Earthworm Jim was hailed as a triumph when it hit Sega’s Megadrive in 1994. Its rich animation, quirky level design and innovative controls set it apart from other platformers. Now Earthworm Jim has found a new home on the iPhone. Is it still as smart, or has the worm turned? Read our full Earthworm Jim for iPhone review and find out.
Earthworm Jim was a seminal release for the Sega Mega Drive. It was one of the first titles to extend platformers beyond simple running, jumping and ducking. Earthworm Jim let gamers use the central character’s head as a whip, to swing their way through levels, or attack enemies.
Level design also included treadmills, slides and climbing. It was innovative back then, but in these days of Rolando and Super Monkey Ball it doesn’t feel quite so fresh.
It’s also sluggish. Loading Earthworm Jim on an iPhone 3G took an age, and the sound often stuttered.
Read our The Secret of Monkey Island for iPhone review now
That said, it has been tweaked. Motion controls let you zip through inter-level mini games, and on-screen controls are easy to master.
The game itself is as odd as ever, with psychotic crows, cows and… fridges, all conspiring to keep Earthworm Jim from battling from one end of a level to the other.
Perhaps it’s because of this eccentric design that Earthworm Jim doesn’t seem to have aged. Sure, the level design that was once unique is now commonplace, and the soundtrack that made the original stand out sonically has now been surpassed by much better offerings.
Earthworm Jim is still fun though. If you’ve never played the original, it’ll still sneak a smile onto your face. It’s not the must-own it once was though, but as remakes go it’s more than worthy of a download.
