The thrill of defeating enemies that keep swarming is addictive. Try the jet-powered girl who keeps flying in "Ultra Jet Girl" — hands-on report [TGS2025]
Note: the original Japanese article can be found at:
https://www.4gamer.net/games/831/G083190/20250928011/
Editorial Department: RENÉ | 2025/09/28 02:51 (UTC)
At the ongoing game event “Tokyo Game Show 2025” held at Makuhari Messe, a new game titled “[Ultra Jet Girl]” was on display for hands-on play at the indie game area booth of Kodansha Game Lab. In this article, we present our gameplay report.
“Ultra Jet Girl” is a jetpack action roguelite game in which a girl named “Loo,” carrying a nearly broken jetpack, sets out to reach the towering “Sky Island” high above in search of her mother. According to the booklet “Game Lab Magazine Vol.2” distributed at the booth, the game is scheduled for release in 2026 and will be available on Steam.
The playable demo version offered this time was a tutorial-style experience—simply flying with the jetpack continuously for one minute. In the demo, the jetpack’s durability was infinite; however, normally players must defeat enemies along the way to replenish fuel or risk running out of gas.
By activating the jet propulsion, players can boost upward for a limited time. As an action mechanic, each jet activation results in movement similar to a double jump in 2D side-scrolling games… that might be the clearest way to describe it. Players can ascend by rapidly pressing the jet button, but if they stop jetting, they will begin falling downward.
Regarding enemies: green enemies can simply be knocked down by colliding with them. However, hitting red enemies results in damage and forces a restart from the beginning. These red enemies can only be defeated by striking their flames—known as “afterburners”—which appear during jet propulsion; touching them otherwise is fatal.
Thumbnail image No.003 / The exhilarating sensation of defeating enemies that keep spawning is irresistible. Hands-on report from “Ultra Jet Girl,” where a girl continues jet-propelled flight: [TGS2025] Thumbnail image No.004 / The exhilarating sensation of defeating enemies that keep spawning is irresistible. Hands-on report from “Ultra Jet Girl,” where a girl continues jet-propelled flight: [TGS2025]
The game’s core mechanics are simple—collide with green enemies while defeating red ones using the afterburner—but playing it proves highly satisfying. The controls feel very responsive, and there’s a great sense of satisfaction in crashing through waves of green enemies.
It’s akin to the experience found in “Vampire Survivors,” where you relentlessly destroy large numbers of spawning enemies.
After successfully flying for one minute, the hands-on session ended. Despite its simplicity, this title is highly addictive, and I now feel eager to try the full release when it comes out. I’ll definitely be keeping a close eye on future updates regarding this game.