Developer: Shiny Entertainment Publisher: Playmates Released: October 1994 Genre: Action
During the 8 and 16-bit era the best 2d platformers came from Japan. From Mario to Sonic to Mega Man if you were into the genre chances are a Japanese developed title was your favorite. When compared to Western titles like Bubsy and Aero the Acrobat the gap in quality was often gigantic. But occasionally an American developed title would enter that pantheon. Earthworm Jim arrived in 1994 with much fanfare and on the merits of its technical prowess few could match it. It isn’t as successful on the gameplay front but is still a great game overall however.
Jim was once an ordinary worm leading an ordinary life. That changes when a super suit falls from the sky, transforming him from mild mannered dirt eater to super hero. Unfortunately the suit was belongs to Queen Pulsating, Bloated, Festering, Sweaty, Pus-Filled, Malformed, Slug-For-A-Butt and she sends her henchman Psy-Crow to return it, starting the adventure.
Perhaps the game’s greatest triumph is Jim himself. Earthworm Jim is brimming with personality, more so than the majority of characters from that era. The amount of animation he has is unheard of, from many idle traits to the level and situation specific. His movements are highly exaggerated but that lends to his charm. It also covers the enemies and extended cast as well although not to the same extent. Shiny Entertainment took the animation process pioneered during their work on Aladdin and other Virgin titles a step further creating one of the most fluid games from that period. The game is still impressive to this day in that regard.
Jim has a variety of mechanics that make use of both his suit and his worm body. Your basic attack uses your gun although it is not intuitive. You do not fire visible bullets; so long as you fire in the general direction of an enemy it will hit but it remains tricky to use until the end of the game. You have limited ammo but unless you go completely ballistic will never run out. Even if you ammo will slowly refill to 1oo. You can whip enemies but the attack is generally too slow to use reliably. Whipping is reserved for swinging from hooks mostly. Jim can also use his head as a helicopter to glide which is extremely cool.
While the general mechanics are not as tight as they should be Earthworm Jim excels because it is rarely straightforward. Nearly every level features some new gimmick or play mechanic that is incredibly fun at its best and mildly frustrating at their worst. One of my favorite levels is For Pete’s Sake wherein you must guide the mild mannered Peter Puppy to his home. Peter is blissfully ignorant of danger so you must protect him. But if he falls in a pit he mutates and drags Jim back. This stage is excellently designed and one of the best in the game. Similarly Down the Tubes sees Jim largely avoiding combat as the various cat guards are nearly invincible and will slam him relentlessly. With the help of a hungry hamster you can turn the tables. This is another excellent level and one of the games strongest.
When Earthworm Jim fails it fails hard. Snot a Problem is an interesting idea for a boss battle. As you bungee down a canal you have to smash Major Mucus into the walls while avoiding Mucus Phlegm Brain at the bottom. The controls and momentum are frustrating to deal with and even worse, you have to do it three times. I like the idea of Intestinal Distress more than playing the level. Here you navigate the inside of a large creature. But the entire stage suffers from the kinds of navigational problems endemic in Virgin’s games back then. As annoying as some of its levels are Earthworm Jim hits more than it misses.
This is a tough one for a variety of reasons. The slow whip and imprecise targeting lead to a lot of cheap hits. It is apparent someone recognized this as life restoring items are everywhere. Even still it is very easy to die without realizing it. The weirder stages like Snot a Problem and Tube Race are not intuitive and will sap your lives. You have limited continues which means you will have to spend some time with this one and it does not always feel fair. If the game had a password system it would be more tolerable but as is the game suffers without it.
In Closing
Earthworm Jim is an excellent first effort and excels due to a great character and endless creativity. It doesn’t hit all the right notes but it does not need to. Its hits are greater than its misses.
