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Last update: 2023-02-11, split the Jazz 1.3 column into two colums: Unpatched, and GOG Patch 1.

Jazz Jackrabbit Version Differences

There have been at least 6 different fullgame releases of Jazz Jackrabbit. All releases have bugs and oddities in levels, none is perfect.

Summaries of the releases:

I (Simon N.) recommend 1.3 + GOG patch 1 for casual play, and I recommend Jazz 1.0 for speedrunning episodes 1-6.

Jazz 1.3 got re-released by GOG (Good Old Games) in November 2017. In September 2021, Love and Thunder, Violet CLM, and I submitted GOG patch 1 to GOG, and in December 2021, GOG began shipping 1.3 + GOG patch 1. To my knowledge, there is no vanilla 1.3 or 1.0 in that download, even though there really should be at least a vanilla 1.3. Well, well. At least twitch streamers don't get stuck in Orbitus 2 all the time anymore. :-)

If you're interested in speedrunning Episodes 1-6, see tips for new runners for how to create something with physics reasonably similar physics to 1.0. (Really, GOG should ship a 1.0, a good 1.2, and a 1.3...)

The following table shows all the version differences I know.

Jazz Jackrabbit 1.0 Jazz 1.1 Jazz Jackrabbit, good 1.2 Jazz Jackrabbit, bad 1.2 Jazz Jackrabbit 1.3 unpatched Jazz 1.3 + GOG Patch 1
Disk Floppy Floppy CD CD CD Download
JAZZ.EXE prints before main menu Welcome to Jazz Jackrabbit. Welcome to Jazz Jackrabbit. version 1.2
(The good and bad 1.2 have byte-for-byte identical .EXEs.)
Welcome to Jazz Jackrabbit. version 1.3
(Unpatched 1.3 and GOG Patch 1 have identical .EXEs.)
Version shown by HELPME.EXE in top-right corner 1.0 1.1 1.1 -- the good and bad 1.2 have identical outdated manuals 1.3 -- the unpatched 1.3 and GOG Patch 1 have identical .EXEs
Version shown by SETUP.EXE in top-right corner 1.0 1.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0
Intro cutscene Jazz points with gun on black background Jazz cosplays as 3 superheroes Jazz cosplays as 3 superheroes. But I've heard that some CD version had the gun/black intro? Fullgame: Jazz cosplays as 3 superheroes. Demo: Jazz points with gun on black background. Jazz cosplays as 3 superheroes.
Main menu look Normal menu Normal menu Normal menu Normal except during winter, then Jazz will wear a santa coat and snow will fall Normal except during winter, then Jazz will wear a santa coat and snow will fall
Cheat prefix P, backspace P, backspace, DD P, backspace P, backspace P, backspace P, backspace
Apology mode P, backspace, APOGEE n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a
ARJAN cheat Displays HAHAHA ? Displays HAHAHA, shakes screen Displays HAHAHA, shakes screen Displays HAHAHA, shakes screen, gives 100,000 points Displays HAHAHA, shakes screen, gives 100,000 points
Birdshot bullet size Small Small Birdshots Large Large Birdshots Large Large Birdshots Large Large Birdshots Large Large Birdshots
Episodes 1-6 1-6, A-C, Z (bonus levels) 1-6, A-C, X (Holiday Hare '94), Z (bonus levels)
Episode 3/4 title images 3: Pink vortex
4: Jill
? 3: Jill
4: Pink vortex
3: Jill
4: Pink vortex
3: Jill
4: Pink vortex
3: Pink vortex
4: Jill
Episode A/B title images n/a A: Frog
B: Green stars
A: Frog
B: Green stars
A: Green stars
B: Frog
A: Frog
B: Green stars
Impassable or near-impassable levels None, all levels are good Marbelara Secret is impassable Tubelectric 2 is too hard, Marbelara Secret is impassable Orbitus 2 is too hard (details below) None, all levels are good
Tubelectric 2, first room Hidden spring Visible spring No spring at all. To reach the top tube, run into the right tube at full speed. As soon as the right tube pushes you leftwards, immediately press and hold down and jump and release right. (You will jump off the floor at the right tube's ejection speed, making that jump very high. Holding down is necessary to jump as early as possible.) Hidden spring Hidden spring
Tubelectric 2, end Short Long: The exit sign from 1.0 got replaced by a checkpoint, followed by a zig-zagging downward section surrounded by yellow and orange square bricks. You get a shield and a bird, then travel through a pipe to the exit. Short Short Short
Medivo 1 airboard ditch Works Broken Broken Broken Works
Ordering information after episode 1 One advertizement screen after "Let's not keep her waiting." This is in the fullgame release because you could order episodes 1-3 and episodes 4-6 separately. None None None None
Orbitus 1 airboard ditch Works Works Broken -- but that keeps the level solvable because bouncy floors are completely broken, they behave like air. Works Works
Orbitus 2 Fairly easy, can fall through cracks in bouncy floors Fairly easy, can fall through cracks in bouncy floors Requires a bounce off the bouncy wall because bouncy floors are completely broken, they behave like air. Almost impassable without tool assistance. Bouncy floors have a huge trigger area, sucking Jazz upwards, away from the intended route. Even with slow-motion, this is excruciatingly hard. Cheat for an airboard (P, backspace, CSTRIKE) or copy MaxStrike's fix into Jazz 1.3. Fairly easy: The gaps that Jazz must enter are now bigger. Jazz cannot fall through cracks in bouncy floors.
Turtemple 2 airboard ditch Works Works Broken Broken Works
Jungrock leaves Fall after touching ? Won't fall Won't fall Won't fall Fall after touching
Jungrock bouncy flowers Bouncy ? Not bouncy Not bouncy Bouncy Bouncy
Marbelara Secret Passable via hidden spring Incompleteable due to missing spring. Workaround: Cheat for an airboard (P, backspace, CSTRIKE), bypass the pillar, enter the cheat again to lose the airboard. Passable via hidden spring
Dreempipes fuel raising/lowering speed Slow: In the final room of Dreempipes 1, you can skip the first red switch on the right and instead swim immediately to the next red switch on the left. If you shoot the Dreempipes 2 speed shoes through the wall from the right, you won't have to hit red switches and can keep the speed shoes until the exit. Fast water raising/lowering Fast water raising/lowering Fast water raising/lowering Fast water raising/lowering
Pezrock 2 airboard ditch Works Works Broken Broken Works
Battleships airboard ditches Both the Battleships 1 and the Battleships 2 airboard ditch work in 1.0, in 1.1, in both 1.2s, and in both 1.3s. Battleships Secret correctly has no airboard ditch in any version.
Bonus stage music End-of-episode music End-of-episode music End-of-episode music Fullgame: End-of-episode music. Demo: Exoticus music. End-of-episode music
Jazz Jackrabbit 1.0 Jazz 1.1 Jazz Jackrabbit, good 1.2 Jazz Jackrabbit, bad 1.2 Jazz Jackrabbit 1.3 unpatched Jazz 1.3 + GOG Patch 1

The CD releases have episodes A-Z. The good 1.2 had slightly harder episodes A-C than the bad 1.2 and the 1.3. Especially Deserto 2 is very hard in the good 1.2. Here are all A-C differences that I know.

Jazz Jackrabbit, good 1.2 Jazz Jackrabbit, bad 1.2 Jazz 1.3 with or without Patch 1
Exoticus 1 No blue spring near the halfway checkpoint No blue spring near the halfway checkpoint Blue spring on the purple hill near the halfway checkpoint
Raneforus 2 airboard ditch Works in all 3 CD releases, even though the TAS notes claim that it's broken in 1.3.
Ceramicus 1, flowerpots Small flowerpots, the upper part of the tile is air Large flowerpots, each fills a whole tile Large flowerpots, each fills a whole tile
Ceramicus 1, after 1st patch of carrots High pole, tricky to jump over, but not too hard Pole is one tile shorter than in good 1.2, easy to jump. Pole is one tile shorter than in good 1.2, easy to jump.
Ceramicus 1, before 2nd patch of carrots 3 flying springboards that you must evade, otherwise they'll bounce you back to where you came from No springboards to bounce you back No springboards to bounce you back
Ceramicus 1, near the end A moving springboard moves inside a tunnel, directly below a ceiling. That springboard gets you permanently stuck in the ceiling. Solid platform, you can't get stuck Solid platform, you can't get stuck
Deserto 2 No carrots anywhere. On Medium/Hard/Turbo, this is is the hardest level in the game. Shooting the checkpoint is disadvantageous, then you can't recollect the 4-shield after dying. 5 patches with 2 carrots each throughout the level. Level has average difficulty. 5 patches with 2 carrots each throughout the level. Level has average difficulty.
Lagunicus Boss Select Blaster to fire Toasters, select Toaster to fire RF-Missiles, select RF-Missile to fire Launchers, select Launcher to fire single birdshots that bounce and sound like Launchers. TNT functions normally. All 5 weapons function normally. All 5 weapons function normally.

See also the great TAS notes by Ilari, Mothrayas, and slamo. They have lots of extra info, even if the list of version differences is not as comprehensive as mine above.

Thanks

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I'm Simon N. and have speedrun Jazz Jackrabbit since September 2016. Watch live at twitch.tv/simonnaar or send email to eiderdaus at the gmail.com.

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