Developer: Loriciel Publisher: Electro Brain Release: 1993 Genre: Action
Jim Power is one of the most frustrating games I have ever played in my life. That says a lot as I am 41 years old but it is true. I have tolerated many infuriating titles in my day but this…..few games have tried my patience to this level. If the design ethos was to create the most annoying game ever I would believe it. Jim Power is a seriously flawed game and one that deserves further examination.
Originally Jim Power was released for the Amiga and various other computer formats as Jim Power in Mutant Planet. That game we shall say had its heart in the right place as it was a technical marvel and artistically brilliant but a disaster gameplay wise. Jim Power in the Lost Dimension is a remake that borrows liberally from the original and adds a few new gameplay styles. The pieces are there for an epic adventure but boy do they screw it up horribly.
Before I get into why this game is a chore to play I have to acknowledge its production values. The art direction has that Amiga look and is phenomenal as the alien environments are rich with detail and burst with life thanks to the SNES’ color palette. Mode 7 is used extensively in many of its sub-stages and boss battles and while it blatantly rips from Contra III it is still impressive. The shooter levels are probably the best looking and on top of that there is no slowdown. The most notable aspect is the game’s use of parallax scrolling. To simulate the 3d effect the game has up to twelve layers of scrolling. While it is impressive it is also problematic. The backgrounds move in different directions and the effect is disorienting in motion. I do not get motion sickness but this came very close, beware.
Jim can fire single shots slowly or rapid fire his default weapon and has potentially screen clearing bombs. There are many power-ups that increase the power of your shots and it evolves with each level. Mercifully you keep your weapon items after death and this evolution continues up until the game’s conclusion. There is an invincibility power-up but it lasts a meager few seconds and chances are you will die trying to take advantage of it. In fact the invincibility window you receive after death lasts longer!
Jim Power is an ambitious game as it spans three gameplay styles. The main portion of the game is side scrolling action a la Turrican. Here is where you will encounter most of the game’s problems. You can only fire straight ahead but most enemies attack at varying angles that make this limitation worse. I cannot stress just how frustrating this is. Jim has a pathetically short jump and unfortunately these levels call on it constantly. The worst though is that you die in one hit and the game seems as though it were designed around a life bar that does not exist. Death lurks every few feet and the gotcha moments are ridiculous. This is supposed to be a run and gun but it is more of a crawl if you want to stay alive which is stupid.
Like its Amiga counterpart there are shooter levels and these are probably the only parts of the game without fault. These segments are fast and focused and while the art design can be confusing at times they are generally enjoyable. What is not are the overhead levels that wouldn’t look out of place in Contra III. Using the same viewpoint and controls you must navigate mazes to reach the stairs to the next floor. But the various hazards and such are unclear and the slightest touch of anything results in death. The later versions of these stages up the ante with more spiked pits, bounce pads and hazardous floors. The brisk timer means you cannot dawdle but the controls are so touchy you need to be careful. The design is at odds with the controls and that juxtaposition means I dread these levels almost as much as the platforming stages.
Even with all these flaws at every turn Jim Power could have worked. But like Battletoads the designers go too far with the difficulty and it ruins it. The game has a curve as though it does not start at eleven and only gets worse as you progress. Weapon are too weak, enemies are too strong, platforms require a level of precision the game cannot deliver, and it just goes on and on. You will be hearing Jim’s death scream a lot. Even though I made the comparison to Rare’s title at least there once you memorize the layout of each stage it becomes manageable. Here it feels hopeless. The final insult to injury is the limited credits for a game that is decently lengthy. I could keep going but I will stop.
The sad thing is all it would take is a god damn life bar to make the game tolerable. In fact the DOS version adds just that and it does wonders at making the game playable. All of the game’s ridiculous gotcha moments are less annoying when they do not result in instant death. You have room to make mistakes and with that it is legitimately fun to learn the layout of each level. I am baffled they released Jim Power without this feature as it literally makes the game. What a waste of potential.
In Closing
Man, Jim Power. What more needs to be said? This is one of the worst games in the SNES library. It is not often that a game fails this bad yet here we are. It is as if someone deliberately went out of their way to make every bad design decision possible and put it on store shelves to torture children. Avoid this game people, don’t waste your time.
