lethal Lava Land/Planet Heck: The second stage of World/Extra 1 in the first game is a volcanic landscape with lava rivers and a frying pan; the stage after this is a boss fight against a dragon.
• MacGuffin: For each platforming stage, Robbit must retrieve 4 items with letters that spell "Exit" and then find the Exit spring somewhere in the stage. In the first game, it's booster carrots, and in the second, it's MuuMuus.
• Mascot Mook: MuuMuus, the strange palm tree-topped, squid/jellyfish-esque henchmen of Baron Aloha. There’s also the spherical green Kiwis, who became especially prominent after Jumping Flash! 2, so much that their likeness served as the disc art for Pocket MuuMuu and are what the main currency of Robbit Mon Dieu is named after.
• The Maze: The second stage of Worlds/Extras 2 & 4 in both games takes place in an indoor building that is designed like a maze.
• Mirror Boss: The black Robbit who appears in the first and third games.
• Mission-Pack Sequel: Jumping Flash! 2 plays much like the first one, but Robbit Mon Dieu requires you to complete different sorts of missions in each act of a level, such as simply getting to the end or destroying all enemies.
• Ninja Pirate Zombie Robot: You play as a Robot Space Marine Jet-Propelled Bunny.
• Palmtree Panic: Several levels including the first world of the second game, but it deserves special mention that the Big Bad is named Baron Aloha, and his sidekick creatures are named after a Hawaiian dress and have palm trees growing on their heads. Said sidekicks even frequent a bar named after the Hawaiian island of Oahu.
• Platform Hell: A couple of levels in Robbit Mon Dieu.
• Playing with Fire: The first boss of the first game breathes fire.
• Robot Buddy: The Support AI bots installed onto Robbit. They react to the action happening in game, like complimenting the player when they clear a level or expressing displeasure whenever Robbit gets hurt.
• Robot Me: The final bosses of the first two games are robotic versions of each game's main antagonists.
• Random Events Plot: The plot for Robbit Mon Dieu is that people are requesting Robbit to help with their problems. As you clear each set of missions, which appear at random order, you see the endings for those sets' characters. After 30 missions, Giant Space Flea from Nowhere. Beat it and you're allowed to play the rest of the missions.
• Ruins for Ruins' Sake: World/Extra 3 of JF!2 consists of ruins and a tower for its first two stages.
• Save the Villain: The plot of ''Jumping Flash 2: Big Trouble on Little Muu!" is that Baron Aloha, the villain of the first game, is having his own planet torn up by Captain Kabuki and needs Robbit to save it.
• Sequential Boss: You will find a few of these bosses will alter their game plans as the fight goes on.
  • After you damage the Scorpion Machine of World/Extra 2 in Game 1 enough, its body will explode and it will start chasing you while walking on its claws. It can now damage you just from touching you.
  • The third boss of Game 1 hides in a bunch of teacups and you have to destroy them all. Once you're down to one, the whole boss will emerge from the final teacup and start spinning in a move to push you off the platform.
  • The fourth boss of Game 1, Turtle Machine, loses his legs and starts spinning on his shell after he takes enough damage.
  • Flower Monster #5 of World/Extra 3 in Game 2, after losing half his health, will make it rain, which will restore his health; he'll also alter his attacks.
  • Aaron & Heron of World/Extra 5 in Game 2 start the fight together, but after half of the boss's health is depleted, one of them will die and the other will change his attack pattern to fight you alone. In the main game, the clown with the small hat and the tuxedo will fight you, and he is easier; in Extra, the military clown will attack with rockets and whatnot.
  • Kuragera 7 (Kuragera 8 in Extra 6-2) in World 6-2 in Game 2 starts chained to the floor and has three attacks: a bunch of fire pillars, rockets, and it can try to jab you with its drills (it will always do it twice in a row). After taking some damage, it drills away its chains and starts moving around; in the standard game the rockets and drill moves go away (they're replaced with laser swords), but in Extra, it will retain both attacks in the second phase, plus it can spin around (in Extra it will shoot bombs as it spins).
  • Both Baron Aloha and Captain Kabuki's robots have sequential fights; you'll start with their full bodies, then their head will take a tank form, then the head will start spinning on its own and have a force field/explosion around it. For Captain Robo in Extra, a fourth phase where he takes flight is added in between the full body form and the tank form.
• Shark Tunnel: The second stage of World/Extra 4 in the first game includes a transparent tunnel through an aquarium.
• Shifting Sand Land: World 2 is an Egyptian flavor of this, despite also containing Moai and Stonehenge.
• Shout-Out:
  • The AI buddies for Normal and Extra mode in the second game are named Bill & Ted.
  • Also, the main episode of that game is called Big Trouble In Little Muu.
  • For a retroactive example, two of the first game's trophies on PS4 and PS5 are called "Falling with Style" and I'll Face Myself".
• Skyscraper City: World/Extra 5 of the first game is in a bustling metropolis. The second game's first two stages in both normal and Extra mode cross this with Palmtree Panic.
• The Spiny: There are a handful of enemies who hurt Robbit if he tries jumping on them, and you'll likely know which ones that do that by appearance alone.
• Temple of Doom: Stages 2 and 3 of World/Extra 2 in JF!1 take place inside a pyramid that Robbit needs to navigate, with the third stage being a boss fight against a giant scorpion in its shrine.
• This Is a Drill: Kuragera 7, the boss that has to be confronted before Kabuki in the second game, has drills on the ends of its arms, and these drill hurt when he shoots them in your direction.
• Threatening Shark: This is the first boss of the second game, and it's a robot shark with missiles and sharp teeth.
• Timed Mission: Each and every level in the first two games has a time limit. If the timer runs out, Robbit shuts down and one life is lost. This timer is cut in half in the Extra modes.
• Token Human: Aside from his unseen family who are mentioned only in supplemental materials, Baron Aloha is the series' sole human character. In a series where 99% of the cast are either animals, robots, or aliens, it makes him stick out quite a bit.
• Under the Sea: Most of World/Extra 4 in Game 1.
• Underwater Boss Battle: The rematch with the Kuragera 7 (now renumbered to 8) in Extra 6-2 forces Robbit to fight the boss underwater.
• Unexplained Accent: In the first game, Baron Aloha spoke with a harsh voice, but in normal English. In 2, he's given an over-the-top German accent without any clear explanation.
• Villain: Exit, Stage Left: Baron Aloha uses his 'keen sense of villain timing' to escape Kabuki's invasion.
• Villains Out Shopping: The cutscenes after you clear each world in the first game and the second game's Two Faces of Baron Aloha mode are of the MuuMuu's hanging out at a Japanese bar, commenting on Robbit's progress or just talking about whatever.
• We Help the Helpless: In Robbit Mon Dieu, the world isn't under the threat of any villains, so Robbit's job is to solve people's rather mundane requests.
• Wolfpack Boss: The boss of World/Extra 3 in the first game is a genie-like entity hiding in a series of teacups, and parts of his body can pop out and do things such as punch the ground. Once the player is down to one teacup, the whole boss will emerge from the cup and try to push Robbit off the edge.
• Wutai: World/Extra 2 of the second game is a Japanese temple in winter; the first stage takes place outside, and the rest have Robbit inside the house. It comes complete with the Shogun Machine boss.

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