JJ (video game)
Encyclopedia
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.
, 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.
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:
Canyons
Bosses
Enemies
Columns
Tanks
Jetpacks
Coils
Super coils
, and is Uematsu's 16th work of video game music composition.
. 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
."
Square Co.
was a Japanese video game company founded in September 1983 by Masafumi Miyamoto. It merged with Enix in 2003 and became part of Square Enix...
for the Nintendo Family Computer
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
(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
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
The sequel to Tobidase Daisakusen
3-D WorldRunner
is a third-person rail shooter platform video game developed by Square in . In Japan, the game was released on the Famicom Disk System as Tobidase Daisakusen, and was published by DOG, a now-defunct label of Square...
(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
Final Fantasy
is a media franchise created by Hironobu Sakaguchi, and is developed and owned by Square Enix . The franchise centers on a series of fantasy and science-fantasy role-playing video games , but includes motion pictures, anime, printed media, and other merchandise...
franchise.
Mission
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.Basic controls
Unlike in 3-D Worldrunner3-D WorldRunner
is a third-person rail shooter platform video game developed by Square in . In Japan, the game was released on the Famicom Disk System as Tobidase Daisakusen, and was published by DOG, a now-defunct label of Square...
, in which the player can slow down or speed up the character using up and down buttons on the controller's
Game controller
A game controller is a device used with games or entertainment systems used to control a playable character or object, or otherwise provide input in a computer game. A controller is typically connected to a game console or computer by means of a wire, cord or nowadays, by means of wireless connection...
directional pad
D-pad
A D-pad is a flat, usually thumb-operated directional control with one button on each point, found on nearly all modern video game console gamepads, game controllers, on the remote control units of some television and DVD players, and smart phones...
, 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.
Tasks, aids, and obstacles
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 bossBoss (video games)
A boss is an enemy-based challenge which is found in video games. A fight with a boss character is commonly referred to as a boss battle or boss fight...
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:
Canyons
- Canyons are present in each world, although the width and number of canyons differs greatly.
Bosses
- BossesBoss (video games)A boss is an enemy-based challenge which is found in video games. A fight with a boss character is commonly referred to as a boss battle or boss fight...
appear at the end of every level and must be defeated to advance. The number of incarnations of a given boss increases from world to world. In World 1, for example, the player must defeat one boss, but by the eighth and final world, the player must face no less than six incarnations of the same boss.
Enemies
- Each world has different enemies, but three types are consistent throughout each world: eyeballs, fireballs, and fire pillars. World 2 introduces the indestructible cell cluster, a new type of enemy that doesn't hurt Jack, but attempts to block his progress by shadowing his movements. As the player advances, the enemies of each world are progressively more difficult.
Columns
- Columns litter every world, and are important as they house items that benefit Jack's progress (with the exception of the eye, which is lethal). Items in columns are obtained by crashing into them.
- Shield boots: A pair of boots that grants the player invulnerability; Jack glows pink when shielded. Once Jack is struck, however, the shield is lost. The shield also vanishes upon reaching a boss fight, so Jack is unable to sustain any hits when fighting the boss. If secondary shield boots are collected, the player scores 500 points per pair.
- Gun: When armed with a gun, Jack can shoot fireballs. Secondary guns score 500 points per gun.
- Eye: When touched, the eye spells instant death for Jack, and is not defended against by a shield.
- Extra life: Increases the "Play" count by one.
- Invincibility: Similar to the star in Super Mario Bros.Super Mario Bros.is a 1985 platform video game developed by Nintendo, published for the Nintendo Entertainment System as a sequel to the 1983 game Mario Bros. In Super Mario Bros., the player controls Mario as he travels through the Mushroom Kingdom in order to rescue Princess Toadstool from the antagonist...
, under invincibility the music shifts and Jack flashes alternating colors, and it only lasts for a short period of time. Invincibility protects Jack from the Eye, but doesn't prevent Jack from falling into canyons. When invincible, Jack can destroy enemies by running into them. - Stopwatch: The stopwatch resets the time counter and appears in only a few of the eight worlds.
Tanks
- Tanks refer to small items spread throughout each world that can be collected to increase the player's score count and tank count. When collected, each tank scores the player fifty points. The number of tanks accrues between each level, but upon completion of each world the tanks are factored into the score count, divided at 200 points apiece. The tank count also resets upon death or game over.
Jetpacks
- Jetpacks are spread throughout each world, and in each world they are only located in a specific level. When Jack touches the jetpack, he is transported to a bonus level, denoted in each world as level B. Bonus levels are filled with tanks and columns with helpful items.
Coils
- Coils first appear in World 3. When stepped on, coils send Jack high into the air, and are essential for crossing some canyons.
Super coils
- Super coils are flattened in appearance, and serve the same purpose as coils, except they send Jack even higher into the air.
Worlds
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.- World 1: World 1 has four levels.
- World 2: World 2 has three levels; there are two incarnations of the boss at the end of World 2. World 2 also marks the first appearance of cell clusters.
- World 3: World 3 has four levels, and is unique because it marks the first appearance of coils. Like in World 2, there are two incarnations of the boss.
- World 4: World 4 has four levels, and it introduces super coils. At the end of World 4 are three incarnations of the boss to fight.
- World 5: World 5 has three levels. Meteorites in this world pose as cell clusters, but the meteorites are actually harmful. There are four incarnations of the boss.
- World 6: World 6 has four levels. Like in the previous world, there are four incarnations of the boss.
- World 7: World 7 has three levels. Like in the previous world, there are four incarnations of the boss.
- World 8: World 8 has two levels. It's vital that the player acquires the stopwatch in this stage. The player must face six incarnations of the boss, and the boss blends in with the background.
Musical score
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 UematsuNobuo Uematsu
is a Japanese video game composer, best known for scoring the majority of titles in the Final Fantasy series. He is considered as one of the most famous and respected composers in the video game community...
, and is Uematsu's 16th work of video game music composition.
Graphics
Although the two games were released only months apart, JJ showcased many graphical improvements over its predecessor 3-D WorldRunner3-D WorldRunner
is a third-person rail shooter platform video game developed by Square in . In Japan, the game was released on the Famicom Disk System as Tobidase Daisakusen, and was published by DOG, a now-defunct label of Square...
. 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
3-D WorldRunner
is a third-person rail shooter platform video game developed by Square in . In Japan, the game was released on the Famicom Disk System as Tobidase Daisakusen, and was published by DOG, a now-defunct label of Square...
, 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
Famicom 3D System
is an accessory for the Family Computer that was only released in Japan in 1987. The 3D system consisted of a pair of liquid crystal shutter glasses that received video signals through dual 3.5mm jacks on a special adapter. It gave compatible games the illusion of 3D depth, like the Sega Master...
. These glasses were similar in their operation to the Segascope glasses released for the Sega Master System
Sega Master System
The is a third-generation video game console that was manufactured and released by Sega in 1985 in Japan , 1986 in North America and 1987 in Europe....
."