(Redirected from Devan Shell)
Jazz Jackrabbit is coming toward you at light speed, and this little bunny carries a REALLY big gun. Jazz and his companions and enemies saved my sanity many times in a school full of people who found computing distasteful and asked inane questions such as 'How do I make it go?' For this alone I would recommend it but in addition trying it.
Jazz Jackrabbit | |
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Developer(s) | Epic MegaGames |
Publisher(s) | Epic MegaGames |
Producer(s) | |
Designer(s) |
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Programmer(s) | |
Artist(s) |
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Composer(s) | |
Series | Jazz Jackrabbit |
Platform(s) | MS-DOS |
Release |
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Genre(s) | Platform |
Mode(s) | Single-player |
Jazz Jackrabbit is a platform game developed and published by Epic MegaGames. It was released in 1994 for PCs operating DOS, with subsequent Macintosh and Microsoft Windows releases in 1995 and 1996. It was one of the first games to bring the side-scrolling platformer style—common on gaming consoles—to a PC audience.[5] On November 30, 2017 the game was re-released on GOG.com along with Jazz Jackrabbit 2, with support for Windows, macOS, and Linux.[6][7]
Plot[edit]
The game is set in a fantasy world based on Aesop's 'The Tortoise and the Hare', in which the enmity between tortoises and hares continues even after three thousand years. An evil mastermind tortoise named Devan Shell begins conquering planets, suppressing any native confrontation. One of such planets, Carrotus, is home to a peaceful hare kingdom that, once confronted by Shell, is able to provide enough resistance to fend him off. Enraged by his loss, Devan decides to kidnap Carrotus princess Eva Earlong and hide her on a distant airbase of unknown location to weaken the hares. In response, the king chooses to send Carrotus' hero Jazz Jackrabbit, who carries a blue LFG-2000 gun, to various planets conquered by Devan that might contain clues to the location of Eva's imprisonment. As Jazz travels through different worlds, he gains new weapons and meets new enemies in his pursuit to rescue the princess and save Carrotus from Devan Shell and his army of Turtle Terrorists.
Jazz is depicted as a bright green jackrabbit with a red bandana, bracers and a blue 'blaster' gun.
Gameplay[edit]
In-game screenshot showing Jazz shooting at an enemy on Diamondus level, while profiting from temporary invincibility depicted by a field of yellow stars
The game is divided into six episodes. Each episode has three planets (worlds), with every planet itself consisting of two levels (some planets have an additional secret level). The final level of every episode features a boss that the player must deal with in order to complete the level. Episodes are tied by a single storyline usually progressing after each episode is finished.
Gameplay mechanics in Jazz are very similar to Zool's, with the exception of not being able to destroy the enemies by simply jumping at them (which was not added until the second game). Jazz will run faster and jump higher the longer he runs, avoiding chasms that might lead to harmful objects. Unlike other platform games, however, there are no abysses and every level bifurcates into subsections that might lead to valuable items (such as weapon pick-ups, score items, etc.) while the direction of general progression is hinted at with occasional arrows. Jazz has a life bar that changes in colour based on how much health Jazz has remaining. Jazz can withstand a limited number of hits (5 on Easy mode, 4 on Medium mode, 3 on Hard or Turbo mode) from harmful objects before losing a life; one hit's worth of health can be restored by picking up a carrot. Lives can also be accumulated to the maximum number of ten. When killed, Jazz starts from the level beginning or at any checkpoint sign that had been reached and shot before.
Items that the player can pick up usually resemble food, computer hardware components or other familiar shapes, and give 100 score points each. There are also several beneficial pick-ups in the game: a 'force shield' that protects Jazz from one or four hits, a sidekick in form of a bird that shoots enemies, a hoverboard that allows flight, rapid fire/super jump bonuses, a temporary 'speed-up' and invincibility, as well as extra lives. Weapons also vary in numbers and consistency and include (besides the initial blaster) bouncing launcher grenades, flame bullets, bi-missile projectiles and TNT sets. Large sets of ammunition can only be collected by being shot from their enclosure.
The first game features a timer that starts a number of minutes at the beginning of each level (9 minutes 59 seconds on Easy mode, 8 minutes on Medium, 6 minutes on Hard, and 4 minutes on Turbo) and counts down to zero; on Hard and Turbo, another countdown appears at the top of the screen when there is less than a minute left, and if time expires, Jazz loses a life. If Jazz reaches and shoots the finish sign before time runs out, the player is then provided with additional score points awarded for the remaining time and a perfect score if he picks up all items and/or deals with all enemies. If Jazz finishes the area with a big red diamond, he gets to enter the bonus stage. In these stages, animation switches to a pseudo-3D (third-person shooter) of Jazz as he runs on a speedway with the purpose of gathering as many blue diamonds as requested before time runs out, while obstacles try to stop him or slow him down. If the task is accomplished successfully, the player is provided with an extra life.
Jazz in his lizard form
Aside from bonuses, Jazz also features secret levels that can be accessed in specific areas of other levels once in every episode. Secret level signs feature the question mark instead of Devan's head portrait that must be shot. The current level is then considered completed and the secret level embarks. Levels themselves consist of an enormous 'grant' area with numerous weapons and items to pick up. One level, however, features a mini-boss, while the player assumes control of Jazz in his sidekick bird form. Secret levels also feature a count-up upon completion that provides the player with extra score points.
Development[edit]
Jazz Jackrabbit was coded by Arjan Brussee and designed by Cliff Bleszinski for Epic MegaGames.[8] It was greatly inspired by the Amiga game Zool and the ongoing success of video game classics (such as Sonic the Hedgehog and Mega Man) defining the platform game genre in the 1990s market, and was initially considered to be a pastiche of Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog in the computer world. The game did not manage to reach the popularity of Sonic, but did acquire a sizable audience due to its fast-paced gameplay and advanced graphics. The game's audio was implement using an interactive music system called 'Cybersound Music System'.[9]
![Full Full](/uploads/1/2/5/8/125863731/937751756.jpg)
On November 28, 1994, a CD-ROM version was released under the title 'Jazz Jackrabbit CD', containing all six original episodes, as well as 3 additional ones known as 'The Lost Episodes' listed as episodes A, B, and C. In episode C, there is a secret level with Jazz in the form of a lizard. A shareware Christmas edition was released on December 15, 1994, with a special 3-level holiday-themed episode, titled 'Holiday Hare'. Subsequent pressings of the CD-ROM edition added Holiday Hare as episode X, bringing the total episode count to 10. Furthermore, on November 17, 1995, another shareware Christmas edition was released with a different holiday episode, titled 'Holiday Hare '95', with 2 new holiday-themed worlds.
Legacy[edit]
A sequel named Jazz Jackrabbit 2 was released in 1998, as well as a reboot on Game Boy Advance in 2002. The commercial success of the game kickstarted the career of its co-creator, Cliff Bleszinski, who would later be a key force behind Epic Games'Unreal and Gears of War.[5] The engine of the pseudo-3D stages was reused for the racing game 2 Fast 4 You, an advertorial game for BiFi that was released in 1996 for DOS.[10]
![Jazz Jazz](http://img.squakenet.com/snapshot/14724/65172-JazzJackrabbit3D.jpg)
References[edit]
- ^'Epic MegaNews #3'.
- ^'Epic MegaNews #5'.
- ^'Epic MegaNews #6'.
- ^'Epic MegaNews #10'.
- ^ abBissell, Tom (2011). Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter. Random House Digital. p. 53. ISBN0-307-47431-3.
- ^'Release: Jazz Jackrabbit & Jazz Jackrabbit 2: Complete Collection'. GOG.com. CD Projekt. November 30, 2017. Archived from the original on December 2, 2017. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
- ^Bailey, Dustin (November 30, 2017). 'Epic's mega games Jazz Jackrabbit and Epic Pinball are now available on GOG'. PCGamesN. Archived from the original on January 21, 2018. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
- ^Edwards, Benj (May 25, 2009). 'From The Past To The Future: Tim Sweeney Talks (page 6)'. Gamasutra. Retrieved July 22, 2017.
- ^'Jazz Jackrabbit Manual'. Free Game Empire. Retrieved June 14, 2019.
- ^'Games met Oranje-gevoel'. De Telegraaf.
External links[edit]
- Jazz Jackrabbit at MobyGames
- Jazz Jackrabbit can be played for free in the browser at the Internet Archive
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jazz_Jackrabbit_(1994_video_game)&oldid=930711624'
Jazz Jackrabbit is a game platformer developed in 1994 by Epic MegaGames for PC (MS-DOS). It was clearly inspired by Sega’s Sonic: The Hedgehog but it itsn’t just a clone.
Strong points
- Fast paced gameplay but this isn’t just Sonic:
- Ranged shooting and refillable life bar, like Megaman or Metroid.
- Level layout isn’t so straightforward than in Sonic.
- Many episodes. Every episode is composed by planets (worlds/stages) with a theme. Those planets are divided in levels (same as Sonic acts). There are usually 2 levels by planet (3 when there is a boss combat).
- Bonus level minigame (free movement 3D, similar to Sonic 3 bonus levels, but not same and with corridors).
- There are many Powerups.
- There are two ways of playing this game:
- Running quickly, shooting-spamming.
- Slowly but picking up all objects and searching for secret places.
- The music is cool.
- Secret zones across the levels.
Flaws
- Sprite graphics are simpler than in Sonic. Actually, far worse.
- Gameplay is a bit simple for an adult player. There is no much to it other than shoot and run.
- Game pacing is a bit arbitrary, just some examples:
- You can get speed boots but there is a secret on your way, so you must stop and waste the boots or skip it.
- You may want to go quick but, sometimes, there are too much hassles and things blocking your way.
- Bosses can be spam-shooted to death and there is only one boss per episode.
- Fake sliding physics on ice.
- Super-speed is cool but it’s hard to control, which makes it annoying on some cramped places of the levels. It’s also too fast so makes it hard to react.
- The bonus level, because of the corridor design and bad controls.
This game also shares some flaws with The New Zealand Story:
- Bad contrast in some level background and enemies. Of course, that makes harder to react there unless you memorize the level or spam the blaster, or both.
- The game level is slightly confusing and sometimes there are no-go-back zones, so it’s difficult to reach all items.
Why to play?
If you like fast-paced platformers like Sonic, this game could be for you. If you like other ranged shooting platformers, like the mentioned Megaman or Metroid, Jazz might be good for you too.
Just keep in mind that this game not the same as those mentioned:
- This is classic platforming so it isn’t a metroidvania, no room-crawling.
- This is fast-paced but it isn’t Sonic, you don’t go bouncing on things.
If you understand that, there is no reason to try it.
How to acquire
You can just buy a bundle of Jazz Jackrabbit with the original CD (9 episodes), plus the Holiday Hare 95 episode, in gog.com. If you find it out on discount the price can go as low as $2.49. In any case, you can just download it shareware and try it.
Version / Platform
I’m reviewing the CD-ROM version of the game in the bundle released in gog, but I also played the vanilla the game and it’s shareware.
Future
To understand the future for Jazz Jackrabbit, I think the best thing I could do is to just review the sequels and “remake” to know what happened with them.
Jazz Jackrabbit 2
There is a sequel for Jazz Jackrabbit, which was just numbered “2”, lucky us. It was released on 1998.
The sequel was released on 1998 with better graphics, multiplayer and it solved some gameplay issues. Sadly, they added annoying sound effects and the soundtrack is also worse.
This game established the saga but also died with it. Why? The game sales weren’t very good, even if the first game has been very popular. The reason for this might be:
- The game came just too late. It may be a good title for 1994 or 1995, but 1998 isn’t the best time for an old-school platformer. 1998 players would like a 3D platformer. Or something new.
- Maybe bad marketing and distribution by Epic Megagames?
Jazz Jackrabbit 3
Aka Jazz3D, this sequel was canceled in year 2000 during development (because lack of publishers after Jazz Jackrabbit 2 failure). The game incorporated some interesting ideas that inclined the game to the metroid-like side. Maybe it could work, but again they should be releasing it on 1996 or 1998.
On the other way, Jazz was all about going fast. 3D and shooting, sure, but it should be fastpaced.
Jazz Jackrabbit 1 (GBA, 2002)
Yes, Jazz Jackrabbit was released with that name for GBA. But this wasn’t a really a remake. The only thing in common is the game title and a hare shooting turtles. It seems they totally forgot what it made Jazz 1 interesting. A tip: no, it wasn’t the hare ears.
To be honest, if they’re going to make this again, it’s better they just let the IP die. Well, they actually did.
Jazz Jackrabbit Saga
Hopefully you understand now. There is not future for Jazz Jackrabbit unless they manage to remake or just reinvent the game while keeping the essence of Jazz 1 & 2, which is unlikely.
Games like Jazz Jackrabbit
- Sonic: The Hedgehog (Sega MD). It’s unlickely you don’t know this game if you know Jazz Jackrabbit. And impossible after reading this review.
- Jill of the Jungle. It was published two years earlier by Epic Megagames and it’s good. Puzzle driven. It’s freeware.
- Xargon. The Apogee title that competed against Jill. Freeware and worth playing.
- The New Zealand Story (NES). Various weapons to shoot with and there is something like the hoverboard.
- Megaman 5 (NES). I must mention this.
- Super Metroid. Also, this deserves mention.
Conclusion
Sonic was a superior game in the technical side, as Jazz only had better soundtrack. But I just enjoyed more playing Jazz than Sonic back on the day.
Appendix
Powerups
- Carrot: to recover health.
- Diamond: to unlock bonus level.
- Shield and force shield: 2 and 4 strength protection respectively.
- Speed Boots: very fast movement.
- Hoverboard: to ignore gravity.
- Invulnerability (sparks).
- Attacking familiar: seems a parrot, but I don’t doubt about its magic nature.
- Jazz: extra live.
- Fire rate up and speed up.