Jet Force Gemini - Gameplay

Gameplay

Jet Force Gemini is a third-person shooter with elements of platform, action-adventure, and run and gun games. Players control the playable character from a third-person perspective in a free three dimensional environment. The game features extensive levels to explore, items to collect, power-ups that enhance characters health and weaponry, towering bosses to defeat, and devastation on a massive scale. Unlike other Rare shooters such as GoldenEye 007 or Perfect Dark, the weapons in Jet Force Gemini feature no magazines and cannot be reloaded after a certain number of shots. Players fight on foot and have the ability to jump. Much of the game is spent in battle, but some parts feature jump mechanics, as the player can hang from most ledges, swim and fly using jet packs when needed. In combat, the player is free to set on a manual aiming system with the targeting camera fixed behind the character’s head. When using this technique, a reticle appears on screen and the playable character becomes translucent so that players can aim and shoot with finesse. By contrast, when walking around, the game plays much like a typical 3D platformer.

Exploration is one of the most important aspect of gameplay. The campaign features a galaxy that is composed of 15 nonlinear worlds, with areas connected by different types of doors. Most of the doors open automatically, but some need a special action to be unlocked. For example, some doors require the player to kill all the enemies in the area to be unlocked, while others can require a specific key. The players can take control of any and all three characters as they progress though the game, using their individual and unshared strengths where required; Juno can walk through magma safely, Vela can swim underwater indefinitely, and Lupus can hover for a short period of time. These abilities allow the characters to uncover new areas which the other characters cannot reach. Therefore, choosing the right character for the right stage is critical in order to complete the game. Initially, the game does not allow the player to tackle the different worlds with a desired character, and forces the player to use the three characters individually until they reach a meeting point. Once they get to the meeting point, all of the worlds can be tackled with any character in any order. The overall objective of the game is to explore all the areas in order to save all the Tribals and collect several spaceship pieces that allow the player to get to the final stage.

The game also features a multiplayer mode, where two to four player can battle out in traditional deathmatch and survival matches. Like GoldenEye 007, options such as weapon schemes, time limit, number of kills or number of lives can be altered to match player preference. Additionally, some multiplayer aspects, such as levels and characters, can be unlocked by finding the corresponding secret in the game's campaign. Players can also unlock some racing mini-games, where players race from an overhead perspective, as well as a firing range mode, which is similar to a rail shooter like Virtua Cop. In this mode, players are limited to moving a crosshair around the screen while the game automatically follows a specific route. Jet Force Gemini also features a no split-screen co-operative mode, where the second player takes control of Floyd, a floating robot that automatically follows the main playable character, and can assist him by shooting.