One of Epyx’s most iconic platformers, Jumpman (1983) casts the player as a bomb disposal expert tasked with saving Jupiter’s sabotaged headquarters from the Alienators. Spanning 30 levels across three buildings, each screen is packed with platforms, ladders, ropes, and hazards including deadly “smart darts” that home in when aligned with the player. The goal on each level is simple: collect all bombs. But reaching them is another matter. Players can adjust Jumpman’s movement speed at the start, trading safety for speed-based bonus points. Touching a bomb defuses it, and once all are cleared, the screen scrolls to the next level. The game features randomized level progression to prevent players from getting stuck on a single difficult map. If Jumpman falls or is hit, he tumbles dramatically to the screen’s base as Chopin’s Funeral March plays. Praised for its tight controls and imaginative level design, Jumpman was a standout title on the Atari 8-bit, Commodore 64, and Apple II, with continued re-releases in the decades that followed. It remains a classic in the early platforming genre and a hallmark of Epyx’s design creativity.

Along with Jumpman Jr, we’d love to introduce modern audiences to an updated version of these titles.  It’s still widely available through emulators, but the gameplay is so solid and enjoyable that we think there’s an important legacy here that should be revived.