This Worm Could Look Better
Digital download services seem to be the home of old franchises and genres hoping to make a big return to the industry, especially the platformer. No character has been as sorely missed as Shiny’s Earthworm Jim. But now, Virgin has crawled back from the dirt to next generational consoles to collaborate with Gameloft to return Jim by bringing his A-game in Earthworm Jim HD; a remake of the first game last seen on 16-bit consoles years ago with a graphical overhaul, rebalanced difficulty, and new content. This new version of the game was previously seen on the Apple iPhone, now brought to the Xbox 360. (And later coming to the Playstation 3 and possibly the Wii) What they have presented is a nice return for the lowly worm gone super hero, but how does it fare compared to previous versions?
Entertainment
The game is a little more upfront about the origin of Jim and his muscular space-age suit as he goes from planet to planet defeating enemies as he’s being chased by (Or raced against?) a bounty hunter crow to defeat the evil curator queen at the end. Along with saving the princess at the end who just happens to be there too. Just as it was in the original, the story is pretty much loosely put together, and just an excuse for Jim to be at one place or another.
Graphics
The entirety of the game has been given a fresh coat of paint, taking the visuals of the 1993 classic onto next generational hardware with mixed results. The environments look smoother and in some cases cleaner than in any other iteration of the game. However the characters tend to have some very strange animation. Obviously the original game was like looking at a cartoon in video game format, but that effect feels a bit lost as the animation may appear jerky or have incorrect timing which takes away the wacky aspect of the game’s presentation. Jim himself also tends to have some weird proportions on his body and some small details looking off model and…uglier in certain frames of animation. The re-mastered environments range from looking crisp to lazy as everything looks smoothed out with even more vibrant colors. But there are a few places such as the Intestinal Distress level where objects such as hooks and wires that would be floating in midair connected to nothing. The new art made for this version of the game tends to clash with the old stuff. While the old art had a bit gritty feel to the look, the new art appears smoother and not as refined as the original artwork. From the new comic shown at the beginning of the game to that really terrible “Can of Earthworm Jims” that you spawn from when you die, the art is best described as some generic fan art one would find on Deviant Art.
Sound
The majority of sound effects, along with the entire soundtrack has been changed. Not that there has been any specific reason, but without a doubt the changes and additions made here would make even the biggest of die hard Jim fans look in disgust. Firstly, Jim himself has an entirely different voice from before. People who were familiar with Jim and how he sounded years ago may be in for a disappointment. The original soundtrack has also been entirely remixed. It seems a bit odd, considering the music had already been remastered in redbook audio for the Sega CD and PC versions. What is in place sounds acceptable, in fact, they sound closer to the Super NES and Genesis versions of the songs, which had a softer tone in comparison.
Playability (Gameplay)
Besides the animation, the original game was also famous amongst gamers for being pretty hard. Bosses had attack patterns that were not very easy to understand at all, and the animation made it hard to judge Jim’s movement, especially when it came to using his head as a whip to latch onto hooks and reach areas not made possibly by jumping. Just by mentioning the level ‘Tube Race’ can ring a familiar grudge among many players thanks to the frustrating level design. Gameloft has gone back to rectify the issue a little bit by adding new difficulty modes, a hint system, and other minor tweaks. The game largely plays the same as it did in the original along with a few tweaks, such as being able to hold the jump button to float down slowly as opposed to tapping the button rapidly. As a result, the difficulty has been lowered by clarifying certain elements of the game. Plus the widescreen aspect ratio helps players to be able to see what lies ahead of Jim much easier than before. An example would be in “Level 5” where you would be trapped in a hamster ball, and would have to shoot in all directions to avoid overgrown germs. Although one feature that remains to be a little bit frustrating would be using Jim’s head as a whip, which continues to be a little tough when it comes to grappling onto hooks to reach other areas.
The game rounds out the entire package with additional content not found anywhere else, but also at the price of some original content as well. What is missing from the HD remake is over half of the new material from the Special Edition last seen on Sega CD and PC. None of the new weapons have made it to the HD remake, and the new and extended levels from that version are nowhere to be seen save for one section in the first level. They also took out the secret level that was based entirely in the dark. Theres no real reason for the exclusion, but that’s more than enough to discredit this as being the definitive version of the game.
As the game progresses, three brand new levels are unlocked. Based around a computer-like environment, these can be played separately from the main game. None of the three new levels feel especially hard or that noteworthy. They just feel like a minor addition that extends the game slightly.
Finally, theres a multiplayer mode. Yes. A multiplayer co-op functionality that can also be played online for up to 4 players. Sounds ridiculous enough, however its more or less a game of its own, and one that’s nowhere near as challenging as the main game itself. Up to four Jims can tackle one of over a dozen of levels designed specifically for multiple players as you blast your way through and utilizing the traps and mechanics to help all the players progress by holding down on hooks to help other players cross. It also serves as a competitive mode as players are also trying to get the most items and defeat the most enemies. Compared to the other platformer based co-op games out there such as New Super Mario Bros. Wii and Little Big Planet, it really is a small diversion.
Replay Value
Earthworm Jim HD allows you to save your progress through the game, as well as challenge others through Leaderboards with players scrambling for the best time in a stage as well as add a new scoring system based on enemies defeated and items picked up. The new content for this version can easily take up some time, but doesnt feel as solid as the main game itself.
Bottom Line
