Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

CJ in the USA delivers a classic side-scrolling platform experience that will feel immediately familiar to fans of its predecessor, CJ’s Elephant Antics. Players guide the brave little elephant CJ across a series of linear stages, jumping over hazards and dispatching enemies with peanuts or the occasional bomb. The controls are responsive, and CJ’s jump feels weighty without ever becoming floaty, which helps you land precise platforming maneuvers over spikes, moving platforms, and collapsing terrain.

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While you start with nine lives—an amount that seems generous at first—the level design quickly reminds you that those extra lives will vanish fast. Enemies lurk around every corner, from patrol-walking policemen to charging American footballers, and often appear in groups that demand quick reactions. Boss “guardians” at the end of each stage test your mastery of both your projectile weapons and precise jumping, making each segment of the game feel like a self-contained gauntlet.

The inclusion of bombs alongside peanut ammo adds a layer of strategy: peanuts can defeat standard foes at range, but bombs clear out clusters or tougher enemies. Collecting bombs requires exploring hidden nooks or defeating specific guards, encouraging a modicum of exploration in an otherwise straightforward runner. Though there’s no save feature, the rhythm of trial, error, and memorization gives the game an addictive arcade-style loop.

Graphics

Visually, CJ in the USA leans into colorful cartoon styling. The sprite work on CJ himself is charming—his ears flap as he runs, and his peanut-loading animation is delightfully expressive. Each stage boasts a distinct American theme, from neon-lit city streets to desert canyons, and the backgrounds feature layered parallax scrolling that adds depth to the 2D action.

Enemy designs are varied but occasionally lean on caricatured stereotypes: Native American warriors with oversized feather headdresses, burly football players with comically exaggerated pads, and even the occasional hound dog. Some players may find these designs dated, but they do reinforce each level’s “USA tour” concept. Sprites remain clear in the midst of chaotic platforming, and hitboxes feel fair, which is a big plus for maintaining the flow of play.

Animations are smooth, though not groundbreaking. Explosions from your bombs are satisfyingly chunky, and boss characters flash when you land a successful hit. Despite hardware limitations of the era, CJ in the USA manages to combine readable visual cues with enough artisan detail to keep players engaged rather than lost in a pixel soup.

Story

The narrative premise is simple: the mischievous Hunter has kidnapped CJ’s brothers and sisters and scattered them across iconic American locations. CJ, armed with peanuts and courage, embarks on a rescue mission that serves purely as a frame for the action. There’s limited in-game dialogue or cutscene work, but the storybook setup appears in the manual and brief interstitial screens between worlds.

Because the plot is minimal, most of the emotional engagement comes from the idea of reunion rather than character development. You won’t learn much about CJ’s personality beyond his courageous elephantine heart, nor will you sympathize deeply with the loosely drawn Hunter. Nevertheless, the stakes are clear, and the simple “save your siblings” goal provides enough motivation to keep pushing through challenging levels.

For players seeking a narrative rich in twists or meaningful character arcs, this game will feel barebones. However, for anyone who grew up with arcade classics, the straightforward rescue story is familiar comfort food—enough context to invest in each stage without bogging down the fun with lengthy exposition.

Overall Experience

CJ in the USA strikes a solid balance between nostalgia-fuelled platform gameplay and bite-sized challenge. Levels are short enough to be approachable but packed with hazards that demand precision. The interplay between your two weapons (peanuts and bombs) keeps encounters fresh, and each guardian fight at the end of a stage ups the ante in satisfying ways.

The game’s stereotypical depictions and minimal story depth might feel outdated to modern players, but its cartoony charm and brisk pacing help it transcend those concerns. Difficulty spikes will frustrate newcomers, but they also reward persistence and memorization, making each victory taste a little sweeter. Replay value comes from hunting down every hidden bomb or perfecting your no-death runs on shorter levels.

Ultimately, CJ in the USA is a tight, if unambitious, platformer that delivers just what it promises: a globetrotting elephant adventure through a fantastical interpretation of America. If you’re after a pick-up-and-play challenge with bright visuals and straightforward mechanics, CJ’s latest outing is well worth a look.

Retro Replay Score

6.6/10