Review: FSP: Rent Collection

Authors: Violet CLM, Black Ninja and LRK
Year: 2004
Genre: Single Player Episode
Filename: fsp0.j2l
Download: J2O

In 1994, a modestly popular 2d platformer called Hocus Pocus was released. It was a shareware game, so the first episode was free to play and the rest required the game to be purchased. In 2002, Violet converted the entire first episode of that game to be playable in JJ2. The conversion, called Time Tripping - JJ2 was a nearly perfect replica, with the only difference being the game engine itself. It was, and still is, a rather strange release, seeing as the gameplay really was a bit off. That should make sense considering that the levels would naturally be a lot more playable in their original game. The conversion was something that could only come from somebody with a rather unhealthy obsession with both games, and even though the end result turned out awkward, it was cool to see the amount of dedication that was put in to it.

Violet's obsession with Hocus Pocus didn't end there. Precisely two years after the release of Time Tripping - JJ2, another episode styled after Hocus Pocus was released: FSP: Rent Collection. The difference is that in this episode, every one of the levels is completely original. No conversions here; the only things shared between the two games are some of the graphics, and of course the gameplay.

Before going any further into this review, I feel that I should give a little backstory here. The FSP in the name of this episode stands for "Foo Single Player". This has a rather odd history to it. A few years before this episode was released, a pair of level makers known as Black Ninja and Spotty made a very large number of multiplayer race levels. The levels were rather unusual in that they had an ongoing, completely nonsensical, vaguely Hocus Pocus themed storyline, along with a set of extremely low production values. The whole series was basically intended as a joke, and became somewhat popular. I even contributed a level or two to it. Later on, Spotty made a bunch of flash movies, which weren't as popular but still got a decent number of views. FSP: Rent Collection basically takes the gameplay style of Hocus Pocus and combines it with the overall feel of Foo Races. It's weird, but that just makes it more entertaining.

Emulating the gameplay and level design of Hocus Pocus is both a good thing and a bad thing. The good thing is that it means having a very non-linear style of level design, requiring (and rewarding) exploration. Beating a level doesn't mean finding the exit. In order to win, you have to find a certain amount of objects, in this case coins, and once you do you automatically beat the level. Many levels have used this type of design in the past, but Rent Collection is one of the best examples of it. If I had to compare this style of level design to something I have featured on this blog previously, the closest example would probably be Dino Station.

If the extent to which Rent Collection emulates Hocus Pocus ended there, I would have no problem giving this episode a perfect score of 5.0. Unfortunately, and in my opinion rather foolishly, Violet decided to go beyond simply copying the overall style. He made the choice to make this episode play as similar to Hocus Pocus as possible, to such an excessive degree that it feels like Violet would have preferred to make an episode for Hocus Pocus instead of one for JJ2. Of course, only one of those games has a proper level editor and runs on modern operating systems, so he had to settle for JJ2.

This passage from the readme file stands out in particular.

These levels have been designed in the gameplay and graphical style of Hocus Pocus, a 1994 game by Moonlite Software, published by Apogee. To preserve the feeling of Hocus Pocus, you are advised to play the levels without running, stomping (unless in case of crates), upper-cuting, sidekicking, copter-earing, double-jumping or karate-kicking. All levels have been carefully designed and tested to be possible under these conditions

Yes, you read that correctly. These levels were designed with the intention that you do not use any special moves, or move faster than a normal walking speed. It doesn't end there, though. To go even further in "preserving the feel of Hocus Pocus", Rent Collection only features one, rare, ammo type (toasters, if you're curious) in addition to your normal blaster, because that's how things were in Hocus Pocus. There is also no food, because in Hocus Pocus there were no items with those properties. Enemy placement can also be bizarre at times, with things like bats magically floating in the middle of the air. I don't even want to know what the explanation behind that is, but I bet it has something to do with Hocus Pocus! Finally, there are a number of "switch puzzles" that are more tedious than anything, but luckily the ones in Rent Collection are fairly easy (whereas in Hocus Pocus they were just stupid).

Now, if what I just described was the whole picture, I could simply write that off as a quirk, and not be bothered by any of it: after all, I could choose to play the episode in the recommended way, or I could choose to play it in the Hocus Pocus way. Too bad that's not the case, because in a decision that defies all belief, Violet chose to put stuff in the levels that obstructs any player who tries to move in a way that goes beyond what is recommended in the readme file. And here's the kicker: the stuff put in to obstruct the player doesn't even work properly.

I played this episode in the way that was recommended. I only used special moves when absolutely necessary (like when hitting a crate), or by accident. I made sure to walk through the whole thing, and avoided doing anything else that could make me walk faster or jump higher. And yet, more times than I could bother to keep track of, I encountered invisible sucker tubes and invisible tiles that would stop me from doing something.

These invisible obstructions are practically everywhere, and show up where you'd least expect it. In a lot of cases there doesn't seem to be any logical reason for them to be there at all, other than to randomly annoy you. Sometimes, you will try to make a tiny jump on to another platform, and instead be pulled towards the ground several screens below. Sometimes they even dump you into lava or spikes. I would like to repeat that this happens regardless of whether or not you limit your movement like the readme says.

Why the hell does this happen? What kind of harebrained idea is behind that? It doesn't make the levels more fun, it doesn't make them that much more challenging, and it all ends up being very, very annoying. I'm sure there is at least some reasoning behind it, but none of that reasoning could possibly matter. Gameplay elements in a level should make the level better, or more fun, or cool, or anything. This idea on the other hand does nothing but frustrate players. It can't even be justified as making the levels play more like Hocus Pocus: that game, last time I checked, doesn't throw you around randomly when you try to jump.

What frustrates me even more is that the levels in Rent Collection are actually very good. Like I said, I really wish I could give this pack a 5.0. There is so much creative stuff here, including two custom bosses made with animated tiles. The level design is for the most part top-notch, with only a few small issues, such as the level of difficulty suddenly spiking once you reach the Nature Castle, and one small section of a level that you are forced to repeat several times. Other than that, there is virtually nothing I can find at fault with the level design.

There is also an entertaining story present here. The story is more silly than it is serious, but it manages to entertain you all the way through, via NPCs (or as I like to call them, talking signposts) scattered throughout all of the levels. The execution couldn't be any better, complete with a very professional introduction level. Even the credits level is fun, since rather than having some text scroll by, the credits in this episode are actually interactive.

Rent Collection should by all means be perfect, and it would be if it wasn't for the invisible barriers popping up at every turn. It's a shame, because there is so much lost potential here, and I actually consider Violet to be one of the best level makers ever, as well as one of the few people who have truly mastered JCS. This episode shows how one bad idea can spoil everything else.

Despite all of my negative criticism, I still think there is more good here than bad. In fact, Rent Collection is quite fun once you look past the flaws, so it's definitely worth playing. Just know, the score of 4.0 that I am giving it is not a reflection of the problems I mentioned being relatively minor: they are actually very serious issues. The score I am giving to Rent Collection is rather a reflection of how amazingly good everything else is, and how that easily outweighs any problems the episode has.

Good:

• Fun, non-linear level design
  
• Quirky story keeps the whole episode entertaining
  
• Custom bosses are a nice touch
  
• Overall the quality is very professional
  

Bad:

• Random invisible obstructions spoil an otherwise excellent pack
  
• Difficulty starts off modest in early levels, and then quickly spikes to being very hard
  
• One small section requires pointless repetition
  
• Tries too hard to be like Hocus Pocus
  

Score:

Rabbitjournal

One of the ways I try to promote this site is by posting summaries on J2O of all the recent reviews I have done in the last few months. The section of the site I use is Rabbitjournal, a part devoted to community driven news. Being an admin, I could simply make a normal news post on the site, but I thought that this would be a good opportunity to draw attention to a very underused section of J2O. The idea is that other users can vote for good entries posted there, and have them appear on the front page. Unfortunately it's not integrated very well, so practically no one remembers it's even there any more.

About a week ago I made a post there but so far it has gotten no votes, besides my own. Because of this, I simply feel like pointing out that this feature exists. If you read this blog and feel like spending 5 seconds, I ask you to go and vote for the post I made. Otherwise, I'm probably just going to resort to normal news posts in the future, and while that would be a lot easier, it would also make Rabbitjournal even more irrelevant than it is already.

Review: Jungle Trouble

Author: Disguise
Year: 2001
Genre: Single Player Episode
Filename: Jt1.j2l
Download: J2O

Jungle Trouble is a short episode by Disguise, commonly known as one of the most prolific tileset makers ever. He also happens to be one of the most prolific level makers ever, having made more levels than I can count, of practically every gametype, but mostly capture the flag. Jungle Trouble is interesting because it is his only major single player release.

The story of this episode is fairly simple, and is told entirely within the levels themselves. At the start there is very little information other than that your village (or whatever) is being attacked by bad guys, and something in the jungle is causing it. As you set out you quickly discover that a clan of witches is behind the trouble, and behind them is an even greater enemy (guess who).

What really sets the levels here apart from most others is the fact that they are huge. Sure, there are other examples out there of gigantic levels, some of them even bigger than the ones here. They are definitely rare though, and it's obvious why: they are quite time consuming to make. Sometimes they wind up being so big that they have to be split into multiple parts due to technical limitations. This was in fact the case with Jungle Trouble: the second and third levels (still quite large by themselves) were originally supposed to be one massive level.

This episode does have more going for it than the fact that it has big levels. Arguably, the real driving factor in these levels comes in the storyline, namely how it uses the witch enemy. This is an enemy that is rarely ever seen in other levels, and in JJ2 itself was only ever used in the shareware episode. This lack of use probably stems from how hard the enemy is to use: her attack turns the player into a frog, and she takes a massive fifty hits to kill. In order for this enemy to work, the level needs to be designed in a way that specifically acommodates the witch. Jungle Trouble manages this well. You will face several witches throughout the episode, sometimes in direct fights where the only way to proceed is by killing them, and sometimes in situations where the best course of action is to run away.

If you do get turned into a frog, no worries. There is always a way to transform back to normal, and the levels are designed so that the relevant sections can be navigated in frog-form. In fact, there are some areas where you are required to play as a frog, as well as a section where you are transformed into a bird. The constant transformation you undergo is a defining aspect of the levels in Jungle Trouble, and with that it offers a type of gameplay you won't find in very many other levels.

As I mentioned, the levels here are quite large. Sometimes this kind of thing can be problematic, as big is not always better. Big levels can start to feel monotonous after a while. Thankfully, the levels in Jungle Trouble do not exhibit that problem. The gameplay is varied enough to keep things interesting. The constant risk of being turned into a frog is part of that, but besides that there are plenty of other challenges to get past, such as a large number of falling rocks and a section where you have to find a number of trigger crates. The levels also aren't entirely linear: in several places, the path forks, allowing you to choose where to go instead of being forced along a pre-defined path. This is both a blessing and a curse however, because in a few places it's possible to actually go the wrong way without noticing, until you arrive back at the place where the path initially diverges. A few arrow signs would have worked well here.

The levels present a modest challenge, with plenty of well-placed enemies and just enough carrots and checkpoints to keep things from being frustrating. Ammunition is pretty scarce though, so you will have to make sure to conserve it, especially if you want any chance at winning the final boss fight. Speaking of the final boss, it's actually pretty hard, with two witches helping make life difficult. You'll have to kill them if you want to kill the boss itself, and that's definitely easier said than done. Jazz has a distinct advantage here over Spaz, because his uppercut can kill witches instantaneously.

One thing these levels lack is a good amount of items. There is some food here and there, a bit of ammo, and a few carrots, but overall it's very scarce. Too many places are completely devoid of pickups: no gems or food or anything. Combined with the fact that these levels are very open, this leads to some sections feeling very plain. Items are important because they make players move around in a more dynamic way. Without them, there isn't much point in exploring a room, and jumping becomes something that is only done when necessary. The scarcity of items in Jungle Trouble also leads to the episode feeling a bit rushed, as if the tile placement was finished but the event placement wasn't. In fact, I would bet that this is the case, since it's a problem I have encountered when making my own levels.

The eyecandy can also get a bit dull at times. Usually it's of a fairly high quality, but in some areas there is hardly any. Again, this contributes to some parts of the episode feeling rushed. Eyecandy doesn't always have to be beautiful. In fact, in a lot of cases it's better for it to be designed in a way that it is not even noticed. And, there are cases where it is also a good idea to have none at all, creating a minimalist look. But when the level of eyecandy suddenly drops off for no particular reason, as it does in some parts of Jungle Trouble, the only effect is has is to make the player notice that there is something wrong. It has a rather jarring effect, not only making that particular section of the level look bad, but undermining the good parts of the level as well by allowing the player to notice the difference.

Another problem is that since all of the levels use the same tileset, it all starts to feel the same after a while. All of the levels using the same music file doesn't help either.

If you like big levels I recommend you download Jungle Trouble, and the same goes if you like levels that give you a wide variety of challenges. It's not a great episode, but it's certainly not bad either. I am therefore giving it a 3.0, which stands for "good".

Warning: JJ2 may crash if you save in these levels, due to a memory limitation that fails to handle big levels. Play through the whole thing in one go if you can; it shouldn't take that long to beat.

Good:

• The levels are very big
  
• Sections where you have to play as a bird or frog add variety
  
• Uses witch enemies, which are rarely ever seen in other levels
  

Bad:

• Every level has the same music
  
• Certain areas feel a bit rushed
  
• Lack of pickups tends to make the levels feel empty
  
• Sometimes possible to go the wrong way without noticing
  

Score:

Review: The Hydrotronic Amplivolumator

Author: Toxic Bunny
Year: 1999
Genre: Single Player Episode
Filename: Flood.j2l
Download: J2C, Mirror

I normally use this blog to review things that are in some way noteworthy, but sometimes it's fun to take a look at levels that aren't. It gives you a chance to play something that you probably haven't even heard about, and it gives me a chance to do an in-depth look at something I normally wouldn't bat an eye at.The Hydrotronic Amplivolumator is an example of this. It's a fairly more or less standard episode from 1999, which uses official JJ2 tilesets and official JJ2 music, and for the most part uses a type of level design that mirrors the official JJ2 levels. The most noteworthy thing about it is probably it's creator, Toxic Bunny. Today he is mostly known for his tilesets, which are all pretty good and are still used today. I think this episode was made before any of his tilesets were, and as far as I know it's his earliest ever release.

This is a pretty short episode, containing only three levels of modest length. There is a bit of a story attached to it, but it seems to be more of an afterthought, being contained mostly in the readme file. The story is basically Devan Shell being up to no good again. This time his evil plot is using some sort of evil device to flood Carrotus for no particular reason other than the fact that he likes to be a dick. The plot is pretty thin, but you can't expect much from only three levels, and it does serve its purpose. Even a mediocre story is enough to give an episode some direction, and motivate the player.

Story is something that is very important for episodes to have. That cannot be stressed enough. Without a story, levels can start to get boring, and the whole thing feels directionless. A player can go through one or two levels with no plot and still come out fine, but anything longer and the attention span starts to wane. A story helps unify the whole thing, and keeps even the dull segments somewhat interesting. This is because even in a boring segment, the player knows what to expect in the future, and still has a goal to work towards besides "get to the end". The Hydrotronic Amplivolumator illustrates this well: even a simplistic story is better than none at all.

When it comes to the level design itself, this episode is pretty average. The first two levels are fairly typical for 1999. Eyecandy is somewhat sparse, but passable. Some of it feels a bit like a rehash of the official JJ2 campaign. Difficulty is low-to-medium. There are a few tile and masking bugs here and there, but nothing serious. The only truly unique thing about them is the fact that changing water levels comes into play. This was a fairly novel concept for the time, and even by todays standards it helps the levels feel a bit less bland.

The third level is the main reason I am reviewing this. Unlike the first two levels, the third one is actually pretty original, and the level design is a lot better. The level has a lot of gameplay tricks, and challenges that go beyond "get past some enemies". For example, there is one area with a whirlpool that can suck you down and kill you. Many areas use sucker tubes in fun ways, and springs are fairly common as well. Even though this level is still pretty average overall, it's fun and way more dynamic than the other two. Because of that, I can feel safe in giving this pack a 3.0 instead of a 2.0. The difficulty in it is also a fair bit higher than the first two levels, which is appropriate (after all, an episode ought to get harder towards the end).

The design of the third level isn't groundbreaking or anything. Most of the stuff in the level is probably stuff you've seen before, being standard features which you could find in other levels. The key here is that it really comes together in a way that is fun, and presents a lot of variation throughout the level. Instead of doing the same thing to get through each room, you have to face different challenges throughout the whole level, using different sorts of movement and different tactics. The word I use to describe this is "dynamic". Single player levels should always strive to be as dynamic as possible, as this is the one of the best ways to keep a level interesting all the way through. If a level is dynamic it means that each of its areas plays differently, ideally looks different, but still avoids feeling disjointed. This does not mean avoiding repetition completely, but it does mean that any repetition should serve some sort of purpose, or have some sort of logic behind it. It helps to avoid monotony. Part of the reason why I like this episode is that the third level really demonstrates this, especially when contrasted with the other two.

Don't expect a whole lot when playing The Hydrotronic Amplivolumator. It's not going to have any lasting impact on you, and it's definitely not a classic or anything like that. On the other hand, it's fun. And besides that, its age gives it value if only for the sake of curiosity. This episode got three stars on J2C, which was the highest possible rating on the site at the time. Today this episode would probably get a score from around 6.5 to 7.5 on J2O. It really shows how much things have changed, and especially how standards today are a lot higher than they used to be.

In the future I will probably continue to feature less noteworthy episodes from time to time, once every few months or so. For the most part I'll keep the focus on "important" levels, but there's also something enjoyable about digging up stuff that basically no one remembers any more. You never know what you're going to find.

Good:

• Entertaining, despite the merely average quality
• Not too long; not too short
• Good third level

Bad:

• Eyecandy is pretty bland, and a bit off in a few places
• The first two levels are mediocre

Score: