Single player recommendations + playthrough progress!

[Treylina]

If you're a not-so seasoned player, it can be hard to find something that gels with your skill level. Or maybe you're looking for a challenge. So my quest is to stream every (at least decent) single player level on J2O, and gather them into a single spreadsheet!

At the start of this journey, I'm looking to play from a variety of authors. Whether they're old or new, I'll take them. For the sake of bias, please try refraining from promoting your own levels. Here, you can view the progress spreadsheet. (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1aNmYZQYz_SphGXxdv6WsANzoFIbJWAnMqawLzV2nhcs/edit?usp=sharing)

Each listed level has a difficulty and overview with a brief description of what to expect. I'll also get to adding levels I already played in the list after a replay.

So yeah, post your single player recommendations! It's for everyone, not just me. :lori: If not, I'll keep going through the downloads page alone.

[Primpy]

The example levels in Gnegon's Diamondus Ultimate (https://www.jazz2online.com/downloads/9359/diamondus-ultimate/) and Jungle Ultimate (https://www.jazz2online.com/downloads/9439/jungle-ultimate/) are amazing. Vanilla-like level design with fun scripted mechanics.
Violet CLM's levels (https://www.jazz2online.com/user/458/violet-clm/downloads/) are great in general, I'd recommend all of them but a few (Mini Boss Rush, TOMB, Yamato Castle). This includes EmeraldusV (https://www.jazz2online.com/downloads/7883/emeraldusv/), which isn't classified as Single Player on J2O.
Slaz's levels are pretty good too, although he has a certain style of making levels that definitely isn't for everyone. I can't recommend any particular level of his (they're all similarly good), just look at what he's uploaded chronologically and try what seems interesting to you.
The Even More Secret Files (https://www.jazz2online.com/downloads/8120/the-even-more-secret-files/) is a good, lengthy, vanilla-like pack which I like. Jazz Jackrabbit 2,5 - The Big Rescue (https://www.jazz2online.com/downloads/9215/jazz-jackrabbit-25-the-big-rescue-part-1/) is another great pack, it's a shame the creator didn't continue it.
Future2055 (https://www.jazz2online.com/downloads/9268/future2055/) has an example level that could very well be a standalone SP level. Vanilla in terms of level design but it's solid.
From looking at my old reviews, I can see that I enjoyed playing Cemetric Commando (https://www.jazz2online.com/downloads/6530/cemetric-commando/). I don't know if my review holds up but you might as well try it and see for yourself.
Psychomondus (https://www.jazz2online.com/downloads/7882/psychomondus/) is a level I liked when it came out but other reviewers seem to think otherwise. I'm not sure if it works on the latest Plus version. (EDIT: Just tested it and yes, it has a script error that doesn't allow it to work for newer Plus versions. I uploaded a fixed version here (https://mega.nz/file/0AlgVZ4Y#oKT0NsFOH7K1Be5LuZo2nKsTchoX94uB-lBQb22X73w).)
Maybe Lori Fortress (https://www.jazz2online.com/downloads/8204/lori-fortress/). I think I'm a better level designer than I was 3+ years ago but I believe it holds up decently well.

[DoubleGJ]

If you're a new or returning player reading this, check out these classics!

THE RESURRECTION OF DEVAN SHELL (a.k.a. devres):
Episode One: The Invasion of Deserto (https://www.jazz2online.com/downloads/3685/episode-one-the-invasion-of-deserto/)
Episode Two: The Rebirth of Evil (https://www.jazz2online.com/downloads/3855/episode-two-the-rebirth-of-evil/)
Episode Three: The Battle for Carrotus (https://www.jazz2online.com/downloads/info.php?levelID=4640)
Episode Four: The Resistance (https://www.jazz2online.com/downloads/info.php?levelID=5074)
Episode Five: The Fortress of Ruin (https://www.jazz2online.com/downloads/info.php?levelID=5550)
This series shook the fandom and I dare say making singleplayer packs was never quite the same afterwards. It has a pretty intricate plot that is TECHNICALLY set in the world of Jazz Jackrabbit, but because it's set many, MANY years after it can freely be its own thing. Magic and technology clash for an epic adventure! Fair warning: it's rather difficult. But it holds up really well even after so many years. Worth noting is that Mike would later go on to become a level designer for Ori and the Will of the Wisps!

FOO SINGLEPLAYER:
FSP: Rent Collection (https://www.jazz2online.com/downloads/3482/fsp-rent-collection/)
Foo Single Player 2/14: Electric Foorufoo: BunnyLover 2018: This Time It's Personnel, Kid (https://www.jazz2online.com/downloads/7913/foo-single-player-214-electric-foorufoo-bunnylover-2018-this-time-its-personnel-kid/)
Is it a series? I guess it is. Set in the insane "continuity" of an old... franchise??... of our fandom, the Foo Races and Foo Movies. These two episodes are many years apart, VERY noticeably so. But even though the first Foo SP relies on many strange tricks to do what it wants to do without JJ2+ scripting existing back then, it's still fun. What does it want to do, exactly? Well, it's a sort of blend between JJ2 and Apogee's Hocus Pocus. I do recommend playing the first pack before the second, it'll make you appreciate the new one even more. And the second one... man, is it a crowning achievement of JJ2+'s capabilities! Violet makes full use of knowing JJ2+ inside and out being one of its devs. It's a Foo story, but it's also an Undertale parody (affectionate), but it's also a swan song of our fandom's "good old" days. FSP2/14 drifts even further apart from JJ2 gameplay, but it's a great experience nonetheless.

THE DEMON INVASION:
Main episode (https://www.jazz2online.com/downloads/2032/the-demon-invasion/)
Sequel (unfinished) (https://www.jazz2online.com/downloads/3501/tdi2/)
Compared to the above, Moonblaze's packs maybe aren't quite as impressive and polished - there's some questionable scenery choices that sometimes make it difficult to tell what's tangible. But it left a strong impression on me nevertheless. It's got a very Moonblaze Feel, especially because the author's OC is a key character here, and it works.

THE CARTOON EPISODE:
Episode 1 (https://www.jazz2online.com/downloads/1539/the-cartoon-episode/)
Episode 2 (unfinished) (https://www.jazz2online.com/downloads/3456/the-cartoon-episode-2unfinished/)
These packs feel quite unique akin to relying entirely on Sacrush's own tileset. Yes, just one tileset for the entire thing! It's crude, very MSPaint-y, but I suppose that's why it's charming. If you had ever drawn an imaginary video game in your notebook and pretended to play it, then I can tell you they feel exactly like that. Highlights include a train level and following a character's body to find your path in another one.

NIGHT WORLD (https://www.jazz2online.com/downloads/391/night-world/)
Very old, very vanilla. Back when we were all still figuring out how to use the JCS to make levels that'd look okay next to the "official" ones, Agama surprised everyone with a really high quality pack out of the blue. She'd become more known for her beautiful tilesets (and then vanish completely like so many other JJ2 fans), but make no mistake, Night World is just as worth your attention. Maybe it's nothing unique nowadays, but it's very solid, good old JJ2 fun.

TOMB RABBIT:
Original episode (https://www.jazz2online.com/downloads/272/tomb-rabbit-v1232-updated/)
Sequel (unfinished) (https://www.jazz2online.com/downloads/4979/tomb-rabbit-2-unfinished/)
Yeah, we've got quite a few unfinished sequels. Such is life. But I'll be honest, personally I'm not a big fan of TR1. Now TR2, that's my jam. Still, I'm recommending both cuz the original one is a certified hood classic. If you like JJ2 for its exploration aspects and enjoy getting lost in a maze, you'll love this one. The sequel is particularly interesting for me cuz it tried many interesting things, like doing (kind of) fully functional custom enemies before JJ2+ made that fully possible. Like the Cartoon Episodes, Tomb Rabbit episodes feature original tilesets made just for these packs, but they're better looking, more detailed, especially in the sequel.

FIND IT OUT (https://www.jazz2online.com/downloads/9371/find-it-out-single-player/)
The most recent "big" singleplayer pack by one person. Makes good use of JJ2+, has an original story, and you can tell it's been thoroughly planned out for a smooth difficulty curve. Fun!

HOLIDAY HARE (community packs):
HH'17 (https://www.jazz2online.com/downloads/7795/holiday-hare-17/)
HH'18 (https://www.jazz2online.com/downloads/7933/holiday-hare-18/)
HH'24 (https://www.jazz2online.com/downloads/9451/holiday-hare-24/)
I did specifically say FIO was the last big pack by one person, cuz HH'24 is the real latest release. There have been many attempts at continuing the winter season Holiday Hare tradition, but what sets these apart is that they're community efforts by people from all over the fandom. Big, impressive, maybe of varying quality on a level-per-level basis, but curated to be solid all around. I always play at least one of these every winter!