Helix Jump+ - Apple Arcade Review

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Genre: Casual/Action

Developer: Voodoo SAS

Publisher: H8games

Release Date: June 5th 2025

Available On: iOS, iPadOS

Reviewed On: iOS

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Helix Jump for Apple Arcade is a difficult game to review. At its core, the game is exactly what it says in the adverts. It can appeal to a casual gaming crowd who merely want to spend a few minutes playing a game on their phone. Admittedly, the game itself can be enjoyable in brief bursts, but it is ultimately nothing special. Every level is more or less the same, the boss stages pose no real threat, and a lot of the unlockable skins don't change the gameplay in any way. Helix Jump for Apple Arcade is a fun game for a few minutes, but playing it for a long period is not worthwhile.

In Helix Jump for Apple Arcade, you control a ball at the top of a tower. With your thumb on the touchscreen, rotate the tower so the ball can fall through a series of gaps to progress. Once you reach a certain point, you complete the stage and have the opportunity to get a score multiplier, which can massively increase your score for the stage. To get the score multiplier, you must not touch the base of any platforms after finishing the stage. The longer you maintain your fall, the higher your multiplier will be. 

That is all you will be doing in Helix Jump for Apple Arcade. There are some special stages, including boss stages and ASMR stages. The ASMR stages net you the highest score possible; the platforms are much more coordinated and much easier to dodge. Admittedly, these stages are very satisfying, and I got a major dopamine hit the first time I finished one of them without touching any platforms.

Sadly, the boss stages are not as satisfying as the ASMR stages. The bosses can be tricky at first because you have to avoid the edges of platforms in order to progress. If you touch the edges without building momentum by going through multiple gaps in a row, you will die and need to restart. But once you learn the mechanics, the boss stages become monotonous and do not pose as much of a challenge as they should. Helix Jump for Apple Arcade is a disappointment when it comes to bosses, but the ASMR stages are fun enough.

The better you do in a stage, the more coins you score. The coins allow you to buy skins for your ball. Some skins include turning your ball into a mushroom or a bomb. It would have been cool if these skins altered the gameplay; for example, the bomb could explode on certain platforms. Sadly, the skins do nothing aside from changing the ball's appearance.

The main issue with Helix Jump is this: it plays it safe and does not take that extra step to become anything more. It is a game intended for casual audiences, and it scratches that itch well enough. But releasing Helix Jump on a paid subscription service like Apple Arcade feels like a misstep. Helix Jump is already free on the App Store and is even available for a small price on Steam and the Nintendo eShop. I don't understand what makes this version of Helix Jump worth the cost of an Apple Arcade subscription, aside from the absence of ads. It feels too simplistic for a game to be on a subscription service, especially compared to some of the best games on Apple Arcade, such as Space Invaders Infinity Gene Evolve, Sonic Dream Team, and Balatro.

Helix Jump+ — Apple Arcade Review: Verdict

Helix Jump for Apple Arcade is a game that appeals to a specific audience. Suppose you spend a few minutes on your phone playing a game that's very easy to get the hang of; then Helix Jump may be something you'd like. However, for me, it does not scratch the same itch that other casual games do, like Fruit Ninja or Cut the Rope. Helix Jump is not a bad game by any stretch, but it feels too barebones to warrant a place on Apple Arcade.