Earthworm Jim

Earthworm Jim is a run and gun platform video game starring an earthworm 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 for the SNES, MS-DOS, Game Gear, Game Boy, 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 get a 100% review in Games Master magazine. A special edition of the game was released for the Sega Mega CD, which featured CD quality music, better graphics, and expanded levels ^* and an even further enhanced version was released for Microsoft Windows which featured redrawn 256 colour graphics as well as all the Mega CD extras.

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 overheard 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.

Levels

New Junk City - Jim's quest begins here. He must make it through a dangerous junkyard while dealing with crows and a poodle named Fifi. At the end of the level, he must face off with the junkyard's owner, Chuck.
More Junk - This level appears in the Special Edition 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 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.
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 Edition. 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 will eat Jim instantly, given the chance, taking away an entire life.
Down the Tubes - This level puts Jim in an underwater base. 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 experiments, including a mechanical chicken at the end of the level.
Who Turned Out the Light? - A secret level within Level 5, Jim ends up in complete darkness and must make his way though it.
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 and brings Jim back to where the obstacles begin.
Intestinal Distress! - This level is not present in the Super NES 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). The rest of the level has Jim dealing with various insects and going at odds against the Queen.
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 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.
Earthworm Jim PSP (working title) promises a re-imagined adventure for the PlayStation Portable. It is to be an enhanced remake, although it is being made by a different team and will incorporate new level designs, it promises to retain the feel and fun of the original to Earthworm Jim game. It features an all new 3D graphic style, while still being reminiscent of the original. It is planned for a 2007 release.
Other media
Though today Earthworm Jim is primarily recognized as a video game character, Doug TenNapel always intended his character to appear in many diverse entertainment mediums.
An animated television series was thus produced and created by TenNapel, and aired from 1995 to 1996, with Dan Castellaneta providing the voice for the title character. Other voices were provided by Andrea Martin, Kath Soucie, and Ben Stein. It is usually considered as being one of the best cartoons based on video games.
A line of action figures based on the cartoon were also produced (although a miniture figure of Major Mucus, who had not appeared in the cartoon, was included with the Psy-Crow figure). A second line was planned (featuring a figure of Chuck, who also had not appeared in the cartoon), but canceled.
Two separate Earthworm Jim comics were published: one in the United States, and one in the UK. Aside from featuring the same characters, the two comics were completely unrelated. The UK comics were based more on the cartoon series than the original games. The US comics, printed under the Marvel Comics Absurd label, consisted of a three-issue story arc attempting to bridge the gap between the games and the television show, with mixed results.
Currently, series composer Tommy Tallarico is planning a release of an Earthworm Jim Anthology album featuring tracks from the Sega CD/Saturn versions of the original games, "live" versions of said tracks, and fanmade rearrangements chosen from OverClocked ReMix.
Trivia
- Creator Doug TenNapel provided the voice of Earthworm Jim in the first two games and Dan Castellaneta played Jim in Clay Fighter 63 1/3, Earthworm Jim 3D and the animated series.
- Shiny have also made references to Earthworm Jim in their later titles; their game Sacrifice features an earthworm-like god called James.
- Over ten years after its original release, Earthworm Jim was the featured game in Nintendo Power's first ever edition of Playback.
Ports
Image:Earthworm Jim Gameboy.png|Game Boy
See also
External links
Fan sites
1994 computer and video games | Platform games | Game Boy games | Game Boy Advance games | Windows games | Game Gear games | Sega CD games | Sega Mega Drive/Sega Genesis games | Super NES games | Earthworm Jim video games
Earthworm Jim | Earthworm Jim | Earthworm Jim (televisie)

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Plot

Levels

Sequels

Other media

Trivia

Ports

See also

External links

Fan sites