Earthworm Jim
Score: 80% ESRB: Everyone Publisher: Majesco Sales, Inc. Developer: Game Titan / Shiny Media: Cart/1 Players: 1 Genre: Platformer
Graphics & Sound: Earthworm Jim has a rather unique graphical style, one that looks a lot like a cartoon without using 'cel shading' or any of that new-fangled technology. Never mind the fact that the game is not 3D. All of the graphics look hand-drawn, and the animation of the characters is the same sort of somewhat jerky motion that you see in classic Looney Tunes cartoons and the like. It's simple, effective, and quite pretty at times. Sure, some of the enemies would be better off with more frames of animation, but they're just goofy enough to manage to convince you that two or three frames is enough. The music in the game is solid, carrying the style of the game without being overwhelming. It feels right at home, which is rare for a non-RPG soundtrack. No 'trash techno' here, folks. The sound effects are similarly solid, although the raygun effect is a little weak, especially for something you hear roughly three million times as you play. The voice-acting is as humourous as ever. Like every GBA game, use of headphones will increase your aureal enjoyment quite considerably.
Gameplay: And while Earthworm Jim is a solid port of a solid game, it never quite manages to shine like it used to. Perhaps it's the format; it's a pretty long game, and it's hard to finish in one sitting. But those of you with really long car trips will find a lot to like with Earthworm Jim. The game, as I mentioned earlier, is a port of a classic SNES platformer written by Shiny (now of Sacrifice fame). Like almost all of Shiny's stuff, Earthworm Jim has a completely unique sense of humour. You play as an, er, earthworm, using a sort of magic suit that gives you useful things like arms and the ability to jump and whatnot. You start off with a ray-blaster, and you can whip the enemies with . . . yourself. You can also spin your head propeller-style to float across chasms. I said the game was weird. The actual gameplay ranges from standard platformer fare--jump around, catch platforms, collect items--to more engrossing experiences. When you get the 'Cow Launched' message in the first level, you'll know you're in for something different; when the first 'boss' does armpit farts at you, it's only proven. The game mixes up classic platforming with more original offerings; the races are fun, if not particularly deep, and the 'whip the puppy across' level is wrong in more ways that I can express. Not that 'Buttville' and 'Snot a Problem' aren't either, mind you. Sheesh. For an Everyone rated game, Earthworm Jim is pretty funky. The overall design is quite neat. Jim is one of the most original characters ever, and the bevy of folk that he goes up against are just as cool. While the levels range from generically platformer [the first] to downright original [For Pete's Sake], most fall somewhere in between. The bosses are usually pretty neat too--I especially liked the Cat.
Difficulty: Earthworm Jim lets you choose between one of three difficulty levels, so you should be able to find one tailored to your skill level. The game is still fairly challenging no matter what difficulty you pick, as some of the sequences require solid timing and even precision aim. Unfortunately, using the whip on the GBA is somewhat more challenging than using it back on the SNES, as it's on a shoulder button instead of one of the face buttons. It's a shame, too, because it's useful quite often. The game is not irretrievably difficult, but it is hard.
Game Mechanics: You use the D-Pad to move Jim around, the two face buttons to jump and shoot, and R to whip. Already I regret that the GBA doesn't have more buttons on the face; two is not enough in this day and age, and L and R are both a lot harder to hit than the face buttons. This makes whipping more difficult than it really should be. In addition, the controls seemed a little floatier than they were back on the SNES; I found myself spending a lot more time trying to aim my whips than I remembered. The game doesn't have a password or battery backup system, which is annoying but not fatal--the originals didn't have it either, but admittedly the original game was on a system more conducive to 'leaving it on'. Earthworm Jim is a solid title. It's a good port of a good game to a handheld system, and while I wish that they had improved on the gameplay experience a little more, there's still quite a bit to enjoy in the game. While it won't appeal to everyone, and the controls could use some work, Earthworm Jim is an entertaining platformer that should make fans of the genre happy--and perhaps make a few old-school gamers smile and remember when they played the original on a big screen.
-Sunfall to-Ennien, GameVortex Communications AKA Phil Bordelon
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