Earthworm Jim (video game)
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''Earthworm Jim'' is a 1994 run and gun
platform game A platform game (often simplified as platformer and sometimes called a jump 'n' run game) is a sub-genre of action video games in which the core objective is to move the player character between points in an environment. Platform games are charac ...
developed by
Shiny Entertainment Shiny Entertainment, Inc. was an American video game developer based in Laguna Beach, California. Founded in October 1993 by David Perry (game developer), David Perry, Shiny was the creator of video games such as ''Earthworm Jim (video game), E ...
, featuring an
earthworm An earthworm is a terrestrial invertebrate that belongs to the phylum Annelida. They exhibit a tube-within-a-tube body plan; they are externally segmented with corresponding internal segmentation; and they usually have setae on all segments. Th ...
named Jim, who wears a robotic suit and battles the forces of evil. The game was released for the
Sega Genesis The Sega Genesis, known as the outside North America, is a 16-bit Fourth generation of video game consoles, fourth generation home video game console developed and sold by Sega. It was Sega's third console and the successor to the Master Syst ...
and
Super Nintendo Entertainment System The Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), commonly shortened to Super NES or Super Nintendo, is a 16-bit home video game console developed by Nintendo that was released in 1990 in Japan and South Korea, 1991 in North America, 1992 in Eur ...
, before being subsequently
ported In software engineering, porting is the process of adapting software for the purpose of achieving some form of execution in a computing environment that is different from the one that a given program (meant for such execution) was originally desi ...
to a number of other video game consoles. It was well received by critics, and received a sequel, ''
Earthworm Jim 2 ''Earthworm Jim 2'' is a 1995 run and gun (video game), run and gun platform game, platform video game and the sequel to ''Earthworm Jim (video game), Earthworm Jim'', and the second and final game in the ''Earthworm Jim (series), Earthworm Jim'' ...
'', in 1995. In 2009,
Gameloft Gameloft SE is a French video game publisher based in Paris, founded in December 1999 by Ubisoft co-founder Michel Guillemot. The company operates 18 development studios worldwide, and publishes games with a special focus on the mobile games ma ...
developed and released a
remake A remake is a film, television series, video game, song or similar form of entertainment that is based upon and retells the story of an earlier production in the same medium—e.g., a "new version of an existing film". A remake tells the same ...
for mobile phones and
Nintendo DSi The is a dual-screen handheld game console released by Nintendo. The console launched in Japan on November 1, 2008, and worldwide beginning in April 2009. It is the third iteration of the Nintendo DS, and its primary market rival is Sony In ...
which was later ported to
PlayStation 3 The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. The successor to the PlayStation 2, it is part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. It was first released on Novemb ...
and
Xbox 360 The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox series. It competed with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation ...
as '' Earthworm Jim HD''. In February 2018, Gameloft's contract with Interplay ended and all of the ports developed by Gameloft were removed from digital stores.


Gameplay

The game plays as a 2D
sidescrolling '' A side-scrolling video game (alternatively side-scroller), is a game viewed from a side-view camera angle where the screen follows the player as they move left or right. The jump from single-screen or flip-screen graphics to scrolling graphic ...
platformer A platform game (often simplified as platformer and sometimes called a jump 'n' run game) is a sub-genre of action video games in which the core objective is to move the player character between points in an environment. Platform games are charac ...
with elements of a run and gun game as well. The player controls Jim and must maneuver him through the level while avoiding obstacles and enemies. The player can use Jim's gun as a method of shooting enemies, or his worm body as a whip for whipping enemies. The whip move also allows the player to grab hold of, and swing from, certain hooks in the game. Some levels have additional requirements beyond merely getting to the end of the level. For example, the level "For Pete's Sake", involves making sure the computer-controlled Peter Puppy character gets through the level unharmed, which is accomplished by whipping him to make him jump over pits, and defeating enemies before they can damage him. Failure to do so results in Peter lashing out at Jim, taking away from his health. Levels commonly culminate with a
boss battle In video games, a boss is a significant computer-controlled opponent. A fight with a boss character is commonly referred to as a boss battle or boss fight. Bosses are generally far stronger than other opponents the player has faced up to that ...
. The game incorporates a large variety of villains in the boss battles, including Hickboy, Psy-Crow, Queen Slug-for-a-Butt, Evil the Cat, Bob the Killer Goldfish, Major Mucus and Professor Monkey-For-A-Head exclusive Robotic Chicken. Two villains made their only appearance in this game, Chuck, a junkyard man with a tendency to vomit bizarre objects, and Doc
Duodenum The duodenum is the first section of the small intestine in most higher vertebrates, including mammals, reptiles, and birds. In fish, the divisions of the small intestine are not as clear, and the terms anterior intestine or proximal intestine m ...
, a crazed organ of a giant alien. In-between most levels, a racing level called "Andy Asteroids" is played. Unlike the rest of the game, it places the viewpoint behind Jim. The player must direct Jim on his rocket, in a race against Psy-Crow, through a tube-like structure while collecting items and boosts and avoiding asteroids. If the player wins, the next level is started instantly. If the player loses, a boss fight against Psy-Crow must be won in order to progress to the next level. Other variations in gameplay occur over the course of the game as well, such as a competitive bungie-jumping and fighting level, and an underwater maze that must be traversed both within a timelimit and without crashing too many times.


Plot

Jim is a normal
earthworm An earthworm is a terrestrial invertebrate that belongs to the phylum Annelida. They exhibit a tube-within-a-tube body plan; they are externally segmented with corresponding internal segmentation; and they usually have setae on all segments. Th ...
, until a special "super suit" falls from the sky and allows him to operate much like a human, with his worm body acting as a head and the suit acting as a body. Jim now must evade the game's many
antagonist An antagonist is a character in a story who is presented as the chief foe of the protagonist. Etymology The English word antagonist comes from the Greek ἀνταγωνιστής – ''antagonistēs'', "opponent, competitor, villain, enemy, riv ...
s, who want the suit back. The game plays out with Jim succeeding in his quest of meeting Princess What's-Her-Name. However, she is crushed by a cow that Jim launched into space at the beginning of the game.


Development

Playmates Toys Playmates Toys Limited is a Hong Kong toy company. The company was founded in Hong Kong in 1966 by Sam Chan as Playmates Industrial, manufacturing dolls for other companies. In 1975, Playmates began marketing their own line of pre-school toys, ...
, finding success with the license for
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' is an American media franchise created by the comic book artists Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. It follows Leonardo (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Leonardo, Michelangelo (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Miche ...
, wanted to start their own franchise. Inspired by the success of the ''
Sonic the Hedgehog is a Japanese video game series and media franchise created by Sega. The franchise follows Sonic, an anthropomorphic blue hedgehog who battles the evil Doctor Eggman, a mad scientist. The main ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' games are platformers mo ...
'' series with its
first First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...
and
second The second (symbol: s) is the unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), historically defined as of a day – this factor derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes and finally to 60 seconds ...
installments, they decided that they wanted to start the franchise as a video game, a rare approach at the time. From there, the game's design actually started with Douglas TenNapel's simple sketch of an earthworm that he presented to
Shiny Entertainment Shiny Entertainment, Inc. was an American video game developer based in Laguna Beach, California. Founded in October 1993 by David Perry (game developer), David Perry, Shiny was the creator of video games such as ''Earthworm Jim (video game), E ...
. Impressed, programmer David Perry and the rest of Shiny bought the rights to Earthworm Jim from TenNapel, and started developing the game. From there, TenNapel would work on doing the game design, creating level ideas, and voicing Jim's character, while Perry and the other programmers created other characters and game mechanics. Perry recounted that the giant hamster "was drawn by one of our guys at three o'clock one morning". The game was developed simultaneously for the Genesis and Super NES using a "custom heterogeneous programming language" developed by Shiny Entertainment. Almost all levels were first programmed by Dave Perry on the Genesis and then converted to the Super NES by Nick Jones. "For Pete's Sake" was coded simultaneously on both platforms by Andy Astor; and "Andy Asteroids" and "Snot a Problem" were originally programmed on the Super NES by Nick Jones and then converted to the Genesis. The game's unique atmosphere, world, and characters was due to the fact that the company had previously always been restricted to doing licensed games, like
7up 7 Up (stylized as 7up outside North America) is an American brand of lemon-lime-flavored non-caffeinated soft drink. The brand and formula are owned by Keurig Dr Pepper although the beverage is internationally distributed by PepsiCo. 7 Up co ...
's ''
Cool Spot ''Cool Spot'' is a 1993 platform game developed and published by Virgin Games for the Mega Drive/Genesis and Super Nintendo Entertainment System. The game was ported by other teams to Master System, Game Gear, Game Boy, Amiga, and MS-DOS in 199 ...
'', where they had to conform to the other company's preset limitations. In that respect, the game was actually created as a satire of platform video games at the time; for instance, "Princess-What's-Her-Name" was a parody of how so many video games had throw-away female characters to be saved.


Release

The original version was released for the
Genesis Genesis may refer to: Bible * Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of mankind * Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Book of ...
in October 1994. A version for the
Super NES The Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), commonly shortened to Super NES or Super Nintendo, is a 16-bit home video game console developed by Nintendo that was released in 1990 in Japan and South Korea, 1991 in North America, 1992 in E ...
was released shortly after the original and is largely the same as the Genesis version. The Super NES version has altered graphics, with alternate backgrounds and special effects, but lacked some sound effects and one of the levels from the Genesis version (titled "Intestinal Distress"). The stated reason for the Genesis version having the extra level was that the "Genesis version was more easily compressed and had the room for the bonus level". Subsequently, Nick Bruty has stated in an interview that Sega asked Shiny Entertainment to add a level exclusively to the Sega version in exchange for reduced cartridge cost. Nick states that they designed the level overnight, and completed coding and testing the level in a single day–the day the game was sent to be printed to the consoles. The game was released in Japan physically only on Super Famicom on June 23, 1995, published by
Takara Takara Co., Ltd. (株式会社タカラ) was a Japanese toy company founded in 1955. In March 2006, the company merged with Tomy Co., Ltd. to form Takara Tomy. The Takara motto was 遊びは文化」("playing is culture"). Products Toys In ...
, while the Japanese Mega Drive version was available exclusively via the
Sega Channel The Sega Channel is a discontinued online game service developed by Sega for the Sega Genesis video game console, serving as a content delivery system. Launched on December 14, 1994, the Sega Channel was provided to the public by TCI and Time W ...
service on December 1, 1995. The game's Genesis release was promoted with a
television commercial A television advertisement (also called a television commercial, TV commercial, commercial, spot, television spot, TV spot, advert, television advert, TV advert, television ad, TV ad or simply an ad) is a span of television programming produce ...
in which an elderly woman tells a
bedtime story A bedtime story is a traditional form of storytelling, where a story is told to a child at bedtime to prepare the child for sleep. The bedtime story has long been considered "a definite institution in many families".Dickson, Marguerite Stockm ...
about Earthworm Jim while eating live earthworms (actually plastic props). The networks airing the commercial received so many complaints from nauseated viewers that the commercial was pulled in some markets, including stations in
Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...
,
Spokane Spokane ( ) is the largest city and county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It is in eastern Washington, along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south of the Ca ...
, and
Sacramento ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...
. The game's Special Edition was released for the Sega Genesis add-on, the
Sega CD The Sega CD, released as the in most regions outside North America and Brazil, is a CD-ROM accessory for the Sega Genesis produced by Sega as part of the fourth generation of video game consoles. It was released on December 12, 1991, in Japan, ...
. It was based on the Genesis version, contained all of its levels, plus some extended section to the levels and a single completely new level, titled "Big Bruty", a new remixed CD audio soundtrack, as well as around 1,000 more frames of in-game animation. These versions were also the only ones to contain alternate endings when winning on the "Easy" or "Difficult" difficulties, in which a narrator rambles on about many (false) facts about worms or congratulates the player in a similar absurd manner respectively. The Special Edition was later ported to
Windows 95 Windows 95 is a consumer-oriented operating system developed by Microsoft as part of its Windows 9x family of operating systems. The first operating system in the 9x family, it is the successor to Windows 3.1x, and was released to manufacturin ...
by
Activision Activision Publishing, Inc. is an American video game publisher based in Santa Monica, California. It serves as the publishing business for its parent company, Activision Blizzard, and consists of several subsidiary studios. Activision is one o ...
. Another special edition of the game was released exclusively through the
Sega Channel The Sega Channel is a discontinued online game service developed by Sega for the Sega Genesis video game console, serving as a content delivery system. Launched on December 14, 1994, the Sega Channel was provided to the public by TCI and Time W ...
for a contest dubbed ''The Great Earthworm Jim Race''. This version included a secret room which, when reached by the first 200 players, would display a password and a
toll-free telephone number A toll-free telephone number or freephone number is a telephone number that is billed for all arriving calls. For the calling party, a call to a toll-free number from a landline is free of charge. A toll-free number is identified by a dialing prefi ...
. Those that called the number were awarded prizes.''Sega Channel is Off to the Races''.
Electronic Gaming Monthly ''Electronic Gaming Monthly'' (often abbreviated to ''EGM'') is a monthly American video game magazine. It offers video game news, coverage of industry events, interviews with gaming figures, editorial content and product reviews. History The m ...
. Issue 69. Pg.28. April 1995.
Eurocom Eurocom (formerly Eurocom Entertainment Software) was a British video game developer founded in October 1988 by Mat Sneap, Chris Shrigley, Hugh Binns, Tim Rogers and Neil Baldwin, to specifically develop games for the Nintendo Entertainment Sys ...
ported a compressed and scaled down version for the
Game Boy The is an 8-bit fourth generation handheld game console developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan on April 21, 1989, in North America later the same year, and in Europe in late 1990. It was designed by the same ...
. It was hindered by the lack of color, lack of graphical detail due to both processor and small screen size, choppy animations, and a lack of buttons, which made it hard to control. This version was also ported to the
Game Gear The is an 8-bit fourth generation handheld game console released by Sega on October 6, 1990, in Japan, in April 1991 throughout North America and Europe, and during 1992 in Australia. The Game Gear primarily competed with Nintendo's Game Boy, ...
, which included color graphics, but still suffered from all of the other problems of the Game Boy version. A direct port of the Game Gear version was also brought to the Master System, but only in Brazil. However, it only has 4 levels, and the boss in "What The Heck?" is missing. A conversion of the game was also being developed by German studio Softgold and planned to be published by
Atari Corporation Atari Corporation was an American manufacturer of computers and video game consoles. It was founded by Jack Tramiel on May 17, 1984, as Tramel Technology, Ltd., but then took on the Atari name less than two months later when WarnerMedia, Warn ...
for both the
Atari Jaguar The Atari Jaguar is a home video game console developed by Atari Corporation and released in North America in November 1993. Part of the fifth generation of video game consoles, it competed with the 16-bit Sega Genesis, the Super NES and the ...
and the
Atari Jaguar CD The Atari Jaguar CD is a CD-ROM peripheral for the Jaguar video game console. Atari announced a CD-ROM drive for the Jaguar before the console's November 1993 launch. Codenamed Jaguar II during development, the Jaguar CD was released on Septemb ...
, but it was never finished due to the departure of Normen B. Kowalewski from Atari, who was the lead developer of the port, sometime between or at the end of 1995. The alpha prototype, which consisted of basic character animations, and the source code of the conversion are currently lost. The game also had a MS-DOS port released in a package titled "'' Earthworm Jim 1 & 2: The Whole Can 'O Worms''" (along with the MS-DOS port of ''
Earthworm Jim 2 ''Earthworm Jim 2'' is a 1995 run and gun (video game), run and gun platform game, platform video game and the sequel to ''Earthworm Jim (video game), Earthworm Jim'', and the second and final game in the ''Earthworm Jim (series), Earthworm Jim'' ...
'') with redrawn graphics and missing the level "Intestinal Distress". The game was ported by
Rainbow Arts Rainbow Arts Software GmbH was a German video game publisher based in Gütersloh. The company was founded in 1984 by Marc Ullrich and Thomas Meiertoberens and acquired by Rushware in 1986. The company's decline began in the early 1990s: The dist ...
. In 2001 Game Titan ported the Super NES version to the
Game Boy Advance The (GBA) is a 32-bit handheld game console developed, manufactured and marketed by Nintendo as the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001, in North America on June 11, 2001, in the PAL region on June 22, 2 ...
. Despite the extra power of the Game Boy Advance, this version still ran very poorly, with poor animation, missing details, and was widely criticized. The game was re-released digitally on a number of platforms in the late 2000s as well. The original Genesis version was released through
Wii The Wii ( ) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released on November 19, 2006, in North America and in December 2006 for most other Regional lockout, regions of the world. It is Nintendo's fifth major ho ...
's
Virtual Console A virtual console (VC) – also known as a virtual terminal (VT) – is a conceptual combination of the keyboard and display for a computer user interface. It is a feature of some Unix-like operating systems such as Linux, BSD, illumos, Unix ...
service in Europe on October 3, 2008, in North America on October 27, 2008 and in Japan on December 16, 2008. The Genesis version was also re-released on the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack on September 15, 2022. The MS-DOS version was re-released through DOSbox emulation on GOG.com on October 7, 2008 and on Steam on November 4, 2009. ''Earthworm Jim'' is included in the ''
Sega Genesis Mini The Sega Genesis Mini, known as the Mega Drive Mini in regions outside of North America, is a dedicated console modeled on the Sega Genesis. The Mini emulates the original console's 16-bit hardware, and includes 42 games ported by M2. It was r ...
'' console.


High definition remake

In 2009
Gameloft Gameloft SE is a French video game publisher based in Paris, founded in December 1999 by Ubisoft co-founder Michel Guillemot. The company operates 18 development studios worldwide, and publishes games with a special focus on the mobile games ma ...
released digitally an updated remake of the game on a number of mobile/handheld platforms. The remake was made entirely from scratch, without using the original game's code, and featured overhauled and smoothed graphics, a remixed soundtrack, re-recorded voice of Jim and touchscreen controls. Completely new, computer-themed levels were added, however, some previous features were lost. While extended version of the "New Junk City" level from the "Special Edition" is included, the "Big Bruty" ("Special Edition" new level) and "Who Turned out the Lights?" (secret level from the original release) are not present. It was later released as a download for the
Nintendo DSi The is a dual-screen handheld game console released by Nintendo. The console launched in Japan on November 1, 2008, and worldwide beginning in April 2009. It is the third iteration of the Nintendo DS, and its primary market rival is Sony In ...
as
DSiWare This is a list of games and applications, collectively known as DSiWare, for the Nintendo DSi handheld game console, available for download via the DSi Shop and unplayable on earlier DS models. An update released for the Nintendo 3DS in June 2011 ...
, which is also downloadable on the
Nintendo 3DS The is a handheld game console produced by Nintendo. It was announced in March 2010 and unveiled at E3 2010 as the successor to the Nintendo DS. The system features backward compatibility with Nintendo DS video games. As an eighth-generatio ...
system. The only new addition for the DSiWare version was an extra minigame that involved the player using the system's camera on their own face, in order to mimic the same faces Jim would make on-screen. The Gameloft remake was also later released digitally on Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network as "Earthworm Jim HD". It featured a
comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...
-like introduction, three new computer-themed bonus levels, and a 4 player multiplayer mode with special levels based on already existing ones.


Reception

The game received a positive reception upon release. ''Earthworm Jim'' was awarded Best Genesis Game of 1994 by ''
Electronic Gaming Monthly ''Electronic Gaming Monthly'' (often abbreviated to ''EGM'') is a monthly American video game magazine. It offers video game news, coverage of industry events, interviews with gaming figures, editorial content and product reviews. History The m ...
'', ''
GamePro Gamepro.com is an international multiplatform video game magazine media company that covers the video game industry, video game hardware and video game software in countries such as Germany and France. The publication, GamePro, was originally la ...
'' gave the Genesis version a perfect score, and ''
Famicom Tsūshin formerly ''Famicom Tsūshin'', is a line of Japanese video game magazines published by Kadokawa Game Linkage (previously known as Gzbrain), a subsidiary of Kadokawa. ''Famitsu'' is published in both weekly and monthly formats as well as in the fo ...
'' scored the Super Famicom version of the game a 30 out of 40. The game has been noted for its fluid animation, featuring a hand-drawn style that was unusual for
16-bit 16-bit microcomputers are microcomputers that use 16-bit microprocessors. A 16-bit register can store 216 different values. The range of integer values that can be stored in 16 bits depends on the integer representation used. With the two mos ...
releases. ''GamePro'' argued that the game has "the most innovative game play since Sonic first raced onto the Genesis", backing up the point by noting "In the first level, New Junk City, Jim leaps off old tires, climbs strange crevices and cliffs, swings from chains, and creeps through a maze of garbage - and that's the most traditional level in the game!" ''Electronic Gaming Monthly'' gave rave reviews for both the Genesis and Super NES versions, praising animations, long levels, and warped sense of humor. One of their reviewers summarized that "This game was made by a gamer, and it shows." With regard to the game's overall appeal, a review from GameZone stated "Back when platformers were the king of genres, ''Earthworm Jim'' made its presence known as the 'cool kid on the block' by appealing to many demographics. Obtaining a moderate difficulty level and establishing itself with stylish humor, ''Earthworm Jim'' was a financial and critical success for Interplay and Shiny Entertainment. Even though I feel the sequel is the best of the series, the original still is able to stand out on its own."Gamezone.com
The review also went on to praise the soundtrack from Mark Miller as well. '' Next Generation'' reviewed the Genesis version of the game, and stated that "Sure, it's only a slick 16bit platform game. And anyone looking for anything revolutionary will be disappointed - there's nothing strictly ''new'' here. But it's a whole load of fun, and ''that''s what counts." The Sega CD enhanced port was also well received. ''GamePro'' and ''Electronic Gaming Monthly'' remarked that whereas most Sega CD ports simply add enhanced music, ''Earthworm Jim'' included a number of worthwhile additions such as new animations, new levels, and the new homing missile weapon. ''Electronic Gaming Monthly'' reviewed that the Game Gear version has impressive graphics by portable standards but is crippled by the Game Gear's limited two-button control, frequent screen blurring, and frustrating difficulty. ''GamePro'' also felt the two-button control to be a serious problem, but concluded the Game Gear version to be "Overall ... fine for fans who want to take their EWJ show on the road." Reviewing the Windows 95 version, ''Maximum'' claimed "it's not only a damn fine platform game, it's probably the best the PC has seen to date." They particularly praised the non-frustrating challenge and the strong personality of the graphics. ''
Computer Game Review ''Computer Game Review'' was a print monthly magazine covering both computer gaming and video gaming. The magazine was started in 1991. Also known as ''Computer Game Review and 16-Bit Entertainment'', and then later as ''Computer Game Review and C ...
'' remarked, "If you found '' Pitfall, The Mayan Adventure'' entertaining, you'll want to check this one out." ''
Computer Games Strategy Plus ''Computer Games Magazine'' was a monthly computer and console gaming print magazine, founded in October 1988 as the United Kingdom publication ''Games International''. During its history, it was known variously as ''Strategy Plus'' (October 1 ...
'' named the computer release of ''Earthworm Jim'' the best arcade title of 1995. '' Next Generation'' reviewed the Sega CD version of ''Earthworm Jim: Special Edition'', and stated that "While a prepackaged, presold character, who's as cynically calculated for hip success as Earthworm Jim does rub us the wrong way, we admit there was a cracking good game to back him up, and this new CD version is even better." ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...
'' gave the game an A and wrote that the game is too similar to the Genesis and Super NES versions to warrant a new purchase. However, later
Gameloft Gameloft SE is a French video game publisher based in Paris, founded in December 1999 by Ubisoft co-founder Michel Guillemot. The company operates 18 development studios worldwide, and publishes games with a special focus on the mobile games ma ...
remakes of the games received mixed reviews. Reception for the 2010 remake, ''Earthworm Jim HD'', was less positive. IGN and GameSpot both felt that the surreal art style and animation stood the test of time, but felt that some gameplay aspects and controls felt dated in comparison to modern platformers. Similarly, the iPhone version of the game was criticized for its sloppy controls, mostly due to being touchscreen only. The game sold more than 1 million copies by 1995. '' Next Generation'' reviewed the Game Boy Advance version of the game, rating it three stars out of five, and stated that "Luckily, aside from some cheap hits, missed dodges, and blind jumps, everything else is pretty fun."


Accolades

''Earthworm Jim'' was rated the 114th-best game made on a Nintendo System in ''
Nintendo Power ''Nintendo Power'' was a video game news and strategy magazine from Nintendo of America, first published in July/August 1988 as Nintendo's official print magazine for North America. The magazine's publication was initially done monthly by Ninten ...
'''s Top 200 Games list. ''EGM'' gave it their "Game of the Month" award, and ''GamePro'' later awarded it Best Sega CD Game of 1995. In 2018,
Complex Complex commonly refers to: * Complexity, the behaviour of a system whose components interact in multiple ways so possible interactions are difficult to describe ** Complex system, a system composed of many components which may interact with each ...
rated the game 54th on their The Best Super Nintendo Games of All Time writing: "Earthworm Jim was unlike any other game out there at the time, and it’s still quite original today. Its weird, surreal storyline was only made all the better by the solid platforming and shooting that went on here. We still love Earthworm Jim. Ga-roo-vy!" In 2017,
Gamesradar ''GamesRadar+'' (formerly ''GamesRadar'') is an entertainment website for video game-related news, previews, and reviews. It is owned by Future plc. In late 2014, Future Publishing-owned sites ''Total Film'', '' SFX'', ''Edge'' and '' Computer ...
ranked the game 19th on their "Best Sega Genesis/Mega Drive games of all time." They felt the game's free-form shooting and platforming kept the game fresh and relevant and called the game "a jolly side-scrolling adventure".
IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
listed Earthworm Jim 57th in their "Top 100 SNES Games of All Time." In 1995,
Total! ''Total!'' was a video game magazine published in the United Kingdom by Future plc. It was published monthly for 58 issues, beginning in December 1991 (cover-dated January 1992), with the last issue bearing the cover-date October 1996. A "1993 A ...
ranked the game 14th in its Top 100 SNES Games summarizing: "The game reeks of quality, plays like a dream, is hilariously funny and is packed with more original touches then anyone would have thought possible." In the same year,
Flux Flux describes any effect that appears to pass or travel (whether it actually moves or not) through a surface or substance. Flux is a concept in applied mathematics and vector calculus which has many applications to physics. For transport ph ...
magazine placed Earthworm Jim 7th on its Top 100 Video Games. They praised the game writing: "Intensely great gameplay. Wiggy, hilarious animation. Complex, richly rendered backgrounds."


Legacy

A sequel, ''
Earthworm Jim 2 ''Earthworm Jim 2'' is a 1995 run and gun (video game), run and gun platform game, platform video game and the sequel to ''Earthworm Jim (video game), Earthworm Jim'', and the second and final game in the ''Earthworm Jim (series), Earthworm Jim'' ...
'', was released in 1995. It was released in the same manner as the original; first on the Sega Genesis, and then ported to many other systems. It too was generally well received. Two further games, ''
Earthworm Jim 3D ''Earthworm Jim 3D'' is a platform video game developed by VIS Interactive and published by Interplay Entertainment for the Nintendo 64. It is the third in the ''Earthworm Jim'' series and a sequel to ''Earthworm Jim 2.'' It was the first game in ...
'' for the
Nintendo 64 The (N64) is a home video game console developed by Nintendo. The successor to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, it was released on June 23, 1996, in Japan, on September 29, 1996, in North America, and on March 1, 1997, in Europe and Au ...
and PC, and '' Earthworm Jim: Menace 2 the Galaxy'' for the
Game Boy Color The (commonly abbreviated as GBC) is a handheld game console, manufactured by Nintendo, which was released in Japan on October 21, 1998 and to international markets that November. It is the successor to the Game Boy and is part of the Game ...
, were produced in 1999. However, they were developed without the involvement of Shiny Entertainment and were mostly met with negative reviews. An enhanced remake, '' Earthworm Jim (PSP)'' by
Atari Atari () is a brand name that has been owned by several entities since its inception in 1972. It is currently owned by French publisher Atari SA through a subsidiary named Atari Interactive. The original Atari, Inc. (1972–1992), Atari, Inc., ...
was planned for a 2007 release for the
PlayStation Portable The PlayStation Portable (PSP) is a handheld game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 12, 2004, in North America on March 24, 2005, and in PAL regions on September 1, 2005, ...
, but was ultimately cancelled. The game also inspired non-video game products, such as the ''
Earthworm Jim ''Earthworm Jim'' is a series of platform games featuring an earthworm named Jim who wears a robotic suit and battles the forces of evil. The series is noted for its platforming and shooting gameplay, surreal humor, and edgy art style. Four game ...
'' television series, a comic book series, and a line of action figures. Earthworm Jim is playable as a standard character in ''
ClayFighter 63⅓ ''ClayFighter 63⅓'' is a 1997 fighting game developed and published by Interplay Productions for the Nintendo 64. It is the third installment of the ''ClayFighter'' series. The title is a parody of the "64" suffix common with the Nintendo 64's ...
'', and as a secret character in the "Sculptor's Cut" version of that game.


Notes


References


External links


Activision page


at
Don Markstein's Toonopedia Don Markstein's Toonopedia (subtitled A Vast Repository of Toonological Knowledge) is an online encyclopedia of print cartoons, comic strips and animation, initiated February 13, 2001. Donald D. Markstein, the sole writer and editor of Toonopedi ...

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