| JJ | |
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JJ box art |
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| Developer(s) | Square |
| Publisher(s) | Square |
| Designer(s) | Hironobu Sakaguchi |
| Composer(s) | Nobuo Uematsu |
| Platform(s) | Nintendo Family Computer |
| Release date(s) |
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| Genre(s) | Scrolling shooter |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
| Media/distribution | Cartridge |
JJ (ジェイ ジェイ Jei Jei) is a video game developed and published by Square for the Nintendo Family Computer (known internationally as the Nintendo Entertainment System) in 1987. In English, it is sometimes referred to by its long form, Jumpin' Jack, or by its subtitle, Tobidase Daisakusen Part II. The game was only released in Japan.
The sequel to Tobidase Daisakusen (known in North America as 3-D WorldRunner), JJ is a typical scrolling shooter, but it incorporates a third-person view, where the camera angle is positioned behind the main character.
JJ was the last game by Square to utilize the "3D mode" and 3D glasses, and was Square's last work before the inception of the popular Final Fantasy franchise.
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As in the previous title, the main character Jack must travel through various worlds, armed with his laser cannon and jumping ability, to defeat the serpentbeasts who have overrun the planets.
Unlike in 3-D Worldrunner, in which the player can slow down or speed up the character using up and down buttons on the controller's directional pad, Jack's movement in JJ is set at a constant rate. When fighting world bosses (end of stage challenges), however, the player is capable of moving Jack freely in all directions.
Jack's basic actions consist of jumping and firing a gun. Jumping is essential to leap over canyons and is also useful for dodging enemies. Upon jumping, however, from lift-off till landing, Jack is completely defenseless, because he cannot fire his weapon while jumping. The distance of Jack's jump depends on how long the player holds the A button. In addition to jumping, Jack can also fire his gun to destroy enemies, provided that the player has obtained one. By the time the player reaches the boss at the end of any level, Jack is armed with a gun regardless of whether the player had picked one up earlier.
In each world, the player is free to travel in any forward-moving direction. The worlds are filled with enemies that attack Jack or block his progress, but also contain items that are either helpful or deadly to Jack; most of these items can be found in columns spread throughout each world. Canyons, which Jack must leap over, are also present in each world, and at the end of each world is a boss the player must defeat. None of the elements, items, or enemies in JJ are randomized; instead, they are defined in set locations.
All of the elements listed below appear in every world (the stopwatch, coils, and super-coils excepted), but not necessarily in every level:
In JJ there are eight worlds composed of two to four levels each. Every level acts as a checkpoint; if Jack dies in World 1, level 3, for example, he continues at the beginning of World 1-3. Completion of each level also resets the time counter. Additionally, each world has a bonus level, denoted as level B.
The soundtrack of JJ consists of eight tracks, and all of them are either remixed or reused from the game's prequel, 3-D WorldRunner. The game was scored by Nobuo Uematsu[1], and is Uematsu's 16th work of video game music composition.
Although the two games were released only months apart, JJ showcased many graphical improvements over its predecessor 3-D WorldRunner. The sprites have been overhauled, while more attention was paid to small details; when fighting bosses in JJ, for example, Jack is shown with a jetpack. The world backdrops are also richer in detail.
Like 3-D WorldRunner, JJ supported a "3-D mode" where selecting the 3-D mode and wearing 3D glasses makes the game appear in three dimensions. The glasses used are different, however. It has been noted that "whereas the 3-D mode in 3-D WorldRunner only required red/blue 3D glasses, the 3-D mode in this game requires special 3-D glasses whose left and right lenses switch on and off for every scan of the TV to give a perfect 3-D effect. ' These glasses were released only in Japan as the Famicom 3D System. These glasses were similar in their operation to the Segascope glasses released for the Sega Master System."[2]