Jazz Jackrabbit CD-ROM

About

Jazz Jackrabbit CD-ROM is a DOS platformer where you play a green hare armed with a futuristic gun, racing across surreal planets to rescue a kidnapped princess. The game expands on earlier versions with nine episodes total, including three extra "Lost Episodes" packed with secret levels and hazards. Each world throws new enemies and physics-based puzzles at you as you jump, shoot, and collect power-ups to unlock progression. The story borrows from Aesop’s fable rivalry between hares and tortoises, framing your mission as a war against a tyrannical tortoise overlord’s galactic conquest. The CD edition stands out for its 30 added levels and a bonus stage selector, offering more variety and difficulty than most 90s platformers. A secret lizard transformation in one episode adds a quirky twist to the gameplay loop. While DOS limitations keep the graphics dated by modern standards, the tight controls and escalating challenge keep it engaging for retro fans. Released in 1994, it’s a relic of the CD-ROM era’s experimental level design and cheeky humor.

Storyline

The game is set in a fantasy world based on Aesop's "The Tortoise and the Hare", in which the enmity between tortoises and hares continues even after three thousand years. An evil mastermind tortoise named Devan Shell begins conquering planets, suppressing any native confrontation. One of such planets, Carrotus, is home to a peaceful hare kingdom that, once confronted by Shell, is able to provide enough resistance to fend him off. Enraged by his loss, Devan decides to kidnap Carrotus princess Eva Earlong and hide her on a distant airbase of unknown location to use as ransom. In response, the king chooses to send Carrotus' hero Jazz Jackrabbit, a green hare with a blue LFG-2000 gun, to various planets conquered by Devan that might contain clues to the location of Eva's imprisonment. As Jazz travels through different worlds, he gains new weapons and meets new enemies in his pursuit to rescue the princess and save Carrotus from Devan Shell and his army of Turtle Terrorists. Jazz manages to find the secret airbase but Devan escapes with Eva. Jazz later finds Devan's cloning machine. In the end Jazz stops two battleships sent by Devan to attack Carrotus and finds the location of the princess, but Devan escapes.