Jazz Jackrabbit 2 Online

Dilapidation is (as said in description) a small battle level, and to my surprise a near perfect practical example of what Plus 5.x features can do to both atmosphere and gameplay.

But first let’s look at the gameplay value. The layout can roughly be divided into 2 height levels and 3 sections. The center section is a scripted ferris wheel that turns around at a speed calculated by the position and duration of players standing on it, which works as expected by common physics and gives a fresh twist to the level. The left section has a pinball paddle and bumper ‘balloon’ that helps players move to the upper part while evading their opponent, and the right has a hounted cave. The bottom has water but is used lightly to create small pools containing extra seekers (but not so much to become a seekfest). PU’s are a Toaster (upper left), Bouncer (lower middle), and RF (lower right). All 3 sections have a 1h carrot too which are about opposite of the PU positions, which is plenty for a duel level and forces players to move around instead of merely camping PU’s. Maybe the right corner (or right cave entrance for that matter) can be a little campy at times, but I’m by no means a duelling pro and overall it seems to me like a pretty balanced level.

Next let’s take a look at the eyecandy. First thing noticable are the lightning strikes that finally feel more like natural lightning as seen from a distance. Instead of turning the entire screen white like we know (and most of us despise) from earlier levels, it uses (I think) ambient light to blend a more transparent light in with the textured background. I also liked the silhouette crows flying in circles at 2 points in the background mountains. Next there’s a creepy clown (aren’t all clowns?) selling the ferris wheel ride as if he were a Coin Bunny, swinging vines that are colored to act like decaying rollercoaster foundation, and transparent enemy sprites decorating the haunted cave. There are some more smaller changes (like colored water, 4 custom sounds, etc) but these were the most profound. Lastly, the music is the classic Spire theme from Unreal, which sounds depressing and fits the eery theme of the level.

So there you have a fairly standard yet balanced battle level that wouldn’t really stand out from it’s equivalents if it weren’t for it’s groundbreaking AngelScript usage. I can’t say how much of the balance remains outside of duels, but I’m sure it can be a fun choice for small teams or maybe even small events. Download recommended and a 9 for the balance, atmosphere, and AngelScript efforts!