Even 12 years after its release, Jazz Jackrabbit 2 is still the best and most durable 2D platformer around.
A good time to discuss an old game, then. Not just because of this particular game's age, but because it was already retro by the time it hit the market. This might also explain part of this title's obscurity, as it was released in an era when games such as Super Mario 64, Rayman 2, Banjo-Kazooie and, to a lesser extent, Crash Bandicoot, had already redefined the platforming genre, transforming it into a three-dimensional affair. So when the 2D-platformer Jazz Jackrabbit 2 was released in 1998, it went largely under the radar.
For those who have not played or even heard of Jazz Jackrabbit, I can put it very simply: imagine the beautiful and varied layout of the Super Mario Bros. games; the speed and arcade-like gameplay of Sonic; and the shooting element of Megaman and Earthworm Jim. Combine them all into one tight, very playable 2D title up to the standard of its inspirations, and you have Jazz Jackrabbit. Its sequel doesn't stray very far from this concept, although it is a bit slower, with more emphasis being put on the platforming and the shooting.
The ground concept is still pretty much identical, though: you play as Jazz, a green rabbit with rambo-esque equipment. There's also a new playable character, Jazz's brother Spaz. If you have the Secret Files edition of Jazz Jackrabbit 2, you will get to play as their sister Lori as well. Which character you choose isn't very relevant to the game's difficulty, but they do have some distinctive moves. Spaz has a double jump ability, while Jazz and Lori can do the classic helicopter ear move. Spaz and Lori can do a karate kick kind of attack, while Jazz can jump to heights unreachable for the other two. You get the idea.
Whoever you play as, your objective is the same, which means you're gonna blast your way through several worlds, each consisting of three sets of two levels with their own gimmick. There's a castle, a laboratory, a jungle, and even hell itself. In one world, you even go through several levels with a layout based on the first game. All of the levels are packed with enemies who will try to prevent you from freeing your loved one from the hands of your nemesis, Devon the turtle. In the beginning, these enemies will do little more than Goombas and Koopas in the Mario games, namely walking back and forth, waiting to get toasted. Gradually, however, you will encounter tougher enemies that move faster and are harder to hit. As a result, the blaster gun you start out with will not suffice once you get further into the adventure. Luckily, you can collect up to 9 other types of ammo to facilitate the action parts. Among this new weaponry you'll actually find a lot of cool and useful stuff, such as a flamethrower and heat-seeking rockets, both very effective against the mosquitos and bees you'll encounter in some of the later levels, or a three-way missile with a blow back so large that it'll send your character through the entire screen if you use it rapidly.
Despite of the increased action, this game is actually more forgiving than its predecessor. There's no time limit, and the levels are generally quite linear, so you won't have a lot of trouble finding your way, unlike in the original. As a result, the adventure mode of Jazz Jackrabbit 2 isn't very challenging to go through, and any decent gamer can eventually beat it on hard without too much trouble. Even if some levels and boss battles will pose somewhat of a challenge, you can save at any point in the game. So if you die, you can just go back to the point where you last died, and if you forgot about that there are still about 2 checkpoints in every level, so that you won't loose too much gameplay time whatever you do. The platforming itself isn't very hard, apart from a few tricky jumps, but it is a considerable part of the gameplay. It generally functions very well, but there are a few instances where you can clip through a tile, or stand in places you're not supposed to. All of this can cause an occasional annoyance, but it rarely happens that such an error is able to disrupt the flow the game. I specifically say flow, as the fairly simple and easy gameplay makes you breeze through most of the levels, which is good, considering you'll never really get stuck in a certain place, but if challenge is your thing, JJ2's single player mode might be a bit disappointing.
But Jazz Jackrabbit 2 isn't about the challenge. Given its time of release, one could consider it a tribute to old-school 2D platforming, and if you've enjoyed the 2D Mario, Sonic, Earthworm Jim and Megaman games, you'll enjoy Jazz Jackrabbit as well. JJ2 even directly references to classic games at occasions, which can be anything from a sign saying that Spaz ate the Dopefish (enemy in Commander Keen) to Spaz's gun being the exact same weapon as the one carried by Earthworm Jim.
All of this is complimented by the very retro-looking 2D levels. That isn't to say that Jazz Jackrabbit 2 doesn't have impressive graphics, though. While the entire game takes place in two dimensions, the cartoonesque environments are beautifully drawn. The tiles are surprisingly detailed, and a lot of attention has been put to creating lightning effects and animations that look convincing within the rest of the layout.
The level design itself is very respectable. While the levels are essentially all linear and pretty self-explanatory, a lot of them contain nifty secrets, fast spring sequences, and an array of vastly varying gameplay elements. Inbetween going through the levels and blasting enemies, you can expect your character to be victimised by a pinball machine, to travel through tubes, or to speed their way through one of the many awesome spring sequences, in which your character is blasted through a part of the level in a very acrobatic, pinball-like manner nearly automatically, a process that has 'Sonic' written all over it. Each level is filled with secrets areas as well, most of which contain power-ups or an extra life, and sometimes even a secret message from the developers. Some of these secret areas require thought to access, others you just need to buy your way into quite literally: throughout each level, a number of silver and gold coins is scattered. If you collect enough to these, you can pay a rabbit to warp you to a secret area that's impossible to reach in another way. This effectively prevents you from rushing through the level. You will have to keep paying attention to your surroundings and not miss out on any of the coins, because a lot of times you won't be able to backtrack all the way to the beginning of the level in order to get them. Sometimes coins are even hidden within the semi-automatic spring sequences. Not that you will need all of the power-ups to be able to beat the game, but if you're a gamer, you'll just want to access these areas for the sake of it.
Taking your time to go through a level will also be rewarding to your ears, seeing as Jazz Jackrabbit 2 has some of the best, most memorable tunes in any game I've played. Each track naturally compliments the level it belongs to, but isn't shy to demand some attention itself. The music that plays during, for example, the laboratory and medieval levels is very dominant, but in a positive way. Odds are you'll end up whistling or humming some of these tunes under the shower if you play this game for a couple of days.
It's certainly possible to keep playing this game for a couple of days, or even weeks, by the way. Not that the adventure mode is very long: invest a good 5 hours into it (plus another 5 hours for the two expansion packs), and you're done. The fun doesn't end there, however, seeing as Jazz Jackrabbit 2 has a very worthwile online multiplayer mode, and also comes with a userfriendly, yet very deep level editor, called the Jazz Creation Station. The durability of both features is testified by the fact that JJ2 still has a very active community 12 years after its initial release.
The online mode consists of several basic multiplayer varieties. Capture the flag, race, collect the diamonds, and of course death match. While all multiplayer modes are valuable and enjoyable, you'll resort to deathmatch or capture the flag most of the time. The gameplay is the same as in the main game, although the emphasis on action in the online component is, of course, even bigger, as your main goal is often to just kill your opponents.
Like in the single player mode of the game, most weapons will come in handy at one point, although in the heat of battle, you will most likely opt for heat-seeking rockets, threeway missiles or TNT charges, rather than your normal blaster. You will find, though, that the character you use is of greater importance than your weapon of choice, given that most players will choose Spaz over the other two characters, seeing as his double jump makes for much more fluidity in movement. Players will not have to carefully time certain jumps in order to reach higher plateaus, as a simple double click on the jump button will suffice in nearly every situation. Overall, JJ2's multiplayer really stretches the game's overall length, seeing as you will probably get hooked after playing your first online match. What's even better is that, despite the series having such a devoted base of longtime fans, it doesn't take an awful lot of time to master the gameplay. You won't have to teach yourself to capitalise on a few glitches, as the game simply doesn't permit you to do so. Of course there will be more frantic jumping, running and gunning than in the single player part, but that's only natural. Not that you can't get good at this game, but at least you won't be plagued by campers, spawnkillers, or obsessive nerds who can kill you with one shot the first time you enter a server. Even when online isn't your thing, you can always play the exact same multiplayer mode locally, with an additional co-op mode available.
Although the multiplayer mode can keep you busy for ages if it's your thing, the level creator is what really extends JJ2's lifespan to infinity. All of the tilesets from the game are available to create your own levels with, be they single or multiplayer stages. There are 8 sprite layers: in one you construct the level, and with the others you can add background and foreground elements. Apart from constructing a level that looks good, it will also have to work. You can implement sucking tubes, but you will have to add the event 'suck' to them if you want them to be more than just decoration. You will also have to add events if you want your game to have enemies, power-ups, coins, springs, and even something as basic as a starting position. It will take a while to master, but it can eventually be used by anyone with a bit of patience. And boy, is it rewarding. Not only do you get to create your own levels to your heart's content, you will also be able to download additional levels and even tilesets from one of the many active Jazz Jackrabbit 2 community sites, making the supply of new content literally endless. And that's not to mention that custom levels can also be played online. When you enter a server, odds are that you'll end up in a level you've never seen before, some of which are very original and push the limits of the gameplay beyond what the developers had envisioned upon creating this game. At occasions, you might also end up in a level that has been created by someone who obviously had no idea how to use the level editor (protip: if it's a Polish server, avoid it, because Poles seem to have an inherent disability to create sensible levels). Generally, though, you'll find that the use of custom levels online is very stimulating for the gameplay: after all, apart from the creator there are no other players who could've spent ages on memorising the entire stage.
Concluding this review is not an easy task. Jazz Jackrabbit 2 is an unusually varied game that basically leaves noone with an excuse to not join in on the fun, even if it's nearly 12 years old. It offers great, action-packed platforming in impressive areas, accompanied by music that's nothing short of awesome. The adventure mode is worth a few playthroughs in itself, but the online feature is what really gets this game going. Combined with a level editor that can be used by anyone (thus generating infinite amounts of user-created content as well), this game basically never ceases to be interesting. For extra single player content, you can always resort to one of the two expansion packs, Secret Files and Christmas Carols, the first of which usually comes packed with a full copy of the original game.
Considering that Jazz Jackrabbit 2 is basically a homage not only to its predecessor, but to 2D platforming in general, this game will be loved by all of those who started their videogaming 'career' on a (S)NES, a Megadrive, or a 386 PC. At the same time, Jazz Jackrabbit 2 offers enough new features to attract a fresh crowd of fans.
New fans are always welcome, because, while it offered everything one might expect from a sequel to the successful 1994 original, most gamers didn't seem very interested in playing a two-dimensional game anymore. As a consequence, Jazz Jackrabbit 2 suffered from the same pitiful fate that befell such games as Paper Mario, having no real flaws apart from being released at the wrong time, and thus being overlooked by too many people, but at the same time earning a small but devoted cult following.
So, how did Jazz fare after his 1998 adventure? Apart from the expansion packs, it took four years before we heard from the green rabbit again. It was in 2002 that a GBA version of the series appeared, but almost everything that defined Jazz Jackrabbit was left out, right down to the appearance of Jazz himself. Perhaps even more obscurely, a 3D sequel to JJ2 was made, but cancelled in a late stage of its development. Perhaps now that going back to the roots is considered cool once again, the Jazz Jackrabbit trilogy can definitively be completed by a new 2D interpretation. We can only hope.