Yeah Jam Fury (series)

The Yeah Jam Fury series is a puzzle-platforming game series developed in conjunction by World Entertainment Studios (formerly WillyWorld Entertainment) and McLeodGaming.

Yeah Jam Fury
The first game in the series is Yeah Jam Fury, commonly abbreviated as YJF, and was released on June 30, 2012. It is the first game to be released by World Entertainment Studios in the history of the company, as well as the first complete game released by McLeodGaming since Super Smash Flash in 2006.

Gameplay
In Yeah Jam Fury, the player takes the role of the three titular characters, Yeah, Jam and Fury, by changing to the correct character needed to complete certain obstacles in order to reach the mango at end of each level. Levels are completely made up of two types of square-shaped blocks, yellow Yellow Blocks and gray Steel Blocks. Each of the three characters has unique properties used to complete each level: Yeah jumps the highest and can place Yellow Blocks from a quota, but he walks the slowest; Jam runs the fastest, can cling onto walls, and can use his hammer to boost off of floors and walls, but he has the lowest jump and least traction; and Fury can break Yellow Blocks to add them to the quota by punching or falling through them, but he cannot jump. There are no lives in the game, though if the player character falls from the level, they will refoot on the most recent Steel Block stood on. There also is no time limit, but a timer counts upwards over the course of the level, encouraging the player to complete it as quickly as possible.

By default, the A and D keys are used to move the character left and right, respectively, and W is used to jump. To switch between characters, the 1 key switches to Yeah, the 2 key switches to Jam, the 3 key switches to Fury and the Q key switches to the last character used. The M key shows the mango's location in each level and P key opens the pause menu. The game also makes use of the computer optical mouse needed to use the special abilities of each character, including placing blocks with Yeah, boosting with Jam, and punching with Fury. The cursor takes the form of a colored arrow that works according the character selected, and its position determines where Yeah places a block, the angle at which Jam boosts, and where Fury punches. With the exception of the mouse movement, all controls in the game can be completely customized, and the jumping, special abilities, and switching controls can have two inputs assigned at once.

Features
There are 46 levels in all, 4 of which are optional tutorial levels. The first six are unlocked from the start, and clearing a row of six levels (not including tutorial levels) unlocks the next row of six levels. Several levels also include unique gimmicks not present in others; Lights Out, for instance, features a limited viewpoint, and Oh Love always forces the player to move to the right and does not have any refoots. Clearing every level unlocks a set of alternate threads that change the colors of the characters' clothes. The game also features trochievals, a system of 32 Newgrounds medals awarded for performing optional challenges, as well as rankings in which the player's best time on a level is saved to Newgrounds' scoreboards.

Yeah Jam Fury: U, Me, Everybody!
Originally planned to be a port of the first game to Steam with new content, Yeah Jam Fury: U, Me, Everybody!, often shortened as UME, instead became both a remake and a sequel to the original YJF released to Steam on December 15, 2017. It was originally planned to be released on Wii U as well, but this version was eventually cancelled. It is the first game World Entertainment Studios and McLeodGaming will be releasing onto a digital storefront, as well as the first to be full-paid game in the history of both companies. While largely similar to its predecessor, it features enhanced sprites, graphics, and mechanics, as well as more than 100 levels.

Gameplay
The gameplay of Yeah Jam Fury: U, Me, Everybody! is very similar to that of its predecessor, but certain changes have been made to the mechanics. The movement controls have been tweaked to feel less slippery overall, and controls have been added to cycle left or right between characters when switching. Yeah can now "Quick Drop" a block directly beneath him without the need of the cursor, which is assigned to the S key by default. Jam now climbs walls for a short time instead of clinging to them, and the player has much more control over him in the air after boosting. Fury can also no longer punch blocks beneath him.

Additionally, several new gameplay elements have been added. The Yellow Blocks and Steel Blocks retain their properties from the previous game, but there is also a new type of block: the Ice Block. This block cannot be climbed by Jam, it can be broken by Fury but not added to the quota, and Yeah and Jam have less traction when walking on it. Another new addition is Lock Flags, which lock access to a certain character when passed. Certain levels also have the mango locked behind a certain amount of Yellow Blocks or coins that the player must have in their quota in order to unlock it. The timer also returns from the previous game, but certain levels instead have a time limit.

Features
There are 101 levels in all, not including the tutorial level and the credits level. Most of the levels are completely new, but several are remade levels from the previous game. The first twenty are unlocked after clearing the tutorial level, and every twenty levels cleared (or ten, for the first set) unlocks the next twenty levels. With the exception of the final level, each of the regular levels also has a B-Side version unlocked after every level is cleared, which changes the layout of the level to be much harder. Every tenth level features a unique gimmick not present in others; all of the gimmicks from the previous game return and new ones have been added as well, such as the giant monster Mr. Snowman and his antagonistic owner Ms. Carrot that chase the player in Happy Birthday.

Several additional game modes have also been added. The most notable new mode is the Stage Builder, in which players can create a level using most of the game's assets and gimmicks. Created levels can then be played or shared to the game's Steam Workshop. There is also a three-player co-op mode, in which three players can play with each one controlling a single character, and all three players can switch in at any time. The trochievals system has been replaced with 50 Steam achievements, with each one unlocking a sticker and entry in the Memory Book, a book which the three playable characters use to communicate to each other. The Memory Book also includes a stats menu used to log various statistics regarding the player's session of the game. Rankings return from the previous game, only they are saved to Steam leaderboards instead. The player also now has the option to watch a replay of their fastest playthrough of a certain level.