Back in the 1990s there was an endless series of Mario and Sonic wannabes. You had stuff like Cool Spot, Bubsy, Pepsiman, Battletoads etc. Loads and loads and loads of 2D characters that trailed off into obscurity.

But there was Earthworm Jim.

Two smash hit, critically acclaimed platformers launched the character to celebrated status. But a doomed N64 outing led to the series fading into memory. Yet we remember it fondly and think the two 16-bit era games stand up very well. 🪱

Remembering the ’90s Legend of Earthworm Jim

Okay, the series kind of arrived out of nowhere in 1994. Shiny Entertainment landed the concept and it just sort of took off from there.

It helped the first game was very bloody good.

The thing just stood out in a crowded platformer market, boasting impressive graphics, a great soundtrack, and some really warped ideas. The humour became a big part of the series instantly, but the main memory for us is just how bloody surreal it all was.

Earthworm Jim (1994): The First One

Launching in 1994 on the SNES and Mega Drive was Earthworm Jim. It’s a game about a normal earthworm who was inadvertently struck by a super suit which turned him into a superhero.

As the protagonist, it’s his duty to save Princess Whatshername after her sister Queen Slug-for-a-Butt kidnaps her (who often seems indifferent to this kidnapping, and is actually more adept than Jim at the whole superhero stuff).

You have to battle your way through antagonists Psy-Crow, Evil the Cat, Bob the Killer Goldfish, Professor Monkey-For-A-Head and others to save her.

Added to this is cute sidekick Peter Puppy, who explodes into a psychotically dangerous beast monster if he’s injured.

Earthworm Jim 2 (1995): The Second One!

Earthworm Jim 2 came out with a wave of anticipation, as the first game had met with rave reviews. Shiny Entertainment’s classic platformer merged outright lunacy with a high difficulty level and relentless wit and imagination.

We preferred the sequel as it was so bloody surreal. Taking the already weird enough aspects of the original and ramping it up a notch (with an added dollop of humour), but even complemented by a great TV cartoon series it didn’t secure a long-term future of the series.

Sadly the franchise trailed out after around 1999, thusly Jim is left stuck back in that decade. Alone, scared, and without any candy floss. Ho hum. But we’re still going to celebrate the greatness of those two 16-bit games.

In the 1995 sequel this formula went totally mental. Including numerous movements from Beethoven’s body of work (Moonlight Sonata and several sections from the Eight Symphony).

There are also levels where you’re inside someone’s internal organs, bouncing puppies off a giant marshmallow, being beaten around the head by an outraged OAP, or taking on Lorenzo’s Soil (a bizarre nod to the 1992 film Lorenzo’s Oil). Behold some action below.

The games were (and still are) incredible and wouldn’t be out of place at all if they were released tomorrow. They’re timeless classics—a testament to a brilliant game.

Let’s Doff Our Caps to the Earthworm Jim Cartoon Series

Oddly enough, Shiny Entertainment anticipated the popularity of the games. So much so the TV series of Earthworm Jim was already in development alongside the first game.

It was surprisingly excellent, very amusing, and typically bizarre. It also featured the voice of Dan Castellaneta (aka Homer Simpson) as Jim.

This was followed by the mediocre Earthworm Jim 3D on the N64 (1999).

That marked the downfall of the series. Shiny Entertainment didn’t develop the game, VHS Interactive did. They team clearly tried hard to recreate the mania, but it fell a bit flat.

Not helped by the awkward shift into 3D for the titular character. Overall… not bad, just disappointingly average.

The Status of Earthworm Jim 4

There have been rumours for Earthworm Jim 4 (including a trailer), with the expectation of its release as a Intellivision Amico console exclusive.

However, that was back in 2019 and since then the project seems to have trailed off.

Not wishing to sound like negative Normans here, but it would seem the project is cancelled. Once more, Earthworm Jim, you appear to have slipped off into obscurity.