Jazz Jackrabbit 2 Online

‘KingDOM’ is a level made by Spaz18 for Rag’s domination contest. I already reviewed a few of them, so now it’s time to review this particular one!

Let’s start with the way how Spaz18 uses this tileset. Heaven is a great set to use since it has all kind of EC-tiles and platforms are easy to build. He uses all tiles, but all in really.. predictable and even boring ways. The thing about the eyecandy I hate the most is the fact that it’s all really linear and some of it is repeated several times in the level. The level feels so generic because of that. The background is nice though and I always liked the cloudy foreground made with this tileset.

The 4 Control Points are quite well spread. Two of them are in some sort of dead ends, so quite easy to camp, probably. The other two are placed above fountains, but I have to say, the blue blocks really look terrible. I mean, why placing an extra (ugly) block while the animations are quite well recognizable? 4 Pu’s as well, the standard-ones, and spread over the level. There’s enough ammo and the variation of it is quite okay, but the placement could definitely be better. I see you thought about the shapes (placing them on windows etc), but they honestly don’t look that great and are quite hard to get when you’re having little time.

I don’t like the gameplay of the level that much, since it’s really minimal: it feels like a network of random platforms. The Pu’s, carrots and CP’s are well spread, but not in any ingenious way which would boost the gameplay of this level. Springs are placed well, though most of them let you bump into walls (which is actually not that good), and nothing’s wrong with the flow either.

So, to conclude my review: this level is pretty much standard. No great eyecandy- or gameplay-ideas and the only reason why you would want to download this is to host it in a server with a lot of people, since the network of platforms, the 4 Pu’s and 4 CP’s will probably work well with a lot of players. However, not one of Spaz18’s best levels.

KingDOM is certainly a very big level. I will concede that. It certainly has a little bit of good eyecandy and a ton of ammo, I admit. It certainly has potential, I confess.

However, there was just something about SPAZ18’s level that turned me off ever so slightly.

Maybe it was the springs. For the most part, they were well placed, but a spring crate in one spot (No one wants to take the time to shoot a crate just so they can explore a route, especially in something as fast-paced as a Domination level) and another in the middle of the wall (Good premise…problem is, since the tileset wasn’t used to semi-conceal the spring, it looks like it was randomly placed in the middle of the wall) provide a misleadingly amateur impression.

Perhaps it was the background layers of the level’s eyecandy. Like in the 6th, 7th and so on. Granted, it was nice enough to look at, but it could’ve been executed far better (Hint: A straight line/crack in a background wall looks confoundingly unnatural).

Or, even, it could’ve been the gimmicks KingDOM employs. The Red Key lock was a great idea, but those concepts really only work in Singleplayer. In a multiplayer scenario, players want fast, fast, fast. They (speaking from experience) really don’t want to slow down and find the key to open the door, especially since it seems impossible to destroy the RF powerup, save by buttstomping.

At the very least, it might or might not’ve been the music, which although somewhat appropriate, just felt inadequate for reasons unknown. I’m not entirely sure why, but it just didn’t click with me. I don’t know.

Should KingDOM be downloaded? I’m honestly not sure. I reviewed this upload once before several years ago and was (as I recall) quite enamored by it, but my review was so lousy and badly written that I deleted it and started anew. Now that I’ve played KingDOM again, I can’t for the life of me remember what it was that made it stand out so far in my mind. In the same vein, I can’t put a finger on just what I didn’t particularly like. Neutral DL rec, since I can’t make up my mind.