Jill of the Jungle: The Complete Trilogy

I remember playing the "Shareware" version of Jill of the Jungle back in the day--the first game in this trilogy, like the first "episode" of Wolfenstein 3D or DOOM, was distributed for free and people were free to share it around--and I have some fun memories of it, old-school DOS jank or not. So I'm really happy to see the games available on GOG as a freebie title. They've been "available" for a long time, in the sense that you could still find the games on the original dev's website, the first chapter for free and the other two available for purchase, but good luck actually finding out about the game if you didn't grow up with an old Windows 3.11 computer like I did. The game is a standard sidescrolling platformer. Control-wise, it's quite jank, as all DOS sidescrollers were at the time (the PC was not always the glorious gaming platform of the master race, you know). But it makes up for that with a ton of tongue-in-cheek charm and personality, as well as some pretty solid level design. All three games are quite short, easy to complete in one quick sitting, which makes these a good way to unwind without committing to a long gaming experience. That said, the games do allow you to save your game literally anywhere in any level, so you don't have to worry about getting it done in one swoop, either.

Jill of the Jungle is one of first games published by Epic MegaGames. It is fondly remembered for a reason, but it's not without issues. You should not get bored: apart from classic run-and-jump levels, Jill can transform into fish, frog or flaming bird. This adds some variety to the gameplay: for example, after morphing into bird, you can visit places otherwise unavailable for Jill. You will also come across some puzzles, and despite most of them relying on switching levers in correct order, they are usually presented in a unique manner. Levels are usually filled with enemies, which can be taken out with either knife or spinning blade. To be honest, enemies are more of nuance than actual threat (with a few exceptions). Game is more focused on platforming and puzzles than fight. Unfortunately, whole trilogy is very short. You can finish all three games in about 3-4 hours, depending on your skill. But even inexperienced players should not have much trouble with beating this game. Technically, Jill tried to surpass Apogee games at the time - and it shows. Game uses VGA 256 color graphics, and while sprites are not as detailed as in, let's say, Goodbye Galaxy, they have their charm. You can save the game at any point. Gamepad is also supported. Music is really catchy, it's easily one of the strongest points of Jill. Instead of using PC Speaker for sound effects, it plays prerecorded samples. Some of them sound a little bit bizarre - for example, during last episode, when Jill throws a knife a lion roar can be heard! Overall, it's a fun little game with some flaws. Try it if you like platform or DOS games. There's nothing to lose, since it's free :) If you enjoy Jill of the Jungle, then go and download Xargon. It's another Epic platformer using modified Jill engine, and which had been released as freeware a couple years ago. It has everything what made Jill good and adds something extra (better graphics, inventory, etc.)

loved this game for decades still do. Easy to play fun challenges.

I loved this game as a child and now as an adult. A simple, fun platformer.

I'm enjoying this game! Takes me back to the simpler times when I first discovered PC and hacked this game to get the audio working lol. Loved the music, love the platforming and l love the heroine. Never did get the full trilogy since I owned nothing back then but glad to finally conclude this epic trilogy.