Earthworm Jim
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| Earthworm Jim | |
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| Developer(s) | Shiny Entertainment |
| Publisher(s) | NA Playmates Interactive Entertainment EU Virgin Interactive |
| Designer(s) | David Perry, Doug TenNapel |
| Platform(s) | Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, SNES, Sega Mega-CD, Game Boy, Sega Game Gear, PC, Sega Master System, Game Boy Advance |
| Release date | Mega Drive/Genesis: NA August 2, 1994 EU August 5, 1994 SNES: NA October 1994 EU January 26, 1995 JPN June 23, 1995 Sega Mega-CD: NA March 15, 1995 EU March 21, 1995 Nintendo Game Boy: NA September 1995 EU 1995 Sega Game Gear: NA 1995 EU December 14, 1995 Microsoft DOS (PC): 1995 Microsoft Windows 95 (PC) (also Windows 98 and Me compatible): November 30, 1995 Sega Master System BR 1996 Nintendo Game Boy Advance: NA June 10, 2001 EU September 21, 2001 Virtual Console TBA[1] |
| Genre(s) | Platform shooter |
| Mode(s) | Single Player |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: K-A ESRB: E (Game Boy Advance) RSAC: V1: Creatures killed VRC: GA |
| Media | 24Mbit cartridge (Original Mega Drive/Genesis version) |
Earthworm Jim, otherwise known as "EWJ", is a run and gun platform video game starring an earthworm named Jim in a robotic suit who battles evil. The game was developed by Shiny Entertainment, released for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis in 1994, and subsequently ported to the SNES, Game Boy, Game Gear, Sega Master System, and years later, the Game Boy Advance. Upon its release it was praised for its detailed animation, polished gameplay and wacky, absurdist humor; it became the first game ever to receive a 100% review in GamesMaster magazine. A special edition of the game was released for the Sega Mega-CD which features a Red Book audio soundtrack, improved graphics and expanded levels [1], and an even further enhanced version with redrawn, 256 colour graphics and an Earthworm Jim desktop theme, as well as all the Mega-CD improvements, was released for Microsoft Windows 95.
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[edit] Plot
The storyline involves many colorful characters. Jim himself (a character designed by Doug TenNapel) was at first an ordinary Earth earthworm who did very earthworm-like things such as flee from crows and eat dirt. One day, in the space above Earth, the evil Psy-Crow had cornered a rebel spaceship pilot who had stolen an "Ultra-high-tech-indestructible-super-space-cyber-suit" built by Professor Monkey-For-A-Head. The suit had been commissioned by the evil Queen Pulsating, Bloated, Festering, Sweaty, Pus-filled, Malformed, Slug-for-a-Butt so that she could further conquer the galaxy. In the ensuing space fight, the suit was dropped to Earth, and fell on Jim. By a stroke of luck, Jim managed to land within the collar of the suit, and it ended up mutating him into the large and intelligent (at least by earthworm standards) superhero he is today.
Jim overhears Psy-Crow talking to Queen Slug-for-a-Butt about the scorch marks left by the suit and her plans for her sister, Princess What's-Her-Name. Jim thus sets out to rescue the princess, fighting many enemies along the way, such as Major Mucus, Chuck and Fifi, Evil the Cat and Bob the Killer Goldfish.
[edit] Gameplay
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[edit] Levels
- New Junk City - Jim's quest begins here. He must make it through a dangerous junkyard while dealing with crows, a killer poodle named Fifi, and a robotic trash can. At the end of the level, he must face off with the Junkyard's owner, Chuck.
- More Junk - This level appears in the Special Editions as an expansion to the first level. Here, Jim's suit is gone and he must slide on various ramps and avoid dangerous hazards to get back into the suit. The fight with Chuck is moved to this level, with a toilet in his place leading to the new level.
- Andy Asteroids? - Taking place between each level of the game, this is a race between Jim and Psy-Crow. Jim will have to avoid asteroids while collecting speed boosts. The stage's name is a pun on the name of one of the programmers, Andy Astor.
- Psycrow! - A penalty level if Jim loses the race. Here, Jim is forced to fight Psy-Crow. The farther the game progresses, the more hits Psy-Crow can take.
- What the Heck? - This level takes place on Planet Heck. Jim is at odds against fire, evil spirits, and lawyers. The snowman's part of the level has been expanded in the Special Editions. At the end of the level, Jim must face Evil the Cat and destroy his nine lives.
- Big Bruty - This level is exclusive to the Special Edition, and is the only level without an Andy Asteroids level preceding it. Jim explores an eerie landscape and must outsmart a blind dinosaur named Big Bruty, who, if given the chance, will eat Jim instantly, taking away an entire life.
- Down the Tubes - This level puts Jim in the underwater base of Bob the Goldfish. A prominent enemy found here is #4, a burly black cat who would attack Jim if they run into each other.
- Tube Race - A continuation of Down the Tubes, this level has Jim navigating a pod through a rocky path before time runs out. The level ends with an encounter with Bob.
- Snot a Problem! - A bungee jumping showdown between Jim and Major Mucus. The only dangers here are Jim's bungee cord breaking and being attacked by Mucus Phlegm Brain. The level takes place in three rounds against the Major.
- Level 5 - Prof. Monkey for a Head's laboratory. Jim has to deal with the Professor's bizarre experiments, including a mechanical chicken at the end of the level. After seemingly defeating the Robo-Chicken, there is a flash of light, and Jim starts falling down a seemingly infinite pit while again being attacked by the chicken. Despite the name of the level, this is not the fifth level in the game.
- Who Turned Out the Light? - A secret level within Level 5, Jim ends up in complete darkness and must make his way through it, before he falls prey to the gigantic "Eyeballs that ate Cleveland."
- For Pete's Sake! - Jim must help Peter Puppy get back home while protecting him from various hazards. If Peter somehow gets hurt, he turns into a monster, attacks (and thus weakens) Jim, and brings Jim back to where the obstacles began.
- Intestinal Distress! - This level is not present in the SNES version of the game. The setting here is made up of large intestines, with Doc Duodenum waiting at the end of the level. A different version of this level is present in the GBA port.
- Buttville - The final level of the game. In the beginning, Jim needs to use his rotating head/helicopter ability to safely float down to the bottom of the level while avoiding the walls lined with spikes. This part of the level is commonly called "Use Your Head" by fans, after a phrase in the game's manuals. The rest of the level sees Jim dealing with various insects and fighting the Queen.
[edit] Development
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Shiny have also made references to Earthworm Jim in its later titles; their game Sacrifice features an earthworm-like god called James, and there were additional references in the game MDK. Over ten years after its original release, Earthworm Jim was the featured game in Nintendo Power's first ever edition of Playback. On the PC CD-ROM version of the game there is an Assets folder, containing a PC desktop theme and another folder named EWJ_DT00. This folder contains a picture of a boy wearing a white Snoopy shirt standing next to a screen, the words "Tin with 1,000,000 points in Activision's Laser Blast, from 1982." written in white at the top. The remaining file is a wave file 26 seconds long of someone cussing while playing Earthworm Jim, with increasing frustration due to repeatedly "getting hurt" on the game. The music for "What the Heck?" initially starts with the opening of the tone poem Night on Bald Mountain by Modest Mussorgsky, but then quickly cuts to elevator music. In 1999, Interplay had plans to make several of its games into movies, with Earthworm Jim being one of them. Since then, no movie was ever made. Earthworm Jim 3D paid tribute to the original Earthworm Jim, by having Jim initiate a "Fridge Launch" in the first level, similar to how a "Cow Launch" occurred in the first level of the original. Unlike Earthworm Jim, which had a single cow occasionally fly by in the level background, five fridges were launched (six in the PC version). In the PC version, the first fridge falls on Jim in the intro (In the Nintendo 64 version, this fridge was replaced by an N64 logo). The other four fridges landed on characters just as Jim helped them out, with one fridge in each brain. Seeing the fridge for Fear is entirely optional. Humorously, the fridge in Fantasy missed its target, but a safe containing a Golden Udder inexplicably falls instead. The joke climaxes by having the final fridge fall on top of Jim in the game's ending.
[edit] Reception
Earthworm Jim was rated the 114th best game made on a Nintendo System in Nintendo Powers Top 200 Games list.[2]
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[edit] Sequels
A sequel, Earthworm Jim 2, was released in 1995 for the Mega Drive/Genesis, Sega Saturn, Sony PlayStation, SNES and PC, and a port was later released for the Game Boy Advance. Although the first title retains the same platforming gameplay throughout most of the game, many of the stages in the sequel feature some bizarre twist or gimmick, requiring the player to adapt to a new control system. For example, one level requires Jim to burrow through dirt using his gun; another is presented as an isometric shoot 'em up; in another the character wears a salamander suit and must be guided through an intestine lined with villi.
Two further games, Earthworm Jim 3D (1999, PC, Nintendo 64) and Earthworm Jim: Menace 2 the Galaxy (1999, Game Boy Color), were produced without the involvement of Shiny and were met with mediocre to poor reviews. Earthworm Jim also starred as a fighter on Interplay's Nintendo 64 title, Clay Fighter 63 1/3 in 1997 and the Blockbuster rental, Clay Fighter 63 1/3: Sculptors Cut in 1998. In the original, Jim was a default character, however in the Sculptor's Cut, he was required to be unlocked. Also in the game, he and Boogerman hold a strong rivalry between one another.
An enhanced remake of the original Earthworm Jim (with a working title of "Earthworm Jim PSP") was planned for a 2007 release, but was ultimately cancelled.
Famous vocal actor Dan Castellaneta provided the voice for the title character of Earthworm Jim in the animated television series as well as Earthworm Jim 3D and ClayFighter 63 1/3. The creator of Earthworm Jim, Douglas TenNapel, was the original voice for Jim in both Earthworm Jim 1 and Earthworm Jim 2.
On April 22, 2008 Earthworm Jim 4 was announced, though details are scarce and no solid platform or release data have been revealed.[3] However, TenNapel has expressed a desire on his forums for the game to be launched solely on Microsoft's Xbox 360.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Cows Will Launch on the Virtual Console This Year. IGN. Retrieved on 2008-04-22.
- ^ “NP Top 200”, Nintendo Power 200: 58-66, February 2006.
- ^ Earthworm Jim Lives! Interplay Inks Deal With Creator to Relaunch the Legend. Fox Business. Retrieved on 2008-04-22.
[edit] External links
- Earthworm Jim at Eurocom
- Earthworm Jim series at MobyGames
- Doo's Earthworm Jim fan pics
- Earthworm Jim FAN (French site)
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