OpenJazz Wii

OpenJazz for Wii
General
Author	tehpola, AlisterT
Type	Platform
Version	20260301
License	GPL-2.0
Last Updated	2026/03/01
Links
Download
Website
Source

This is a port of Alister's Jazz Jackrabbit engine, OpenJazz, to the Wii.

OpenJazz is a free, open-source version of the classic Jazz Jackrabbit™ games, allowing the game to run on modern systems. Original Wii port by tehpola.

Installation

To install, simply move the apps directory from the downloaded file to the root of your SD-card.

Then, transfer Copy all of the JJ1 datafiles to the /apps/OpenJazz folder.

If you don't have the datafiles, a shareware version of the first episode can be downloaded for free here.

User guide

Jazz Jackrabbit is a platform game developed by Epic MegaGames. It features six episodes, each consisting of three worlds, with two levels and a boss level.

In the game, Jazz has a life bar that decreases when enemies hit or shoot him. He can replenish his health by collecting carrots scattered throughout the levels. If his health reaches zero, Jazz will turn to ash and the level will restart from the last checkpoint.

To defeat enemies, Jazz must shoot them with the blue gun he always carries. The game features various types of bullets that deal different amounts of damage. Instead of jumping on enemies, Jazz must use his weapon to defeat them.

Controls

Hold the Wiimote sideways.

2 - Shoot

1 - Jump

A - Switch weapons

Home - Esc

Plus - Pause

Media

Jazz Jackrabbit (OpenJazz) - A Linux Game (Hex DSL)

Known issues

Network games don't work yet, but the support is there in the code.

Changelog

v.20260301

• This is a small bugfix release:
  • Fixes a bug in tilemask loading, which broke some levels, since some tiles were not passable (e.g. in Medivo)
  • Fixes a bug in palette handling when using SDL3 and no scaling, leading to wrong colors
• New features:
  • Most menu screens have now centered output and are better aligned on small displays (original resolution of Jazz is 320x199)
  • The HUD can now be changed to be like in FPS games (e.g. DOOM1, quake...)
  • Jazz' and enemy health is now affected by the difficulty level, which means the game got a lot harder on higher difficulty now

v.20260218

• This release fixes some long-standing graphics bugs and improves the user experience a bit:
  • SDL3 is now supported (though SDL2 is still the default)
  • Scaling options are now available again
  • Network support has been fixed for Windows builds and temporarily disabled for Wii builds
  • Movie playback should not show graphical artifacts anymore
• Misc changes:
  • Some bugfixes in loading code (levels, fonts, etc.)
  • psmplug has some playback fixes for ARM platforms
  • The counters at level end are now calculated like in the original instead of counting the real number of enemies/items
  • The logic when to play a cutscene or bonus level has been changed
• New ports:
  • Nintendo Switch
  • Android (currently only bare-bone, no configuration, needs external gamepad)
  • Mac Source Ports (Apple)

v.20240919

• The audio system has been refactored a bit and should now work again under Windows (#111)
• On Windows ship needed libraries instead of a "fat" executable, do not compress with UPX (#106)
• Implement loading of savegames
• Add WASM port for browsers: https://openjazz.github.io
• minor cleanups and bug fixes

v.20231028

• SDL2 support.
• Bugfixes and small improvements.
• No external dependencies besides SDL.
• CLI arguments, Logger.
• XDG directory support under Linux, *BSD and other Unices.
• Completely rewritten build system.

Credits

OpenJazz written by Alister Thomson http://alister.eu/jazz/oj/

Originally ported to the Wii by tehpola.

Thanks to the developers of SDL-Wii for making this a breeze to port.

External links

• GitHub - https://github.com/AlisterT/openjazz
• Google Code - http://code.google.com/p/openjazz-wii/source
• WiiBrew - https://wiibrew.org/wiki/OpenJazz_Wii