DAY 56 / GAME 56
Earthworm Jim
Back when the 16-bit systems were reaching the end of their cycle, game developers started to pump out some really special games as they had finally learned to really take full advantage of the available hardware. Earthworm Jim was one of those games. I remember seeing the commercial on TV and I was in fair disbelief.
Doug TenNapel and Dave Perry created a legendary side-scroller featuring a worm in a super suit that fell from space. Earthworm Jim featured eccentric landscapes, wacky creature designs and an obscure story that finds you traversing crazy levels in search of your girlfriend Princess What's-Her-Name. Earthworm Jim was super tough. I've only ever beat it on normal and even then it took quite a while to get through it. It's got a ton of really difficult levels including one where you have to navigate through tight underwater tunnels in a (very) fragile glass diving bell.
I ended up buying a copy for the Sega CD, which to this day I find is the best version. It featured the best mix of the soundtrack, additional audio for the endings and a couple extra levels. I never did beat it on easy or hard, but I found out by tossing the CD in a player that there are special endings for the two of them. The easy ending finds you being harassed by (Doug TenNapel?), calling you a worm for taking the easy route and then goes on to yammer about worm biology. Beating the game on easy ends with Doug praising you and claiming your achievement is worth making up for any downfall in your life.
Earthworm Jim was just great. It's so wacky and bizarre. Jim was one of those characters that begged to be drawn. I think that's part of the beauty of TenNapel's designs in general. They're just so unique and offset and tremendously peculiar and this game encompasses that whole charm.
Anyone who's interested in more Earthworm Jim style stuff, there's also the Neverhood and Skullmonkeys which were stop-motion animated games. As well as any of TenNapel's great graphic novels like RatFist and Ghostopolis.
Earthworm Jim
Back when the 16-bit systems were reaching the end of their cycle, game developers started to pump out some really special games as they had finally learned to really take full advantage of the available hardware. Earthworm Jim was one of those games. I remember seeing the commercial on TV and I was in fair disbelief.
Doug TenNapel and Dave Perry created a legendary side-scroller featuring a worm in a super suit that fell from space. Earthworm Jim featured eccentric landscapes, wacky creature designs and an obscure story that finds you traversing crazy levels in search of your girlfriend Princess What's-Her-Name. Earthworm Jim was super tough. I've only ever beat it on normal and even then it took quite a while to get through it. It's got a ton of really difficult levels including one where you have to navigate through tight underwater tunnels in a (very) fragile glass diving bell.
I ended up buying a copy for the Sega CD, which to this day I find is the best version. It featured the best mix of the soundtrack, additional audio for the endings and a couple extra levels. I never did beat it on easy or hard, but I found out by tossing the CD in a player that there are special endings for the two of them. The easy ending finds you being harassed by (Doug TenNapel?), calling you a worm for taking the easy route and then goes on to yammer about worm biology. Beating the game on easy ends with Doug praising you and claiming your achievement is worth making up for any downfall in your life.
Earthworm Jim was just great. It's so wacky and bizarre. Jim was one of those characters that begged to be drawn. I think that's part of the beauty of TenNapel's designs in general. They're just so unique and offset and tremendously peculiar and this game encompasses that whole charm.
Anyone who's interested in more Earthworm Jim style stuff, there's also the Neverhood and Skullmonkeys which were stop-motion animated games. As well as any of TenNapel's great graphic novels like RatFist and Ghostopolis.
Doug TenNapel and Dave Perry created a legendary side-scroller featuring a worm in a super suit that fell from space. Earthworm Jim featured eccentric landscapes, wacky creature designs and an obscure story that finds you traversing crazy levels in search of your girlfriend Princess What's-Her-Name. Earthworm Jim was super tough. I've only ever beat it on normal and even then it took quite a while to get through it. It's got a ton of really difficult levels including one where you have to navigate through tight underwater tunnels in a (very) fragile glass diving bell.
Earthworm Jim was just great. It's so wacky and bizarre. Jim was one of those characters that begged to be drawn. I think that's part of the beauty of TenNapel's designs in general. They're just so unique and offset and tremendously peculiar and this game encompasses that whole charm.
Anyone who's interested in more Earthworm Jim style stuff, there's also the Neverhood and Skullmonkeys which were stop-motion animated games. As well as any of TenNapel's great graphic novels like RatFist and Ghostopolis.
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