Jazz Jackrabbit 2 Online

It’s interesting to see a tileset I’m so familiar with in such a new way. While the differences are largely subtle, the feel of the classic castle set versus Rage of Aquarius is astonishingly different. RoA converts the castle set into a much more harsh and unsettling environment. The traditional smooth surfaces have become worn and weathered, and the insertion of some of the bone tiles from the hell sets compliments the new style very well. I also really like the new stuff added, such as the holes and the stairs. One thing I can say about that is that, with the new vibe of the set, it almost seems as if the steeper angles should be stairs too.

The example level really surprised me. I guess I just haven’t been around in too long, but there is so much that I’ve never seen before… For one, that little swirly slide thing actually functioning in some way. Also, there were random “do not use” events that somehow became skeletons in-game. A series of alternating weird textures with warp horizon in layer 8 under a strange white tile (which I don’t see anywhere in the actual set for some reason) in layer 7 creates a beutiful radiating sun effect. AND, when I go into the events menu, everything is strange and different… No enemies tab, all the platforms and pinball events out in the open… Needless to say, I’m really confused. Haha. I feel like I’m no longer qualified to adequately review whatever is going on with this set, but I think it’s really interesting and cool. :)

The reordering of the set was definitely well thought-out, putting complimentary pieces in more convienient groups throughout the set. Since it’s a remake with some additions, the usability is definitely top-notch. I especially like how the bones were converted to mesh with the castle set so well, even adding some shadowed tiles with bones in the foreground and castle in the back.

Overall… Well, I was never the biggest fan of the castle set, but I think this conversion really kicks it up a notch. In my opinion, that actually adds even more credibility to this set. For making the castle tileset into something way more awesome, I’ll say this should get a 9/10. :)

I’ll admit I haven’t played very many single player campaign packs, but this one was by far the best I have played.

The graphics were flawless, as far as I could tell. I never got bored of the scenery, nor did I see anything that looked particularly out of place (unless it was something that had changed to direct level flow, in which case it was always understandable.)

The difficulty was really fun. I think I played it on easy, haha, but it still provided a good challenge, though not so much that I wanted to quit. I got stuck and confused at one point, but I think the answer was actually obvious and I should have figured it out so I wouldn’t say that’s a flaw.

I DID cheat once; I turned on fly and followed the rocket turtle at the end to see exactly what he did because I was confused as to how to beat him—somehow, the first several times I played the level I never saw him again after the beginning. After I found out where he was going, though, I beat him fair and square.

ALSO, the music was rad. A few of the tracks sounded a lot like legit Alexander Brandon pieces, though ones I hadn’t heard before (there was one Unreal Tournament track as well, I believe. Haha.)

I’m glad to hear Mike is doing a revamp of the series, as I can imagine a few spots he might polish up and a few enemy/flow related quirks he might refine. All in all, I can’t think of anything really negative to say though. :)

10/10