Jazz Jackrabbit facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Jazz Jackrabbit |
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Jazz Jackrabbit, the main character of the series
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| Genres | Platform game |
| Developers | Epic MegaGames Game Titan |
| Publishers | Gathering of Developers Jaleco |
| Platforms | MS-DOS Microsoft Windows Mac OS Linux Game Boy Advance |
| First release | Jazz Jackrabbit August 1, 1994 |
| Latest release | Jazz Jackrabbit December 20, 2002 |
The Jazz Jackrabbit games are a fun series where you play as Jazz, a cool green rabbit. He's a hero who battles his enemy, Devan Shell, a sneaky turtle. Their story is a funny, futuristic version of the old fable, The Tortoise and the Hare. These games were created by Arjan Brussee and Cliff Bleszinski. Epic Games made them, starting with the first game in 1994 for computers called MS-DOS. There are two main computer games and one game for a handheld device.
Contents
Explore the Jazz Jackrabbit Games
| 1994 | Jazz Jackrabbit |
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| 1995 | |
| 1996 | |
| 1997 | |
| 1998 | Jazz Jackrabbit 2 |
| 1999 | |
| 2000 | |
| 2001 | |
| 2002 | Jazz Jackrabbit (2002) |
The First Adventure: Jazz Jackrabbit (1994)
The very first Jazz Jackrabbit game came out in 1994. Epic MegaGames developed and published it for MS-DOS computers. In this game, Jazz had to save Princess Eva Earlong of Carrotus. She was kidnapped by his main enemy, Devan Shell.
A special free version of the game, called shareware, became very popular. This helped the game win "Arcade Game of the Year" from a magazine called PC Format.
The Sequel: Jazz Jackrabbit 2 (1998)
Jazz Jackrabbit 2 was made by Orange Games and Epic MegaGames. It was released in 1998. In this story, Jazz teams up with his siblings, Spaz and Lori. They try to get back Eva's stolen wedding ring from Devan.
The game did pretty well in Europe. However, it didn't sell as much as expected for its publisher in the United States.
The Cancelled Game: Jazz Jackrabbit 3
Jazz Jackrabbit 3 was a game that was planned but never finished. It was also known as Jazz Jackrabbit 3D: Adventures of a Mean Green Hare. This game was going to be in 3D, unlike the earlier games. It was being made for computers and the PlayStation 2 console.
The game's development stopped in May 2000. Epic Games couldn't find a company to publish it. Since then, a test version of the game and its design plans have been shared online. In this test version, only Jazz is playable. However, Spaz and Lori were also meant to be playable characters.
The story of Jazz Jackrabbit 3 would have followed Jazz Jackrabbit 2. Jazz and Eva Earlong would have settled down and had children. But then, Devan Shell would kidnap their kids. He would take them to another universe using a time machine.
Jazz Jackrabbit 3 was a third-person shooter game. This means you would see Jazz from behind as you played. It also had parts that were like platform games and adventure games. You would use the mouse to aim and shoot. The keyboard would help Jazz move around.
Jazz could fire his weapon or charge up a stronger shot. You could collect coins to buy new weapons. You could also combine them with special "Dream Cells" to make different weapon effects.
Unlike the first two games, Jazz Jackrabbit 3 didn't have separate levels. Instead, it was divided into connected areas. You could travel back and forth between these areas. Each new area would show its name when you entered it.
The Handheld Game: Jazz Jackrabbit (2002)
Another game called Jazz Jackrabbit was released in 2002. This one was made for the Game Boy Advance handheld system. Game Titan developed it, and Jaleco published it. This game was a "reboot" for the series. This means it started the story fresh with some changes.
The game's design was changed to feel more like space science fiction, similar to Star Wars. Jazz himself was redesigned to look a bit like Han Solo. Eva and Lori were not in this game. Devan Shell was replaced by a new enemy called Dark Shell.
Other Appearances of Jazz
Jazz and Devan have also appeared in other games. They were guest characters in a fighting game called One Must Fall: 2097. Each character controlled a fighting robot that matched their personality.
At one point, Epic MegaGames thought about making a Jazz Jackrabbit animated TV show. They even filed paperwork for it in 1997.
In 2010, Epic Games released tools for making games on iPhones and iPads. One of the lessons for these tools showed Jazz Jackrabbit as a top-down shooting game.
In 2017, a small hidden reference to Jazz Jackrabbit appeared in the popular game Fortnite. This is called an "easter egg."
In 2022, fans released a special version of the game Doom II called Jazz Jackrabbit Doom TC. It lets you play Doom II with a Jazz Jackrabbit theme.
