Jazz Jackrabbit 2 Online

Large level with lots of things to do and some interesting scripted features. What took away a lot of the fun was that enemies (some of which are quite difficult) respawn. This would be okay if it only happened after moving away but they can respawn right where you’re standing now which feels unfair. Otherwise, a fun and innovative level.

This is not a great level, but it has something of an early 2000s aesthetic, which I found enjoyable nonetheless. With that I mean that it feels like a level where the author was learning as they went, throwing ideas at the wall and seeing what sticks, with things like a “candy pool” that are mostly useless but add a little flavour, or unashamedly giving you all powerups just before the final boss fight.

Those are not necessarily good choices – the boss fight is really easy with full ammo, for example, but it hits that sweet spot for me. I realize that my preferences are particular in that regard though, and from a more objective point of view the level just isn’t that good. Most enemies can be avoided by jumping over them, some obstacles (e.g. the red clouds) can similarly be avoided by simply letting yourself fall down, and there’s a scarcity of ammo in the first part of the level that is only made up just before the boss. The level looks okay but could have used a few more background layers and more varied platform shapes.

So in that sense it’s a rather mediocre level, and if you don’t have a fondness for lo-fi, retro-style levels I wouldn’t necessarily recommend playing this. But it’s clear that the author had some ideas and wasn’t afraid to experiment with them, which is great and bodes well for future levels.

This is not a remake.

Tileset:

*There’s only one tile for the wall and it’s not varied enough.

*The spikes bland in too much. You should have used a different color.

*The lava flow appears to be in the background (there’s one part where there’s a vine in front of it), but for some reason it’s in the foreground. It’s not transparent enough and the objects behind it can hardly be seen.

*The bats have a weird color palette.

*The pinball bats’ color palette is like you forgot to set it.

Level:

*There’s not enough space for the enemies to move. The helmuts get stuck in the overused diagonal tiles. The tuf turts just stand in one place or change direction in miliseconds.

*There are too many elements. There’s one room with pinball; another with swinging vines, which are really out of place in a lava cave with no plants; the next with a hover board, which glitches with the swinging vines.

*You put items on lava and there were many parts where you need to exploit the faulty hitbox on diagonal tiles to not get hit by spikes.

*The bonus room was empty. So collecting the coins was a waste of time.

Overall, the whole level feels overcrowded.

The description says it works with the normal jazz2, but it doesn’t. The music doesn’t play, JCS crashes if I try to open the level with it, and there was another error at the end with the final passage not opening up. I had to check with TSF JCS to see where to go and realized I was stuck and have to restart the level in TSF if I want to complete it.

I’m not much of a multiplayer, but I definetly like this level. It’s very atmospheric and this atmosphere is intensified by music. I’ve noticed a teeny-weeny tilebug here: https://yadi.sk/i/zZ0gLKSD3a2ipR

10 years later, we’ve gone full circle.

Just replayed this level after a long time, and I don’t think I ever took the time to finish it back then.

The difficulty isn’t that bad compared to todays SP standards, but some careful movement and planning is still advised due to the obscure enemy placement, especially the bats. Ammo is plentiful though, so using Seekers and Bouncers made things a breeze. Also, the level is Spaz only and those stacked Tuff Turtles are mere fodder to his sidekick!

I like how the start of the level is a tiny little hub where you need to open 2 crates, and the method to get the last coin is pretty well done. I found at least 2 little secrets in walls so there’s stuff to explore too.

There’s not a lot of negativity I can say about this level, other than the fact that it’s short and that the boss was surprisingly easy and not that well-made. I recommend this to kill a few minutes, but eventually the followup “Cave 2” is a big improvement.

I love pyschomondus..

Gorgeous.

Original quick review: When I saw a new SP release by this author I thought that I’m about to write a full review. But this time gameplay was pretty standart and I found it diffucult to write much. I would say one thing – the levels are fine and relaxing. I would give this upload a DR in order to help it become more popular. Maybe I’ll write a more thorough review later.

———————————————————————————————————————————————————
Well, now I’ll try to write a full review.

This is a remake of “Jazz in Time” episode. So, I’d like to compare this episode to it’s original prototype. In fact all of the levels of Ürdüng Chronicles #2 are bigger than original ones. The size of the first levels in JCS can be the same as the size of original levels, but they have more playing space and thus it takes more time to complete them.

First two colonius levels are comparetively linear but the further we go the more chances we have to lose our way. The last level is the biggest one and it may take some time to find your way through it. At the end you encounter Utherus Boss. Due to small size of arena and the presence of water in it it’s slightly harder to defeat him than in original episode.

What I liked

- There are a lot of secrets in each level. It’s not easy to collect all the coins you need to get access to bonus area, so if you wanna kill time you can try this challenge.

- It’s a little bit more difficult than original episode.

- I liked the eyecandy. Everything is tidy, tiles fit each other well. I aslo liked some original decisions like manholes between the floors of houses.

What I disliked

- Couple of times I had to use JCS to find the way. You may get lost and find yourself wandering for a long time especially in 3-rd and 5-th levels. It may make you feel bored of gameplay’s repeatability. However, if you’re more attentive than I am, you’ll probably be able to use arrows to navigate the level.

Conclusion

If you’re tired and sleepy, if you wanna have some rest or you need to kill the time, this episode is for you. I reckon this episode deserves firm 8.0 and a DR.

I’m too lazy to write a full-fledged review. Honestly, it’s one of the best JJ2 SP levels I ever played, the only problem being the lack of checkpoints. Once you die, you have to start over from the beginning. Other than that, fantastic level, I highly recommend it if you’re looking for a fresh JJ2 single player challenge.

I can tell this was made in about 2 minutes lol. Work on it and you’ll probably get a higher rating.

Looks like JJ2 is popular in Romania. :D
What about this upload… It’s just an original episode modified by a beginner in order to understand how JCS works. It’s a normal part of learning but it’s obviously not worth to be downloaded. I don’t want to demotivate you though. Keep trying and one day we’ll see a decent level made by you.

It’s literally just the first episode of JJ2 but you start as a frog. No effort put into this whatsoever.

Based on the level names, I assume you are romanian?

(oops, sorry for breaking the rules)

I like how these levels feel rather retro but with a modern twist in terms of visual design. All four have very solid layouts with some of Snz’ signature levelmaking flair. These will be a fantastic addition to your Battle rotation and are best enjoyed in a well populated server, so be sure to invite your friends!

Incomplete and doesn’t belong in J2O. I had fun for, like, 20 seconds though.

How did I not find this earlier? All I wanted was to edit the anims file, I searched everywhere for a tutorial, and only now I stumble upon this gift from the gods. Thank you. I definitely recommend it, super easy to use.

Xenobiotic Xeranthemum is a level pack which contains 5 full-length (that might be an understatement) levels, all of which are themed after JJ1 levels: Diamondus, Turtemple, Tubelectric, Ceramicus and Technoir. Each level has its own set of enemies and the pack is characterized by taking multiple paths to open other paths in order to proceed.

Gameplay: 7/10

The first two levels are probably the best in terms of gameplay, the other three are not that far off though. Some unfair and unfun segments but it’s got an overall good level design. None of the levels have any coins to pick up and there is a considerable lack of secrets. The major flaw in this is how lengthy and repetitive it can get. I like the idea of opening different paths to proceed but in this level pack, it feels more like a chore after the first 3 levels. The level scaling is fine-ish, ammo placement is good and there are just enough carrots scattered throughout the level. Also, the level design can be a bit claustrophobic at times, though that’s not as much of an issue as it may sound. The ending was a bit anticlimactic as the boss was ridiculously easy to defeat.

Also, Archon, if you’re reading this, players can get stuck in the damaging red water in the Technoir level.

Eyecandy: 9.5/10

It is, overall, a great looking level pack. As far as I’ve noticed, there are no misplaced tiles. In some levels, the foreground elements are a bit tiring to look at (for example, the clouds in Turtemple). The introductory screens are pretty bad looking, though it might be because of JJ2’s palette limitations. Ceramicus was not very pleasant to look at because of how crowded the level can get. Speaking of an anticlimactic ending, the boss visuals were very poor: the robot boss can be clearly seen behind the “real boss”, there are some asymmetric lights surrounding the boss etc.

Music: 10/10

There is not much to say about it. The music is well chosen and it fits each level in particular.

Overall: 8.7/10

Do I recommend this level pack? Yes! However, I don’t recommend playing this level pack in one go. The levels are lengthy and can easily get repetitive after a while. Download and play this level if you’re looking for a solid JJ2 Single Player experience.

Good levels! Much better than “Kaninchenbau”.
They’re big, but not endless. The gameplay is almost classical. Only drawback is that sometimes you have to spend some time on finding your way.
DR!