Earthworm Jim. Kids, go ask your parents. Parents, enjoy the nostalgia. The ‘80s and ’90s were a different time. It seemed that most of the cartoons on TV starred weird anthropomorphic animals (or talking babies), we had Biker Mice From Mars, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (It was called Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles in England because Ninjas scare us), Thundercats and many more. By the time Earthworm Jim arrived, it felt like they weren’t even trying anymore. All they did was gave an earthworm a super suit and made him powerful, it seemed rubbish. That is, until you watched the series, or played the game. It was awesome.
Let’s ignore the series for now and focus on the games. The first Earthworm Jim arrived on the Genesis and SNES way back in 1994. It was a hard as nails run and gun platformer that was well received by critics, full of great level design and plenty of humor. It received a few sequels, Earthworm Jim 2 came in 1995, Earthworm Jim 3D in 1999 as well as a Game Boy version, Earthworm Jim: Menace 2 the Galaxy, also in 1999. After that, the franchise went quiet except for the obligatory HD re-releases.
New games in the series had been rumored, promised and canceled numerous times. It seemed all hope was lost. Until now. A new Earthworm Jim has just been announced, even if it does come with a huge caveat, but first, the good news. The entire original team is coming back for the new entry, including Doug TenNapel, David Perry and Tommy Tallarico.
Let’s hope the new game captures the feel of the old one and keeps the 2D perspective intact. I’m sure it will, given what it’ll be released on and that’s the only issue. Earthworm Jim will release as a launch title for the Intellivision Amico in October 2020. The Amico will be a retro nerds (like myself) dream, offering a host of games from classic consoles such as the Intellivision and Atari, with exclusive titles promised besides everyone’s favorite Earthworm.
The new console itself will set you back between $150-$180 with downloadable games set to be between $3-$8 a pop. It’s a console I’m excited for. I just think it’s a shame that Earthworm Jim will be an exclusive as there will be many fans who will want to play a new release but don’t want to fork out nigh on $200 for a new machine to play it on. Let us pray it’s a timed exclusive only.
What do you guys think? Have you ever heard of Earthworm Jim? Are you excited for a new release or has this worm had its day? Also, what do you think of the prospects of the Amico? Let us know in the comments below!