Modes are a gameplay-grading feature in PaRappa The Rapper, PaRappa The Rapper 2, and Um Jammer Lammy. The mode changes depending on how well a player plays in a game.
There are 4 modes: Good, the mode the player starts in; Cool, obtained after doing really well in the game; Bad, obtained after doing poorly in the game; and Awful, obtained after doing terribly in the game. These modes are in a scale from Cool to Awful and can be interchanged by doing two lines better or worse in a row. In Um Jammer Lammy, doing a line extremely poorly results in losing 100 points and lowering the Mode instantly. In PaRappa The Rapper 2, doing a line extremely poorly will guarantee to subtract 300 points. When a Mode is blinking or partially visible, the Mode indicated is about to be obtained.
Good Mode[]
Good Mode is the default mode when starting a stage.
In this mode, the player takes turns with the teacher to rap or play along to the music. Following the line finely will help the player maintain Good Mode. From here, the player can achieve Cool Mode by making two Cool-worthy lines in succession. If the player plays two lines poorly, however, they will be demoted to Bad Mode instead.
Ending a stage in Good Mode progresses the story and unlocks the next stage.
Cool Mode[]
Cool Mode is the best possible Mode that can be obtained by playing two Cool-worthy lines in Good Mode.
During Cool Mode, the teacher is not present to guide the player and will have to rely on freestyling. This is done with six different preset phrases throughout the song which are played through the standard buttons, with each linked to their own phrase. Doing a good enough freestyle will keep the player in Cool Mode as well as earning them points. Failure to maintain Cool Mode will drop the player back down to Good Mode.
In Um Jammer Lammy, Cool Mode acts differently in Versus Mode, and can only be accessed once both players obtain Cool Mode. They may still enter Cool Mode if one of them is about to drop from Cool Mode. If one player leaves Cool Mode, both players leave Cool Mode.
Cool Mode's freestyling just requires an on-beat performance participated with the buttons, unrestricted to the order or rules.
Ending a stage in Cool Mode gives a different ending with PaRappa or Lammy being heavily praised for their performance. It also unlocks a crown in recognition of the achievement. In the original game, it also shows a cutscene after the level that positively diverges slightly in plot from the normal cutscenes.
Similar to Good Mode, ending a stage in Cool Mode progresses the story and unlocks the next stage.
Bad Mode[]
Bad Mode is obtained by performing poorly in a stage.
In Bad Mode, the stage and music will distort uniquely, and the stage would become different compared to the normal one, such as the teacher lying down or the crowd acting up. Cartoonish sounds will also occupy the music, further enforcing the Bad Mode experience. Upon getting two Good-worthy lines, the Mode will raise to Good Mode. Failing again will drop the player to Awful Mode, however.
Ending a stage in Bad Mode triggers a game over, and the stage must be restarted to attempt to finish it in Good Mode+ instead.
Awful Mode[]
Awful Mode is obtained by performing poorly in Bad Mode, and serves as a last chance for the player to redeem themselves.
In Awful Mode, the stage and music are distorted harsher than Bad, and the duck squeaks are most prominent. The player must be careful to fail as few lines as possible, as failing two more lines consecutively will trigger an immediate game over. Two successful lines in a row will redeem the player to Bad Mode.
Again, similar to Bad Mode, ending a stage in Awful Mode also triggers a game over.
Strategies[]
The most important thing is to stay within the beat. Playing on beats and off-beats always succeeds more than mashing buttons. This is most prominent in Cool Mode because of the lack of the bar. This means you must rely on the music to play on beat. Punishment for mashing buttons is harsher in Um Jammer Lammy, since this will subtract 100 points and take you down a mode immediately.
If you are in Bad or Awful Mode, remember that doing Cool lines will not bring you to Cool Mode faster than doing a Good line. It's riskier to do so if you don't know what you're doing, so just follow the teacher until you get back to Good Mode.