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JOATSide
JOATLogo
Game Logo of Jack: Of All Trades.
Developer(s) APIM Group, Inc.
Publisher(s) Logo
Platform(s) Wii
Genre(s) 2D Platformer
Release Date(s) 25px-Flag of Japan TBA 2012
25px-Flag of USA TBA 2012
25px-Flag of Europe TBA 2012
25px-Flag of Australia TBA 2012
Mode(s) 1 Player Adventure mode
Age Rating(s) ERating3RatingUSK6OFLC-GCERO A
Media Included Wii Optical Disc

Jack: Of All Trades is a game made by APIM Group, Inc., for the Wii. It's the first game in the Jack series. Its hero is Jack Johnson, who can use a variety of items he finds in a level.

Story[]

Jack Johnson was an adventurous and creative boy who lived in a village. One day, his parents went on vacation, and trusted Jack to watch over the house, and his grumpy, greedy neighbor, Buzz Nizz, to check in on him from time to time. After a few hours, Jack got incredibly bored, so he decided to explore his house a little. Jack went upstairs, and he then discovered a strange indent in the wall. Planning to cover it up after, Jack began making little cracks in the wall to see if there was anything in there. Sure enough, he found a secret compartment, which held a children's storybook. Upon opening the storybook, Jack disappeared out of thin air. No longer holding the book, Jack suddenly appeared in a strange alternate dimension. Jack was a bit dazed, attracting the attention of a creature. It ran to assist Jack, and Jack was surprised to realize that this creature was a living plushy! The creature introduced itself as Teddy Bear, and that Jack had landed in Fun World, an amazing land where playtime was infinite and creativity blossomed. Teddy Bear also told Jack that he looked oddly familiar, then disregarded the fact. Jack found Fun World to be amazing, with it's living toy inhabitants, wild prairies, and lush forests. However, Jack soon became a bit sad, since he had no one from his universe to share his fun with. Soon after, he decided that his girlfriend, Suzy Sweetheart, would enjoy Fun World. Jack asked Teddy how he could get back to his own world, and Teddy said that the only way back was to take a detour to a portal near Plush Plains. Jack then explained that he was bringing one more person and that he would return shortly, and then went through the portal in Plush Plains, wondering how it got there in the first place.

Upon appearing back into his own world, Jack immediately went to search for his girlfriend. What he didn't know was that Buzz Nizz had been watching him go in and out of Fun World. Buzz was perplexed, he didn't know how where Jack could've gone or how he had returned. Suddenly, Buzz realized that the book must've been the cause! So, when Jack came back into the house with Suzy, Buzz hid behind the door. When Jack opened the book, Buzz secretly jumped in with them. Jack was showing Suzy around Fun World with Teddy, but Buzz was amazed. He had never seen anything like this in his life! Buzz soon realized that this was his ticket to fulfill his lifelong dream of being the richest man in the world. He knew that if he could bring a few living toys back to his world and sell them, he would become rich in no time. Then, Buzz saw Teddy. Perfect... As Buzz ran to grab Teddy, Jack & Suzy saw him. They didn't know why Buzz was here. Buzz gasped, ran in the direction of Jack, and, frantic and unable to nab Teddy, nabbed Suzy instead. Maybe this would lure Jack out of Fun World, Buzz thought... So, Buzz ran to Plush Plains, came upon the portal, and jumped through. Teddy advised Jack to follow Buzz, and Jack did so. Unfortunately, by the time Jack had reached Plush Plains, Buzz was already gone.

Back in his own universe, Buzz thought about Jack. Buzz needed to get Jack out of Fun World so he could complete his plans, and he probably was already luring him back because of Suzy's recent kidnapping. Since he knew that, by now, Jack wanted to protect the toys, he came to the conclusion that he needed to create an army stop Jack. Only then would he launch his plan to become the richest man in the world... So, he tied Suzy Sweetheart to a chair and then went back into the upstairs room. Buzz stumbled upon the book. Of course, the book! He flipped through the pages of the book, and everything that had been in Fun World were also on the pages of the storybook. Buzz got out a pen and drew a picture of a machine. This machine would brainwash the innocent citizens of Fun World to destroy Jack, then go back to Buzz & Jack's universe to be sold around the globe. Buzz finished drawing the machine, and was almost ready to go back to Fun World to turn it on until he flipped to the back page. "Property of Jonathan Johnson", it said. Buzz realized that the book had been created by Jack's father! He didn't want Jack to know, so Buzz ripped out the page, threw it away, and then transported to Fun World. Buzz was transported to Fun World and immediately saw his machine in Plush Plains. He ran over to turn it on, and it began to work. Unfortunately for Buzz, his machine had a few malfunctions. It wouldn't work on humans, and the brainwashing ray would not go to the center of Fun World. Conveniently for Jack, he, Teddy, and the small town of Plush Village were all located in the middle of Fun World. Soon after, the citizens of Fun World began to become violent... They started to attack Jack & Teddy while they were contemplating ways to try and get Suzy back! It didn't take Jack & Teddy long to discover Buzz's sinister plot, so the two friends began their journey to stop Buzz, save Suzy, and restore peace to Fun World!

Worlds[]

Bold items are Permanent Items, and italic items are Provisional Items

World 1 - Toy Land[]

Level Information Items
0 Plush Plains This is the tutorial level, where Jack has to chase Buzz, who nabbed Suzy. Bash blocks with the Paddle and cross gaps with the Ropes. Paddle, Rope.
1 Jigsaw Park This is the first real level, with enemies like the Ips. Drag Puzzle Pieces to complete paths. Puzzle Piece, Rope.
2 Path of Balls Soccer balls, footballs, tennis balls... A lot of balls used to play sports are here, hence the name. Throwing Ball, Nail.
3 Tricky Track A maze made out of train tracks. Toy train tracks. Watch out for the toy trains. Track, Rope.
4 City Streets How is this toy-ish, you ask? The buildings are toy block, plushies cheer for you, but most importantly, a Skateboard, which you ride through the whole level. Skateboard.
5 Block Forts Uhh, not that battle kart course. This is a collection of fortresses made out of giant toy blocks. I bet the first boss is lurking in that large one at the end! Throwing Ball, Plunger.
6 Purry Castle A short level inside the boss's fortress. It does not only contain Purr-Favors, if you thought so. None.
B Catsune's Clash Fight Catsune, the large Purr-Favor with nine tails. She can defend herself pretty good, so try to hit her face to get her off-guard, and pull one of her tails out. None.

World 2 - Wastelandic Country[]

Level Information Items
1 Bow Prairie Watch out for the Praindians and the Buffaloes that hang around. You also get here the Bow & Arrows, which have a longer reach than a Paddle, but aren't that strong. Bow, Lasso.
2 Desperado Gulch These cliffs is a perfect place for Outlaws to hide. A Minigame involves this level to catch these. Lasso, Rope.
3 Cactus Road A lot of cacti is standing around here. Cross them safely with a Barrel. Barrel, Rope.
4 Rocky Dunes This does seem safe... but there are pitfalls filled with quicksand here. Rope.
5 Nostalgic Ruins This must've been an ancient village with quite recognizable hieroglyphs. The second boss is located in the pyramid at the end. Barrel, Rope.

World 3 - Papercraft Boulevard[]

Level Information Items
1 Empty Space Boy, this place looks dull and impassable. But you can draw your way with the Pencil. Pencil, Throwing Ball.
2 Funky Atelier This is indeed a strange studio: walking around canvases yet to be painted on easels, with doodles around, and floating brushes and pencils, and paint geysers with cardboard platforms. Puzzle Piece, Lasso.
4 Crammed Waste Looks a lot like Empty Space, but is completely the opposite! You can't go anywhere! Can you erase all this junk? Eraser, Throwing Ball.

World 4 - Mt. Musical[]

Level Information Items
3 Snow-Topped Brass Coming closer to the peak of Mt. Musical, Jack has to trek on golden brass pipes, topped with snow. Rope.
4 Staff Summit You reached the top, now you're going down... with a snowboard! Ride on Musical Staffs. Snowboard.

World 5 - Loch Treetop[]

Level Information Items
1 Lakebed Woods Venture through an underwater forest. This is only possible with the Diveset. Diveset, Lasso, Ball.

World 6 - Home Sweets Home[]

Level Information Items
2 The Paradice A chilly resort that relies on a frozen atmosphere. Well, good thing that Jack finds a Flamethrower here. Flamethrower.
3 Dessert Desert Possibly a part of Wastelandic Country as well, but filled with many cake, pudding and stuff. Jack has to go through a fiery temple too. Freezer.

World 7 - Spooky Bog[]

Level Information Items
1 Ditched Cottages The houses here are sinking in the boggy ditch. It has been said an entire town sunk in this ditch too... Rope.
3 Mansion of Darkness Some of the spooky creatures in this pitchblack manor aren't fond of light. Use that flashlight to paralyze them. Flashlight, Plunger, Rope.

World F - Buzz's Machine[]

Level Information Items

Items[]

Jack: Of All Trades features a lot of items. These items are categorized in two classes:

Permanent Items[]

Permanent Items can be used as many times as the player wants. They needed to be selected from the menu to use.

  • Paddle - Pressing the 1 Button, and Jack uses the Table Tennis Paddle, by bouncing the ball (connected with an elastic), to break blocks, hit foes or press switches far away.
  • Bow - Complete with a quiver and Arrows, with a Bow, Jack can shoot swift arrows at foes. Arrows aren't connected with an elastic, so they have a longer range than the Paddle. But, they're weaker, and the ammo is limited. Don't worry, Arrows can be found anywhere.
  • Pencil - On any white space, Jack can draw fine lines, so he can cross the gap. Hold the Wii Remote vertically for this.
  • Eraser - Gray, uncolored shapes on a white space, that is blocking your path? The Eraser can delete it all. Works the same as the Pencil.
  • Diveset - Includes flippers, goggles, snorkel and suit. With the Diveset acquired, Jack can swim easily underwater.
  • Flamethrower - A weapon that can burn enemies and light fuses. Some things are too weak or too strong for it though.
  • Freezer - A weapon that can freeze enemies in icecubes. It's not always effective, though.
  • Flashlight - This handy object paralyzes ghost enemies and brings illumination in dark places. Do mind that this is not a weapon.

Provisional Items[]

Provisional items are found in several levels, and can be used once. Don't worry, they reappear on the places Jack can pick them up. They can be picked up and released by shaking the Wii Remote.

  • Rope - Press the 1 Button at a pole, and Jack connects the rope to this pole and another one further. Then he climbs on the rope. Pressing the 1 Button again and Jack releases and jumps off the rope, which disappears then. Release the rope on a place where Jack can stand on!
  • Puzzle Piece - Connect it with an incomplete puzzle to complete it. Complete puzzles transform into real objects, like a platform.
  • Throwing Ball - Throw it to a certain place, like a switch. These are very useful when your Paddle can't reach something.
  • Nail - There's a giant balloon, blocking your path? When got a Nail, press the 1 Button and prick the barricade to let it pop!
  • Track - A piece of train track. Remove it from its place and connect it somewhere else for a new path.
  • Skateboard - This Provisional Item works different. You keep it in the whole level until you find the Stop Sign at the end. The controls are almost the same, except you brake more difficult, you can't control your board when going downhill and you can perform tricks at several moments.
  • Plunger - Climb walls with these suction cup sticks.
  • Lasso - You can use this rope to catch a Buffalo or Outlaw (it's dangerous), or to connect a pole with it so it works like a liana.
  • Barrel - Balance on these to pass spiky trails.
  • Snowboard - Similar to a Skateboard, except you can't brake at all, but keep going right. You only ascend and descend with the moving controls. Jumping and doing tricks works the same.

Collectibles[]

Aside from the Permanent and Provisional Items, there are also goodies to collect.

  • Button - Quite the currency of the Fun World, with green ones being worth one, red ones being worth two, and blue ones being worth five. One hundred of these gives you an extra life.
    • Super Button - These yellow ones are worth 50 buttons. They're quite rare.
    • Ultra Button - Rainbow buttons that give you 100 buttons, and thus an extra life as well, therefor being extremely rare.
  • Life Smiley - Gives you just an extra life.
  • Life Heart - Replenishes health.
  • Medal Piece - Appears once a level. If six of the same world are collected while the boss is defeated, a new S-level appears.
  • Super Bead - Comes in bronze, silver and gold. Collecting them all in a level makes them transform into an Ultra Bead.
    • Ultra Bead - These crystal beads don't specifically appear in levels, but if all of them are collected, a special world opens. They only appear in S-levels without the need of a morph.
  • CD - Collecting these, and a game soundtrack will be added to the Jukebox.

Enemies[]

Common[]

  • Ip - Possibly the weakest mook in Fun World. It can only damage you when he lands on you when he's falling on a cliff. Use your paddle to defeat it.
  • Emmer - A special kind of Ip wearing a bucket to protect himself from harm. But with a good bounce of your Paddle, the bucket falls off. You can eventually use the bucket to protect yourself from harm whenever you use a Grappling Hook instead.
  • Ailey - These Ips have wings on their back. They're still as weak, though.
  • Sud - Ips that are found in barrels, and thus making it look like the barrel rolls by itself. The true identity can be found with help of a Paddle.

Toy[]

  • Purr-Favor - A stuffed cat that uses its claws. Show the puss who's boss with your Paddle.
  • Buzztle - A puzzle piece who likes to break up puzzles. Two bounces with your Paddle transforms it in a real Puzzle Piece.
  • Bat-ter - This is a possible cross between a baseball bat and a real bat. These can swoop at you... or they smash a Home Run. Use your Paddle.

Fort[]

  • Awesome Mace - A mace with a smile, possibly because you can't harm it, but it can harm you by contact. You can pick up it's chain "tail" and throw it, though. You can even defeat enemies with that. Throwing it in an abyss would be the best solution.
  • Wicked Mace - This Awesome Mace has been nailed on a piece of wall and swings eternally. Recommended to avoid those.
  • Rocky Knight - A knight's statue that cannot be easily defeated. You can beat it with 5 good bounces of your Paddle, or throwing an Awesome Mace on it.

Desert[]

  • Praindian - Hostile Indians shooting arrows at Jack. Defeating one with your weapons will increase the amount of arrows by three.
  • Buffalo - More hostile foes that charge at anyone passing. You tame a Buffalo by throwing a Lasso.
  • Outlaw - Catch an Outlaw to get a lot of Buttons. They also appear in a Minigame.
  • Acktus - These cacti attack bu swinging their body.

Art[]

  • Sharpy - These pencil-like bullets are directly racing at whatever direction the Sharpshooters have shot him. Usually, your direction. If they come from a somewhat straight line, you can stomp them. Use the Paddle otherwise.
  • Sharpshooter - A sharpener-like cannon that always is aimed at you. They frequently shoot Sharpies. Get rid of them with a Flamethrower or a Grappling Hook.

Music[]

  • Chumpet - Annoying things... these blow you away with a wacky sound they perform.
  • BOOM-Box - The sound that booms out of these guys create bombs. And you thought Mt. Musical was a calm place.

Cliff[]

  • Astone-ish - Rock enemies that surprise Jack by jumping out the ground.

Candy[]

  • Toucandy - A Toucan made of sweets that hides in trees and waits for Jack to come by and then swoops down. Use your Paddle or a nearby Throwing Ball to defeat it.
  • Crème Broileé - Don't touch these desserts: they'll burn you. A Freezer can cool them down.
  • Ice Creep - Another Desert you may not touch, else you'll get frozen for a while. A Flamethrower could heat it up.

E2-A1 Reveals[]

  • Jack can receive items from cardboard Boxes. These are found in a few levels.
  • Jack uses a table tennis paddle as primary item, to take down foes.
  • Another item Jack finds is a plunger, which he uses to climb walls.

Other[]

Gallery[]

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