Jazz Jackrabbit Collection (GOG)

Speed, color, and old-school attitude define this hyperactive platforming collection, which stars a green rabbit with a blaster and an urgent rescue mission. Jazz races across alien landscapes to free Princess Eva Earlong from the villainous turtle Devan Shell and his armed Shellian forces. The tone is pure 1990s PC action: cartoonish enemies, bold pixel art, thumping music, and levels built to reward players who keep moving. Alongside the CD-ROM release, the package includes Holiday Hare ’95, a festive standalone chapter that brings snowy stages and seasonal enemy designs to the same rapid-fire formula.

Play revolves around sprinting, leaping across hazardous terrain, collecting ammunition and pickups, and mowing down enemies before they crowd the screen. Jazz’s weapon selection gives the action more variety than a basic stomp-and-jump platformer, with different guns and projectile types changing how safely you can handle airborne foes, tight corridors, and bosses. The campaign is divided into themed episodes and worlds, each packed with secret routes, bonus areas, environmental traps, and oversized set-piece encounters. Brief 3D bonus stages break up the side-scrolling action, while the straightforward controls make it easy to start even when the later levels demand sharper reflexes and more careful jumping.

What stands out is the sense of speed: Jazz Jackrabbit feels less methodical than contemporaries such as Commander Keen and closer in spirit to Sonic’s momentum-driven rush, though its emphasis remains firmly on shooting. Its hand-drawn sprites, expressive animation, and energetic soundtrack preserve the charm of an era when DOS platformers competed through personality rather than realism. Holiday Hare ’95 is more than a cosmetic extra, offering another worthwhile batch of stages for players who enjoy the main campaign’s rhythm. Fans of retro run-and-gun platformers, arcade-style score chasing, and bright 16-bit-era aesthetics find plenty to enjoy here, while newcomers should expect a tougher, less forgiving design than modern platform games.