Who knew playing with worms could be so much fun?
Jim wouldn't be able to do much without his super suit. It enables him to run around, jump, and grab onto things, feats which no ordinary earthworm can perform. At times, the suit seems to have a mind of its own: it can grab Jim by the head and use him as a whip to attack enemies or to swing from hooks; spin his head around really fast like a propeller to glide gracefully to the ground; and if they ever become separated, the suit will wait patiently for him to return. The suit comes equipped with a rapid-fire plasma blaster, perfect for blasting bad guys (what else would you expect from a plasma blaster?), which can be powered up to fire massive plasma bolts that can fry pretty much anything in one shot. A portable pocket rocket (stored in one of the suit's pockets, of course) is perfect for zipping from planet to planet in style and comfort.
Jim will visit many strange, bizarre, and downright disgusting locales on his search for the princess. He'll battle vicious crows and ferocious guard dogs while navigating heaps of scrap metal and bouncy piles of tires in a massive junkyard. He'll face off against corporate lawyers, fire-belching snowmen, and Evil the Cat as he traverses the surreal landscape of Planet Heck. He'll ride giant hamsters through a series of underwater tubes while avoiding the hulking guardian cats of Bob the Goldfish (quite possibly the most diabolical video-game villain ever conceived). He'll race intergalactic bounty hunter Psy-Crow through treacherous asteroid fields. He'll challenge Major Mucus while bungee jumping over a vast pool of snot. By now, you should be starting to get the idea: this game is...well, strange.
Visually, Earthworm Jim is a real treat to behold. The characters and environments are wonderfully designed, and the animations are smooth. A nice music soundtrack and some interesting sound effects further enhance the experience.
Jim's adventure is, at times, a bit on the difficult side. Hook swinging can be tough when the next hook is out of view beyond the edge of the screen. Gliding downward through narrow tunnels lined with spikes and emerging unscathed is not an easy feat. And, of course, there's the mad dash through an underwater tunnel system in a delicate glass bubble, which will most likely lead to controller-hurling moments of frustration. Expect to go through more than a few cans of worms before you learn to quickly maneuver this vehicle without smashing it to bits against the rocks.
Like many games of its kind, Earthworm Jim was designed to be completed in a single sitting (no save points or passwords here). Multiple difficulty levels, plenty of hidden power-ups, and a couple of secret areas provide some replay value, but the biggest reason to play through this game multiple times is to enjoy the unique Earthworm Jim experience over and over again. From the initial launching of the cow to the hilarious grand finale, Earthworm Jim is a bizarre, fun-filled adventure that is well worth playing.