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: