[XBLA/PSN] Earthworm Jim HD Review

[Bandango]

Earthworm Jim HD Review

Title: Earthworm Jim HD
Platform: XBLA (reviewed) and PSN
Developer: Gameloft
Publisher: Xbox Live Arcade
ESRB: Ages 12 +
MSRP: 800 points
Editor: Mike Bellmore

What's Hot: Beautiful animation; Beautiful color; Hilarious, strange locals and characters; a faithful reproduction of Earthworm Jim.

What's Not: Simple gameplay; awkward controls; occasionally vague level design; inconsistent bosses; a faithful reproduction of Earthworm Jim.

Hazy memories of a strange hero blasting his way through even stranger locations jostle about inside my noggin somewhere between Decap Attack and Cowboys of Moo Mesa. Somehow his face is as deeply etched into my gray matter as Sonic’s or Spider-Man’s, despite the fact I’ve never actually interacted with the groovy guy. Earthworm Jim always existed for me primarily within the margins of EGM and Gamepro; to a lesser extent behind the glossy plastic of a game case high up on the shelf at the local EB or Babbages. I don’t think I ever played the first game or its sequel, but somehow they’ve managed to work their way into the nostalgia lobe of my congested brain.

When I first fired up Earthworm Jim HD, the oligochaetous adventurer appeared among the tire pits and rabid dogs of New Junk City. Then he launched a cow. Very familiar I thought. It wasn’t too long before I released that most other details were familiar too. I had to verify with a youtube playthrough of Earthworm Jim for the Genesis, but it did appear EJHD is a direct remake of the first game. Everything looked suspiciously identical to the original, save slick new graphics and a spacious aspect ratio. I was under the impression that this was a sequel of sorts. Egg on my face.

This puts me in a tricky position. By reviewing this game, I am asked to review a 15 year old platformer, one that is revered as a classic, one I’ve never actually played myself. So while Earthworm Jim is a familiar character, and his digs are deeply resonant with my early 90s 16-bit gamer blood, I have no true attachment to the game itself. No attachment to how it plays, at least, or most importantly.

If you couldn’t tell by that little disclaimer there, I’m not completely infatuated by how Earthworm Jim plays. Jumping can sometimes be slippery. The grabs that Jim performs in proximity to ledges is jarringly magnetic, sometimes making it hard to jump down. Jim himself feels heavy and sluggish for an earthworm, especially a super powered earthworm, and this becomes an issue during certain boss fights. Sometimes paths through levels are not entirely clear. What may look like a ledge is not a ledge and safe footing is not safe footing. What looks like an impassible wall may actually be part of the background. Nothing makes you feel like an idiot more than trying to figure out how to get past a wall that isn’t a wall, but maybe I’m just an idiot.

And as for the jumping and puzzles and shooting…they feel antiquated. Big shocker, I’m sure. A 15 year old game feels antiquated, stop the presses. I mean, simplicity is sweet, but while I was playing, I felt like all these buttons on my 360 controller were going to waste. Gunplay is stiff, levels are cramped and impenetrable, and shooting a switch to open a door is lame. I had more fun playing the bonus stages (at least the ones I unlocked) than I did playing the main story. Is that heretical? Maybe. But there’s a nice flow to them...what can I say? Plus Keyboard Cat is a boss in one of them. The other bit of new content, a tempest-like rocket race where you dodge asteroids, was not so charming an addition.

That said, this game looks good. Jim is beautifully animated. His movement is fluid. Jump animations meld into grab animations without jankiness, as do the rest of his actions. The colors of the characters and backgrounds are rich and comical. Bosses range from bizarre to more bizarre. Be prepared to fight a construction worker on a pulley that vomits fish, lawyers in hell along with a snowman, monkey headed scientists and more. Seeing these bizarre characters brought to life in crisp high definition is the highlight of the game. Even with its new coat of modern paint, the game is a mid 90s fever dream. There are only occasional graphical blemishes. In certain levels the borders of the tiles that make up the stages are visible. On Intestinal Distress, certain segments have the appearance of being cut out of paper with a razorblade and placed next to other segments, their seams clearly visible. This is kind of a bummer considering that the rest of the level is damp and stinking with atmosphere; a very good translation of colon to video game.

After playing through the single player, first on normal, I have to say that the game is a bit short. I didn’t realize I was beating the final stage until it was over. Once things really get going, it’s over. I thought this must be because I decided to play on normal, so I started a new game on original difficulty ("insanely hard, like the original"). The only difference between the two, it seems to me, is that a select few of the inconsistent boss fights become wildly more difficult. Some, like the snowman, the fish guy, and the mecha-chicken (yes, mecha-chicken), drop like chumps, while others like the booger guy at the end of the colon level (yes, booger guy at the end of the colon level) are near impossible. Keyboard Cat is a bitch too.

It’s a tough thing reviewing a remake. Essentially, this port does the game justice. It’s Earthworm Jim beautifully redrawn in high definition. Besides a few quirks in the controls, which may be faithfully translated quirks, the gameplay is solid. Solid but boring. EJHD is a looker, for sure, but it’s still Earthworm Jim, and, I hate to say it, I don’t like Earthworm Jim very much. I love the character, I love the design, but the play just didn’t click with me. I’d have preferred a sequel to port, one that brought something fresh, maybe a little added complexity. Judging by the bonus stages and their loving attention to detail, maybe Gameloft should be the studio to do it.


Score: 2.5 out of 5 CoGs


Mike says, "If you are now, or ever have been, an Earthworm Jim fan and want to play it again, then buy. Otherwise, play the demo first."

[Mike Kelehan]

Playing this demo, I was reminded why I didn't like Earthworm Jim back in the day. Turns out, all of those problems don't seem any better now that I'm older.

This is regarded as a classic for the characters and then-revolutionary animation. The gameplay was never good.

[Savok]

Originally Posted by Bandango

I mean, simplicity is sweet, but while I was playing, I felt like all these buttons on my 360 controller were going to waste.

Good.

Simplicity has for the most part been forgotten in gaming, 10 million buttons makes it impenetrable and that's why shit doesn't sell anymore unless it's a "casual" game. Super Mario Bros 3 sold 18 million copies using only a d-pad and two buttons (not counting start and select).

[OldJadedGamer]

I downloaded the demo and liked it enough to buy it. I wouldn't mind more remakes like this. Oh, and I got my avatar wearing an EWJ suit! It was only $10 so I said what the fuck. I had a ton of space bucks anyway I had from a big sale.

[Kelegacy]

I have the demo and need to fire it up. More than likely it's a game I'd rather pick up during a sale instead of full price.

I was 16-bit gaming when I was in junior high and even a bit before (I think the SNES/Genesis came out when I was in fifth grade or something) and even playing some old games on emulators it's amazing how much my tastes have changed and how gaming itself has evolved. I think some games are better left for nostalgia.

I will still fire up EWJ, just to see how it is. I never played much of the original, or at least I never got far.

[menage]

Originally Posted by Mike Kelehan

Playing this demo, I was reminded why I didn't like Earthworm Jim back in the day. Turns out, all of those problems don't seem any better now that I'm older.

This is regarded as a classic for the characters and then-revolutionary animation. The gameplay was never good.

I agree, I rented it back in the day, played it for half an hour, switched off, never looked back. Just not fun.

[EternalGamer]

EWJ 2 was definitely better, but it doesn't take that long to acclimate yourself to the oddities of the original (like the idea that you can't jump up off of ropes). It may not be Splosion Man in terms of perfect platforming, but I think it more than makes up for it in it's aesthetics. EWJ is beautiful, funny, and weird. So what if it is a little clunky.

[OldJadedGamer]

Originally Posted by Kelegacy

I have the demo and need to fire it up. More than likely it's a game I'd rather pick up during a sale instead of full price.

I was 16-bit gaming when I was in junior high and even a bit before (I think the SNES/Genesis came out when I was in fifth grade or something) and even playing some old games on emulators it's amazing how much my tastes have changed and how gaming itself has evolved. I think some games are better left for nostalgia.

I will still fire up EWJ, just to see how it is. I never played much of the original, or at least I never got far.

You're just a wee little lad. I was working at a game store during the 16 bit wars and that shit got so heated back in the day. We just didn't have anything else to compare these games to at the time so when we played them they were amazing. Btw, the XBLA/PSN version isn't as hard as the original. They toned it down a lot.

[Mike Kelehan]

Originally Posted by OldJadedGamer

You're just a wee little lad. I was working at a game store during the 16 bit wars and that shit got so heated back in the day. We just didn't have anything else to compare these games to at the time so when we played them they were amazing. Btw, the XBLA/PSN version isn't as hard as the original. They toned it down a lot.

...which is why the highest difficulty is "original."

I love challenging games that play well. The Super Mario Galaxy series is a perfect example, along with classic Mega Man. But challenge in a game that plays poorly is just frustration.

[Kelegacy]

Originally Posted by OldJadedGamer

You're just a wee little lad. I was working at a game store during the 16 bit wars and that shit got so heated back in the day. We just didn't have anything else to compare these games to at the time so when we played them they were amazing. Btw, the XBLA/PSN version isn't as hard as the original. They toned it down a lot.

Those days are still some of my favorite for gaming. Great memories.

I'll be 30 in November, so I don't FEEL like a wee lad. I act like one daily, however.

I have been going through Matt Groening's "School is Hell" collection on the can lately along with other Life in Hell collections I picked up when I was in third grade. Still have the same copies that I've had for the past 20+ years. It's almost like a time machine at times, taking me back to those days. The Simpsons had just came out and I was such a huge fan I dug up Groening's previous works. It was subject material definitely not aimed at my age, but I think it helped shape me into the deviant I am today.

Funny how some of my particular tastes (like in humor) back then still hold up today. Other kids didn't get it and thought it weird, a lot like how my friends feel about some of my interests to this day.

[Purple Santa]

Originally Posted by Kelegacy

Funny how some of my particular tastes (like in humor) back then still hold up today. Other kids didn't get it and thought it weird, a lot like how my friends feel about some of my interests to this day.

That's because your interests involve farm animals. And video games. 'Nuff said.

I know I should grab this since it's only $10. I just have so much to play I know it will just sit on the HDD. Nostalgia sometimes for me is a better in theory than actual reality of playing the game.

[Chimpbot]

It should be noted that the rocket races you hated aren't new; they bridged the gap between the levels back in the day, as well.

[Bandango]

Originally Posted by Chimpbot

It should be noted that the rocket races you hated aren't new; they bridged the gap between the levels back in the day, as well.

Oh, my bad.

[Pale Ale]

Originally Posted by OldJadedGamer

You're just a wee little lad. I was working at a game store during the 16 bit wars and that shit got so heated back in the day. We just didn't have anything else to compare these games to at the time so when we played them they were amazing. Btw, the XBLA/PSN version isn't as hard as the original. They toned it down a lot.

How so is that why it's not "a faithful reproduction of Earthworm Jim". You know actually beatable?

[KamaItachi]

I've had a lot of fun with this, but I've been on a 16-bit style platformer binge for quite a while now and a beautifully rendered HD EWJ, warts and all, fits that niche perfectly.