It's very fashionable for the internet masses to scrutinize newer games and glorify older ones, but it has been a goal of mine since I started this blog to look back on a lot of these older games and see if they hold up to the praise they get. While a game like Super Mario Bros holds up with great controls and level design, some games aren't as good in hindsight. Today we are going to take a look at the PC game trilogy Jill Of The Jungle.
Jill Of The Jungle is a 2D sidescrolling action platformer from Epic Megagames, the same folks that brought us Solar Winds and Kiloblaster. Their games generally aren't excellent, but they're entertaining if you can look past a few things. Jill Of The Jungle is no exception. While all three episodes contain great level design, they're hindered by touchy action and controls- and in episode 2 and 3- sound problems.
Like most games back then, the level design was inspired and interesting (most of the time). The developers utilized a very basic mapping engine to create some great levels to explore and fight through. In some of the larger levels with bigger rooms, clever little secrets are usually hidden and satisfying to discover.
The controls and action, however, are lackluster. Jill does not move across the map pixel by pixel like on Commander Keen. She moves a half of a game tile with every tick. Combined with a sticky jump height, this becomes a nuisance when doing any tricky platforming. Now sometimes the game uses its stiff jumping mechanics to the level design's advantage, but generally it's a problem.
Fighting isn't that much better. Now, the game is cool in sometimes you'll go an occasional level without a weapon, but trying to use weapons and avoiding traps is often a pain. Some traps are glitchy in that you'll run past a timed flame trap, but will receive damage even as the torch is dormant. The game is prideful in that Jill has infinite lives, but I can't figure out if that's a good or bad thing. It's bad because that makes the game too easy. It's good in that some levels you'll die a lot because of frustrating challenges and you want whatever progress to the level you made to be saved.
When it comes to sound, this is where the game gets interesting. In the first episode, you get great sound and enchanting music. Guitar riffs, bassy thumps, and other genuine sounds make up the sound board. One of my favourite effects is the “Get key” sound, which might be an eighties rock star going “Yeeeeah!” or “Gal!” or a mix of the two. The second and third episodes, however, have terrible sound effects. The first episode only had one or two annoying sounds, but the next two are filled with awkward synths and annoying screechs. My question is, why did they switch the sound effects? The first episode's effects were great. They couldn't have been unaware of how annoying Jill's death sound is in episode 3.
Luckily, the music is consistent throughout the game. The music in the first game, though, is the most atmospherical. The engine they use for music, I believe, is the same engine Epic used for the rest of their games from that era like Kiloblaster and Solar Winds. It's a joy to listen to regardless.
The graphics are okay, but nothing to write home about. While most of the game has a consistent simplistic yet colourful look, every once and awhile you'll come across an enemy that will either look really cartoony or like the artists tried for a 3D rotoscoped look like Donkey Kong Country.
The first episode is easily the strongest of the three. Of course, developers commonly put the best stuff of their games in the shareware episode to trick you into buying the game full and only to be disappointed. If you're up for some older sidescrolling platforming with some great level design, try out the shareware episode. If you really enjoyed yourself with it, you might want to check out the rest of the game. I played through all three parts several times during my childhood and although I loved the game back then, it hasn't aged well for me.
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