Jazz Jackrabbit 2 Online

Here we have a level which is not too large for a casual 3vs3 match, but is also not too small to suit events with a greater number of players, though the spawntimes for the latter may not work for everyone, considering that there’s generally not too much ammo piles scattered around the level. But worry not! Those kinds of events are usually hosted with fast spawn settings enabled.

What probably makes this level stand out is the complex layout, which is more or less open at the far ends, and becomes more and more cramped the more you travel to the center of the level where, conveniently, the only carrot is, which makes the center area juicy for some close and chaotic combat. Don’t get too carried away with the chaos though, one wrong move and you may fall into the dreadly pits, so don’t just run around like a headless fly, have some control over your movement!

But don’t let the center make you feel like you should leave the outer areas out, since the outside is where the majority of the powerups are, particularly the seeker powerup at the top middle of the map, which is evenely spaced out and quite isolated and far for both teams, but such a strong and useful powerup is worth the visit to it. That’s a nice little quirk to get some more traffic in the top area, which has a whole new layer of combat since it’s accessable only with the fly carrots. However, with annoying seekers flying around, this path should be used with caution as seekers are even more useful in areal combat, but the huge pillars give the player some nice cover and a chance to utilize the environment against their opponent.

There are also blaster powerups in the walls at the far left and right. Even when you have no ammo you should always try to take one of these just in case. It’s always useful for stuff like fending the flagholder off from the bases. There’s also two electroblaster powerups but those may be less important, unless you happen to be passing by them with really low on electroblaster ammo, you never know.

Lastly, there’s the RF powerup at the bottom middle, quite impossible to miss. This is probably where the most stuff is going on, as it’s right below the carrot and in the fastest route between the bases. If you manage to snag it while it’s there, good for you, it has multiple purposes. You can use its far range to snipe someone flying far away at the top, or use it’s strong blast to get your enemies away from the carrot or bases. There you have it, some might say it’s a bit of an unusual choice of powerups but it’s different from most setups nowadays, and it certainly works with the gameplay.

Now lets get to the aesthetics! The Medivo castle theme is supported nicely with some athmospheric music from Michael van de Boos. The visuals are not at all distracting, so players can easily concentrate on their game, and if they happen to be stationary for a little while, they definitely have a lot to look at, the level is full of fun little details. You can clearly tell apart the cold, foggy blue background from the yellow-orange hot castle in the foreground, the contrast here is simply brilliant, the platforms are clearly visible in motion.

To put it all more simply: great map. An enjoyable, decent CTF level, that’ll surely leave you beside yourself and give you something different from what most popular CTF levels offer nowadays.

Gameplay:

Players can choose to move from base to base quickly through the crowded middle area, which is probably most populated together with the base areas themselves.
One can also choose for a safer but longer route from the sides by picking up a fly c and venturing through the top of the map which contains a seeker powerup which most people are too lazy to take. You can also attempt to take a flag from below, which is slightly longer but safer as few people are paying attention to this route, although its easy for them to camp the end of the tube which goes quite slowly.

Eyecandy:

Multiple layers have been filled well with stuff as original as the tileset allows. Quite a lot is happening graphically if you pay attention to it, yet it is not distracting while playing

Originality:

This level is such a relief after all those new mappool maps of last year which had similar pathways and carrot areas. Castle of Devan Shell’s layout is unique, yet it works in games and requires players to think of movements and tactics they never had to think of before. Im really glad you made this so people can be inspired by its originality for making future maps. This map is definitely worth it being played in JDC events and even possibly mappool material.

I tried to adjust my rating a bit to people’s ratings nowadays so it would be more fair, yet Im glad that others already gave you a high grade so I can stick to my principles a bit more.

Final Grade: 8.5