Earthworm Jim 2

"Totally Shiny"

This is the sequel to the original hit game. It still retains its trademark sense of humour and is actually even funnier than the first game with even more variety in its level designs. It's definitely an improvement over the original without introducing any flaws. Graphically it's improved but looks similar enough to the original that it doesn't blow that one out of the water. The music is also excellent with memorable tunes and creative use of classical music in a few levels.

Jim's abilities are more or less the same as the last game although the worm swing and helicopter head have been replaced by the equivalent snot swing and snot parachute which work a bit better and are activated differently. The snot swing in particular is easier to use which is welcome news to those who couldn't quite get the timing or the worm swing quite right.

This game deviates more from traditional platforming than its predecessor. In fact, the levels are even weirder yet more brilliant this time around. With the first level you'll be carrying pigs and avoiding falling grannies who'll smack you with their umbrellas. With the second level you'll be shooting your gun to loosen dirt to fall down as you excavate your own tunnels through soil. It's really unique and something I've yet to see even copied in another game. Another level has you dunking cows in a water bath to diffuse them. There are also other levels that feature an isometric shooter, a quiz show, puppy juggling and a level where Jim inflates his head and floats to the top. Almost every level offers a new play mechanic and every single level controls well. Most importantly they're all pretty fun. The only downside is that this causes a bit of fluctuation in the difficulty curve and inevitably some levels may prove to be more challenging than others depending on the individual due to the varying play mechanics. Overall this is less difficult than EWJ1 with only a couple of levels being potentially very difficult. I find the puppy juggling levels which have replaced the racing levels from the first game to be very fun but have read of others who find it a bit frustrating. Although they can run a bit long being 4 rounds each, they don't appear nearly as often as EWJ1's racing segments which is a good thing. One thing you will notice is that EWJ2 doesn't have many boss battles, in fact, I think it only has 2 in the traditional sense.

The same comparisons made between this an the SNES version remain the same including the wider field of view in this version over the SNES. For this game it probably hinders the SNES version less than in the first game (this hindrance isn't great in either game) but I prefer to see more of the level that the Genesis version offers. Although the Saturn visually beats both SNES & Genesis (the Saturn background in Udderly Abducted is hilarious) and offers an even wider field of view than the Genesis. Graphically I think the SNES version is closer to what the developer wanted. The last level is similar in look on both the Saturn and SNES while sporting an almost completely different look on the Genesis. I actually prefer the Genesis one but both are visually interesting and play more or less the same anyway.

Pros
-Improved graphics and equally inspired music
-Snot swing is an improvement over its predecessor's worm swing
-Lot of variety with different play mechanics
-Ending is even more hilarious than the first game
-Less difficult than the first game without any frustrating sequences

Cons
-Has few boss battles
-The usual comparisons to the SNES version still apply

On the fence
-While I like the increased variety some might prefer the more conventional EWJ1 which overall is a more cohesive platformer adhering to more familiar/traditional elements of the genre.

Verdict: 9/10. In almost every way that matters, this is an improvement over the original with tons of variety and lots of laughs. You can't go wrong with either this or the first game but this one really shines.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 09/28/09

Game Release: Earthworm Jim 2 (US, 1996)