Jump Bug (1981). Play online

Summary

Jump Bug still feels like a quirky blend of shooter and platformer. You pilot a constantly bouncing Volkswagen‑styled car that hops over city streets, ancient pyramids and even underwater islands, with the joystick setting both jump height and fall speed. The game pushes the screen forward automatically, but you can still aim and fire at the oncoming foes while gathering floating money bags; each filled treasure meter awards an extra life. A subtle parallax effect puts a fixed starry sky behind the scrolling action, making the world feel deeper than many early 1980s titles. Even before Moon Patrol, Jump Bug experimented with vertical scrolling in the pyramid section, letting you move left to hunt the exit—a rare glimpse of true platforming inside an arcade shooter.