Authors: stripe, Bluez, Buster and Roaster
Year: 1999
Genre: Single Player Episode
Filename: tmcintro.j2l
Download: J2O
Another Story is, in my opinion, the most significant JJ2 episode ever released. It may seem strange to say so when considering the facts about this episode: it's rather short, the gameplay isn't that spectacular, and there is really no challenge to speak of at all. In fact, only a few of the levels even have you encounter anything that can kill you, and even then there's virtually no chance at all of dying.
You may be wondering then, what makes this level pack so great. The answer to this lies in the episode's name: it has a story. Sure, other episodes before this one had stories, but they generally fit the same mold: Devan Shell is up to no good and you have to stop him by traveling through a series of vaguely-connected levels and fighting him (or some other boss) at the end. After the initial exposition in episodes like that, there's really no plot at all. Another Story, on the other hand, actually has a unique plot which unravels as you progress through the episode, and even though it might not be the most engrossing story out there, it's certainly good enough by video game standards.
Another Story was created as an entry to a level making contest called the Try Me Competition, run in the early days of JJ2. In this particular phase of the competition, I believe the goal was to make a JJ2 level or episode that focused on plot rather than gameplay. Another Story won, and was far and away the best submission that was received. This is probably because the episode takes the idea of storytelling to the fullest potential within its medium, doing something that no JJ2 level had ever done in the past, and few have done since.
The reason I think so highly of Another Story is because it shows what can be done with Jazz Jackrabbit 2. Episodes don't just have to be a series of generic levels. They can actually try to do more, by immersing the player in what is happening. Instead of the player just focusing on getting from point A to point B, the player actually has a reason to care about what happens between those two points. It makes the levels more interesting, more fun, and more memorable. And on top of that, most of the stuff in the levels actually seems to have some sort of function, from air ducts to tree houses to elevator shafts. This is a fresh break from the typical style of level design where the scenery is really only there to look good.
Another important thing to note is that this episode is the first one to ever use any sort of in-game cinematic. What I am talking about is the sort of level where the player is left to watch some series of events unfold, and has little if any input. Plenty of games do this sort of thing, and while the JJ2 engine doesn't exactly facilitate the making of this type of level, it's certainly possible, as shown here. Another Story contains a few of these cutscene-type levels (the most notable being the spaceship sequence of which I have included a screenshot), and all of them remain entertaining and interesting to this day.
Held up to today's standards, Another Story is pretty average, and maybe even a bit dull due to its lack of difficulty. Keeping the context of when it was made in mind though, this episode is nothing but groundbreaking: Another Story is the basis for every plot-focused JJ2 level that has been made since. I personally consider this episode to be the biggest influence on my own level making, and I would say that any level maker who plans on making a single player episode absolutely needs to play this one to see what is possible. Perhaps this means Another Story is of higher value to level makers than it is to normal players, but I would still recommend it to both groups.
Good:
- Story keeps things interesting all the way through
- Cinematic levels make for a unique experience
- Excellent choice of music
- Groundbreaking design
- No real challenge to speak of
- May be boring to people looking for action-oriented gameplay
2 comments:
You seemed to have forgotten all about the eyecandy. This isn't about whether the levels look good, because while simplistic and employing only a few layers, the eyecandy is inventively functional. You can hardly call it eyecandy, in fact. Something more utilitarian like tileset usage would be more suited. It's as if the levels were deliberately made spartan. To choke you with a platitude, Another Story is a fine example of 'less is more'.
What's important to point out is that even though they didn't use all the available tiles or animations, the trio succeeds in getting the most out of each tileset. The applicability of the eyecandy towards not only gameplay, but the story as well, is so strong they might as well be one. You've touched upon this when you mention the functions of air ducts, tree houses, and elevator shafts, but those are far from the most notable features. The little patch of carrots in the intro epitomizes comfort and safety, given our close attachment to carrots as healing vegetables; the bushy wig worn by the rabbit chief is effortlessly ingenius; the grove of trees from our hero's childhood really ties the flow to the objectif.
So, it is not only the story-telling element that Another Story pioneered in, but tileset usage as well. Few episodes (among them are the likes of Tomb Rabbit, which needed to have tilesets specially made, unlike Another Story) have achieved this in the succeeding years of Another Story's release.
You're completely right about how Another Story makes excellent use of tilesets. Personally, I vastly prefer this style of "functional" eye candy, as opposed to the somewhat more popular style of eye candy for the sake of eye candy. I touched on that a bit in the review, but I'm afraid I did neglect to go in to more detail in the review. In fact, I didn't even think about how this was really the first time anyone bothered to use tilesets in a way like this.
It's one of those things that just feels right. Completely natural, and adding to the immersion by letting you enjoy the details without overtly noticing them.
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