A much-loved platform game from Shiny Entertainment, formed when Playmates Inc. approached former Virgin Software alumnus Dave Perry (who had developed Cool Spot and Aladdin for Virgin) to create a marketable videogame IP to build a new multimedia sensation upon, in the spirit of their previous success, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise. The title character (created by cartoonist Doug TenNapel) is an earthworm mutated by a mechanical super-suit from space into a somewhat awkward super-hero, who takes it upon himself to stop the machinations of the Evil Queen Pulsating, Bloated, Festering, Sweaty, Pus-Filled, Malformed Slug-For-A-Butt and rescue the beautiful Princess What's-Her-Name. His adventure takes him from the scrap heaps of New Junk City to the sweltering fire-pits of Planet Heck (home of the aptly-namedEvilthe Cat) to Level 5, the lair of the evil Mad Scientist who invented Jim's super-suit, Professor Monkey-for-a-Head. All the while, Jim is pursued by Psy-Crow, Queen Slug-for-a-Butt's right-hand man who is intent on getting the suit back.Yes. It's that kind of game.In the sequel, Jim must traverse the galaxy again, this time to save Princess What's-Her-Name from a Shotgun Wedding to Psy-Crow. Jim's travels take him through the summer homes of many villains from the previous games, with such exotic locales as collapsing underground tunnels, intestines (while wearing a cave salamander costume), a carnival run by Evil the Cat, and a planet made up entirely of paperwork.The third game, Earthworm Jim 3D for the Nintendo 64 and PC, had Jim taking a Journey to the Center of the Mind after one too many falling cows to the head. A Game Boy Color title, Menace 2 The Galaxy, was also released.The franchise is currently struggling to revive itself, with a remake of the original game promised for the PlayStation Portable, but eventually cancelled.However in 2010 a remake of the original game, "Earthworm Jim HD", finally made its way to the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live with enhanced graphics, sound, 4 player co-op, new levels and the option of the original Nintendo Hard difficulty for the purists. But oddly missing the secret "Who Turned Out The Lights?" level.A new, fourth game, is now rumored to be in the works, along with a new cartoon and motion picture, supervised by franchise creator Doug Tennapel. However it seems that a fourth title is not in development. But Doug confirms that interplay is interested.True to Playmates' intentions of turning the series into a multimedia sensation, the series also spawned a cult-classic animated adaptation and a line of action figures to match, and in light of their reputation, all of them have fared signifigantly better than other similar attempts such as Battletoads, Bubsy or even Cheetahmen.
Bottomless Magazines: If the player drops below a certain amount of ammunition (500 shots) for Jim's default blaster, it will slowly replenish itself until it hits that number again once Jim stops firing. Which is good, since running out would spell disaster when dealing with Peter Puppy (who stops and ducks when he's shot at) or Evil Queen Slug-For-A-Butt (who just takes a lot of hits).
Easy Mode Mockery: In talkie versions, instead of the ending you get a lecture about worms from Jim himself. You get the full ending on normal difficulty and a very uplifting speech if you finish on hard.
Everything's Funkier with Disco: "Boogie Nights of the Living Dead" from Earthworm Jim 3D. Also, Billy the Bin's theme from the HD remake of the first game.
Escort Mission: "For Pete's Sake", although the puppy you're escorting ALSO happens to be the biggest threat of the level. Several levels in the sequel task Jim to use a giant marshmallow to save Petey's children from being thrown out the window. It's roughly 357% less aggravating than the first game's Petey level.
Earthworm Jim 2 also contains "The Flyin' King", a level in Isometric Projection where Jim flies his handy Pocket Rocket through the hazardous skies to the boss. In order to beat the level, you have to gently bump a fragile and highly explosive balloon to the very end. If it ruptures before meeting the boss, you have to go back to the beginning to try again.
Exactly What It Says on the Tin: In the PAL versions, "The Villi People" level was called, "Jim's now a Blind Cave Salamander!"
In the first game, the fifth level is called... Level 5. Also, in the second game, the eight level, Level Ate, doubles as both this and a Stealth Pun.
Expy: In the HD remake, one of the new bosses is an obvious expy of Keyboard Cat.
Funny Background Event: In the higher-end versions of the first game, the cow can be seen periodically going by in the background in later levels.
Gainax Ending: Done for hilarious effect in the second game: "And so, having defeated the nefarious COW
Hitbox Dissonance: Throughout many levels, many walls and ledges...aren't. Leading sometimes to some frustratingly cheap deaths, but also used to hide secret paths. Especially obvious in the final level.
I See London: In one of Jim's idle animations, his pants will fall down. It's probably best not to ask why a mech suit has heart-print boxers.
Juggling Loaded Guns: Two of his idle animations are to twirl his blaster on his finger, throw it in the air, catch it and holster it. The aversion is done successfully, with no harm done. In the second (straight) version he catches it wrong, and it blasts him in the face. (Unfortunately, his head does not asplode.) A third idle animation splits the difference — after Jim tosses the gun in the air, it lands on his head, but doesn't go off.
Landfill Beyond The Stars: Subverted with New Junk City, which appears to fit the trope, but research on the game reveals that the level is a city-sized landfill in Texas, of all places.
No Plans, No Prototype, No Backup: Professor Monkey-For-A-Head originally invented Jim's suit, so why doesn't he just make another one? The monkey ate the plans after the prototype suit (what Jim wears) was made; he's after Jim to get the prototype so he can make a new one via reverse engineering.
Papa Dog: The "Puppy Love" levels in the second game involve trying to save Peter Puppy's kids, using a giant marshmallow, when Psy-Crow tries to throw them out a window. Let four get killed, and Peter rips Jim apart. Why he doesn't rip Psy-Crow apart is left nebulous.
Poison Mushroom: The Bubble Gun in the second game, although not directly harmful, is intentionally useless and meant to inconvenience the player. Worse in the Genesis version, which didn't allow for weapon swapping.
Public Domain Soundtrack: What the Heck starts with music based off one, but switches to a different melody soon afterward.
Punny Name: The levels "New Junk City" and "Lorenzen's Soil" from the first and second game are named after two films, New Jack City and Lorenzo's Oil (Lorenzen is also one of the game developers). The "Andy Asteroids?" segments from EJ1 are named after another developer, Andy Astor. And the Big Bruty is named after yet another developer, Nick Bruty.
Schmuck Bait: Parodied in the manual for the SNES version - it claimed that the X button "turns on the porch light of Mrs. Schultz in Germany. So quit pressing it!" So naturally, what did everyone who read the manual do? Press the button. In the end averted as it does nothing at all.
Shows what you know. It's made her complain about it for years, is what it does.
Done again in the manual for part 2, where the D-Pad "withdraws all moneys from your bank account and transfers them to Shiny Entertainment. It also makes Jim move."
The manual of the Genesis version of 2 says that the B-button "orders a large pepperoni pizza" in the The Flyin' King -level. Again, it does nothing.
Sequel Difficulty Drop: Compared to the first game, Earthworm Jim 2 has a lot less instant death traps (Generally just bottomless pits, and even those are rare in 2), easier bosses, and generally less frustrating levels.
Shout Out: In the trailer for the HD remake, one of the new levels it shows features a Cool Shades-wearing Musical Assassin cat playing a keyboard. This is likely a reference to the Keyboard Cat.
Soundtrack Dissonance: "What The Heck?" starts with a snippet from Mussorgsky's "Night on the Bald Mountain", then switches to elevator music backed by screams of pain.
Of course, it's probably all too fitting considering the screams are apparently from actual people.
Stealth Pun: Quite a lot. For example, one enemy in "What the Heck?" is a snowman, a reference to the phrase "a snowball's chance in hell".
Straw Scientist: Doug Tennapel, a self-professed Creationist (believer in Intelligent Design), has said that the Professor Monkey-For-A-Head character was created as a dig at some of his Darwinist teachers.
.True to Playmates' intentions of turning the series into a multimedia sensation, the series also spawned a cult-classic animated adaptation and a line of action figures to match, and in light of their reputation, all of them have fared signifigantly better than other similar attempts such as Battletoads, Bubsy or even Cheetahmen.
0 reviews