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Spring Jump

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Just try to match that, Jumpman!

"A strong spring that can send you flying higher than you ever have before. If you throw this down while you're in midair, you'll get a boost and sail even farther into the air! Try to be careful, though, since this spring may fall on its side and end up launching you sideways instead of up."

The Spring Jump is an ability in video games that sends your character rocketing straight upwards, and is much more powerful than your character's normal jump, giving you the power to leap tall obstacles In a Single Bound. It may require a special item or only be available at certain places in the level architecture (such as springboards and Spring Coils), or some other limiter that makes it less available (which it does not imply the availability of, though some degree of air control is required).

Occasionally, it will be an integrated part of the character's abilities, but will usually be limited by being somewhat complicated to perform, requiring the player to stand still, and/or giving up what it gains in height in horizontal distance (thus making it only good for clearing obstacles, and not at all for crossing gaps).

See also Goomba Springboard and Vent Physics. Compare Double Jump and Rocket Jump.


Examples:

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    Action-Adventure 
  • Primal - Jen can jump higher in her Ferai demon form, but only at specific points.
  • In The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask has fans that are like this. If you're Deku Link, walking over one of these will rocket you up and you can glide down on your leaf.

    Fighting Game 
  • Super Smash Bros.:
    • Super Smash Bros. Brawl has a variety of springs. There are springs that you can put in custom stages, ones that are items, and Sonic's spring (shown above). Throughout the series, this is also Mario and Luigi's Up-B move though whereas Mario's goes to one side, Luigi's goes straight up. If timed right, it's also insanely strong.
    • Later games in the series also include this type of thing for certain moves, such as Mega Man's Rush Coil (mentioned in the Platformer section), Pac-Man's Pac-Jump in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U, and Inkling's Super Jump and Banjo & Kazooie's Shock Spring Jump in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
  • Various fighting games such as Marvel vs. Capcom or BlazBlue give everyone the ability to do a higher than normal jump (usually called "super-jump") that is useful either for general movement, avoiding attacks or following your opponent after a Launcher Move.

    First-Person Shooter 
  • The various Serious Sam games have jump pads, which are basically gigantic fans that launch you into the air.
  • Halo:
    • Halo 2 introduced air vents to replace ladders from the first game, which flung players into the air. Why or how there would be fans on the ground that spin so fast that they launch two-ton space marines into the air isn't explained.
    • Halo 3 took the concept one step further by having a small anti-gravity item that players can deploy anywhere.
    • The man cannons, introduced in Halo 3, are stationary anti-gravity pads that can launch players across incredibly long distances.
    • Halo Infinite introduces the Repulsor as a piece of equipment you can use. It's primarily intended as an Attack Reflector, but it can also let you jump great heights if you aim it at your feet.
  • The cyberjump ability in E.Y.E: Divine Cybermancy ramps up your prosthetics to eleven, catapulting you 10 meters into the sky. Putting experience points into Agility or investing in better legs allows the player to jump even higher with less stamina cost. Landing on a mook from a cyberjump will often kill them

    Metroidvania 
  • Most of the Metroidvania Castlevania entries have a powerup which allows you to do this. Infinitely.
  • Downplayed in Metroid, where Samus follows different Jump Physics depending on whether she's moving when the jump button is pressed. Her moving jump is a forward somersault, while her standing jump goes higher but has little horizontal control. Her standing jump can be improved with the Hi-Jump Boots upgrade... but becomes mostly obsolete after she receives the Space Jump (which allows her to somersault infinite times in midair), and also isn't compatible with the Screw Attack (which damages enemies she somersaults into). The Speed Booster's hidden "Shinespark" technique is a better example - after building up to full speed, she can crouch and then input a direction to launch herself in that direction.
  • Ori and the Blind Forest has the Charge Jump, which can launch Ori either straight up or off walls, and break certain otherwise impenetrable barriers. The sequel Ori and the Will of the Wisps has the Launch, which is basically the same but can be performed in midair and doesn't require charging.

    Miscellaneous Games 
  • Glider PRO has this through a Good Bad Bug.
  • In Stampede Run, fireworks give you a massive jump that is used to cross large gaps, reach very tall platforms, and/or pick up items placed high above you.

    Multiplayer Online Battle Arena 
  • Multiple characters in Gigantic have abilities that allow them to jump to incredible heights. A couple of them also have skills that allow their allies to perform super jumps.

    Platform Game 
  • Super Mario Bros.:
    • The series has had springboards since World 2-1 of the original game. The springboards in Super Mario World can be picked up and carried around.
    • Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels has two types of springboards: Red ones are identical to the ones in the first game, and green super springboards that propel you into the air for seconds at a time (and often drop you in perilous or otherwise undesirable places, if you aren't paying attention).
    • Super Mario Bros. 2: Any character can crouch to "charge up" a super jump. In Luigi's case, it sends him close to the top of the screen.
    • Super Mario Bros. 3 marks the debut of note blocks, which provide a bouncy jump to Mario and Luigi. A higher jump is possible by pressing the jump button at the exact moment they land on the block, but the timing is strict; if the higher jump is done with a pink note block, they will skyrocket into a Coin Heaven area.
    • Super Mario World: In the levels Vanilla Dome 4 and Gnarly, there are small elastic bars attached to a wall or elevation. They allow Mario and Luigi to perform a huge leap from their tips.
    • Super Mario Sunshine has a rocket nozzle for explosive vertical potential. There are also real springs that can be carried like in Super Mario World, but only if you spray it with water beforehand to make it shrink.
    • Super Mario Galaxy has "Spring Mario", a power-up that wraps Mario in a metal spring and allows you to bounce up to previously-unreachable areas.
    • In Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, the ability is actually called Spring Jump (Mario folds himself like a paper spring, which launches him straight into the air), and is gained when Mario gets the final upgrade to his boots. It can also be used as a combat ability. This is also specifically Luigi's special ability in Super Paper Mario. He causes heavy damage to anyone who touches him while he's ascending, regardless of how long you charge the jump, which makes him the go-to character for dealing with airborne enemies, including Bonechill.
    • In Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, the High Jump move has Luigi using Mario as the spring. This somehow makes them both jump higher.
    • Mario Party: Island Tour: The minigame Trounce 'n' Bounce has the characters jump very high thanks to some checkered yellow blocks placed in a grassy ground. With each jump, some of these bouncy blocks begin disappearing and the characters have to punch each other to claim a block to land onto for a new jump, and whoever ends up falling onto the grass will be eliminated. At latest, only one bouncy block will remain, which ensures that only one character will be able to jump again and make the others land onto the grass. That remaining player will be the winner.
    • Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3: There are blocks that acted like the Super Mario Bros. springboards, and the Spring Wario power up (which turns Wario into a spring worked) also works like this.
    • Wario World has bunny-shaped springs that boost Wario up when Ground Pounded.
  • Distorted Travesty 3 features the spring balls from Yoshi's Island.
  • Banjo-Kazooie has the green-colored Shock Jump pads, which allow Kazooie to perform a strong elastic jump with her paws. Banjo-Tooie adds the Springy Step Shoes (requires item) and the Leg Spring (performed by Kazooie solo).
  • The springs in the Sonic The Hedgehog games. In particular, Amy Rose is able to hit springs with her hammer in Sonic Advance, giving her the highest single jump in the game.
  • The trampolines in Mappy-Land.
  • Ratchet & Clank:
    • After obtaining the Heli-Pack upgrade for Clank in the first game, Ratchet gains access to the High Jump which allows him to access high up areas that not even his double jump can reach. Later in the same game Clank gets outfitted with a jetpack upgrade called the Thruster Pack that also has a much faster high jump, with the trade-off being that it doesn't gain as much height. From then on the move has become a staple of the series, with the caveat that Ratchet loses the ability whenever he's separated from Clank.
    • Going Commando introduced jump pads, which let Ratchet jump higher at specific points. Each jump pad has a preset height Ratchet can reach from it; this height can vary from jump pad to jump pad, with some even locking him into a predetermined path.
    • The blue and purple sprouts in Size Matters will turn into giant flower pads once watered with the Sprout-o-Matic, which act as traditional spring pads.
  • A literal version where Mega Man's Robot Dog companion Rush has his "Rush Coil" ability, present in all games since his debut in Mega Man 3, but removed in favor of some Powered Armor in Mega Man 6.
  • In Mega Man Zero 3, charging the Recoil Rod and aiming it on the ground allows Zero to have a super jump. He can also fire the charged Recoil Rod off enemies' heads, which is required for certain puzzles and getting collectibles.
  • Zero has a similar ability called Hyoroga (acquired from Blizzard Wolfang) in Mega Man X6. If he high jumps into the ceiling, he can cling to it and can shoot icicles from his saber. X can do a similar thing with his Shadow Armor.
  • In Low G Man, the Chicken Walker has a super-high jump that can be activated only after forcing it into its special crouching position.
  • Crash Bandicoot: jumping onto most crates (and enemies alike will make Crash bounce off it; holding the jump button will make him bounce higher, which is usually required for passing certain passages. The special "arrow" crates (both wooden and iron) exist for this reason as well. The first game also lets you bounce off hanging torches (that occasionaly go alight and harmful), the second game has bouncing mushrooms, and the third has bouncing awnings (in the Arabian levels) and bouncing Tornado Spin pads (in futuristic levels).
  • Spyro: Year of the Dragon: Sheila the kangaroo can do this after doing a Double Jump and landing.
  • Curse Crackers: For Whom The Belle Toils:
    • The Mournsuit's special ability is an extra jump that goes even higher than the normal high jump.
    • Using the Grave Mask's Double Jump ability immediately after bouncing off something (such as an enemy or Chime) results in a massively higher jump.

    Wide Open Sandbox 
  • Vangers' mechos have a built-in Spring Jump (which is called a spring). Smaller mechos can literally jump a couple of screens away.

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