Earthworm Jim (Shiny Entertainment 1994)

Just when you think you've seen everything a console has to offer along comes a title that blows everyone else out of the water. Earthworm Jim by Shiny is the brainchild of Dave Perry who has given the world Coolspot and Aladdin. Earthworm Jim though is a whole new can of worms and will have something for even jaded platform fans.

Jim is just an average earthworm until one day a super suite falls out of the sky and lands on him. This transforms him into a super powerful hero and he sets out to thwart the evil psy-crow who has abducted the beautiful PrincessWhats-her-name. Jim now has to travel through weird levels and fight the nasty minions of Psy-crow and Queen Slug-For-A-Butt. If this sounds strange just wait till you see the game in action.

Earthworm Jim must really be pushing the system to its limits as this game contains color and animation that would rival a cartoon any time. Everything moves so smoothly and is so well animated that it's hard to believe it's the aging Mega Drive running this all. Jim himself is packed with animations and some of them like his idle poses are really funny. The enemies are also unique in a twisted sort of way and the game has a very offbeat kind of humor. You'll travel through levels like the junkyard, hell (or Heck as it's called in the game, complete with a cat called Evil ruling it), the intestines of some large creature, a snot filled bungee pit as well as Buttville. The levels are varied and challenging and some will have you tearing your hair out. Especially the Peter Puppy level where you have to lead a small puppy across the level and make sure no harm comes to him. This is not easy seeing as you have to whip him over pits as wells as clear any enemies and obstacles from his path. If he gets hurt he goes berserk, transforms into some monster, and then trashes you back to a restart point. Needless to say a few gamepads almost became spare parts while I was playing this level. There are also some arcade chase stages after each level where you have to race Psy-crow to the next planet through an asteroid field.

The sound in the game is superb and there are some really nice tunes. The Heck levels even has some elevator muzak, complete with loads of samples featuring people screaming. Overall Shiny has packed in quite a few samples and the whole game is awash with funny speech snippets and weird effects. Jims "Groovy" after each level will soon become part of your vocabulary. The controls are responsive and Jim has quite a few moves he can pull off. Besides his gun, the suite can also whip out Jims squishy body and use it as a whip to smack enemies or swing across gaps. Pressing jump while in midair will cause you to use your head as a helicopter and float down. Then there are the parts where you have to bungee jump or battle in free fall that will also test your arcade skills.

Earthworm Jim is destined to be a classic and there is very little to fault with the game. It has a wicked sense of humor, great characters and a huge challenge. There are no passwords so you'll have to complete it in one go although you can earn a few extra lives and continues along the way. There are three difficulty settings to make life easier but completing the game on normal is no mean feat. I got the same ending for Easy and Normal so I don't know if there are any extra endings but there seems to be. There are a few parts (most notable the Peter Puppy level) where things get ridiculously tough so make sure you have the skills and patience before taking on this one. Some bosses can also really lay into you without mercy but overall Earthworm Jim is more fun that frustrating.

If you like platform games, arcade games or just any good game don't hesitate to pick up this title. It's has loads of varied gameplay that will test more than just your platform skills and a challenge that will keep you coming back until you've competed it.

[9/10]