NovaJump
Checkers with powers, on a board that rises and falls.
NovaJump is a turn-based strategy game for iPhone and Android, built from scratch by RetroActive Gaming, a one-person studio in London. It's free to play.
Download full press kit (zip)Fact sheet
| Developer | RetroActive Gaming (Nathan Hoyle, solo developer) |
|---|---|
| Based in | London, UK |
| Release | |
| Platforms | iPhone, iPad and Android |
| Price | Free to play. Optional cosmetic and convenience purchases. No pay-to-win: no power can be bought |
| Genre | Turn-based strategy, board game |
| Players | 1 to 2: Solo Play, online with friends, or Pass & Play on one device |
| Cross-play | Yes, iPhone and Android |
| Languages | English |
| Website | https://retroactivegaming.co.uk |
| Press contact | Nathan Hoyle, nathan@retroactivegaming.co.uk |
| Player support | support@retroactivegaming.co.uk |
| Community | Discord: https://discord.gg/WvFSBGVDMN |
| Social | X: @playnovajump · TikTok: @retroactivegaming1 · Reddit: u/RetroActiveGaming · Bluesky: @retroactivegaming.bsky.social · YouTube: @RetroActiveGamingX |
Description
Short
NovaJump is checkers with powers, played on a board that rises and falls. Step your rings across the grid, grab the power orbs that land every seventh round, then raise the ground, sink your rival's side or pull the floor out from under them. Free on iPhone and Android.
Long
NovaJump starts with something everyone knows: two sides of pieces on an 8×8 board, moving one square at a time and capturing by moving onto an enemy. Then the board gets involved.
Every tile has a height. Your rings can climb one level at a time but drop any distance, so the shape of the board decides where you can go. Every seventh round a wave of power orbs lands, and stepping onto one gives you a random power. On your turn you can fire as many powers as you like before you make your move.
There are 38 powers. Raise a whole row into a wall, drop the tiles around you into pits, rain a Barrage across the board, Convert enemy rings to your side or Collapse the floor beneath them. Deflector stops your ring being jumped, and Nullify strips the upgrades off enemy rings nearby.
It's built from scratch by one developer in London, with original art and sound.
Features
- 38 powers across terrain, movement, attack and information. All of them are earned on the board. None can be bought.
- A board with height. Tiles sit from −2 to +2, and powers raise, sink and collapse them mid-match.
- Play online with friends. Friend requests, a shareable commander code and private rooms. Cross-play between iPhone and Android.
- Solo Play at two difficulty levels: Captain and Admiral.
- Pass & Play on one device, with optional board rotation.
- Daily puzzle. "Win this turn" and "Win in 2" challenges, with streaks.
- Custom Tables (optional unlock): boards from 6×6 to 12×12, 6 to 20 rings a side, and turn timers from 15 seconds to unlimited.
- Five themes that restyle the whole table, sound included: Synthwave (free), Hardware, Light Grid, Blackline and Foundry.
- Guided first match and a searchable How to Play glossary.
Trailer
Screenshots
Phone
Landscape
Clips
Logo, icon and key art
App icon, 1024 px · 512 px
Header key art, 3840×1646
About the developer
RetroActive Gaming is a one-person studio in London run by Nathan Hoyle. NovaJump is its first game.
Contact
Press: nathan@retroactivegaming.co.uk
Player support: support@retroactivegaming.co.uk
Community: Discord
Coming soon


















