Earthworm Jim
Reviewed by David Ruocco
Earthworm Jim finally arrives on the SNES, but it has been worth the wait. This
is one of the most fun console games in a long time.
Earthworm Jim was given his super powers when a stolen cybersuit fell from
space and onto his skinny body. He was transformed into a whip cracking, pistol
firing worm with attitude, and is now determined to fight all that is nasty and
rotten, including Psy-Crow and the evil Queen.
The graphics on the SNES version are superlative, and are actually better than
Aladdin and Jungle Book. The background detail and animation of the hero is
incredible, providing for lots of laughs as Jim wiggles his way through the levels.
The tag "platform game" is applied very loosely to Earthworm Jim, as it is a game
with great variety. The landscape twists and turns in all directions, and the game
includes battles on bungee ropes, rocket tube races, Sleepwalker style levels where
you have to look out for Peter the puppy, and rides on giant Hamsters.
Earthworm Jim is made all the more fun by its twisted humor. Crows try to peck
Jim's head off, Jim tries to flex his muscles only to find his pants have fallen down,
and Jim skips rope with his own elongated body when he's bored. At the start of the
game, one of Jim's tasks is to launch a Cow into the air for no apparent reason.
Even Jim's opponents are weird - watch out for Major Mucus, Evil the Cat and Chuck
and Fifi.
The game is very tough but the controls are perfect and allow precise control over
the hero. There are eight long levels, so you won't be completing the game quickly
or easily.
Earthworm Jim is an outstanding game that is terrific fun to play. It has awesome
graphics, a great sense of humor and varied gameplay to keep you squirming with delight.