As far as platform games from the early 90’s are concerned one the few titles that retro gamers instantly think about in relation that time period is Earthworm Jim which was developed by Shiny Entertainment initially released back in 1994. Earthworm Jim was released for 16-bit consoles such as the Sega Genesis and the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in ’94 before it appeared on game systems such as Game Boy, Game Gear, Microsoft Windows and Sega-CD in 1995. Earthworm Jim had a rather basic but intriguing plot that was somewhat strange. The game starts of with a super-suit that falls from the sky which Jim gains access to. After acquiring the suit Jim has to deal with various adversaries who attempt to take it from him. Also, Jim is charged the the task of rescuing a Princess while trying to thwart off various foes throughout the game making for an exciting platform/run & gun adventure. While the original Earthworm Jim game was not quite as popular as other 16-bit platformers such as Super Mario World and the Sonic the Hedgehog trilogy from the early 90’s it managed to spawn a sequel that was arguably more successful following its release in 1995. Some would probably argue that the damsel in distress aspect of the story was not needed especially considering the fact that the super suit discovered by Earthworm Jim was interesting enough.
Also, despite how bizarre yet fascinating the plot was the ending was considered to be somewhat dark since Jim accidentally crushes Princess What’s Her Name after rescuing her. As a 2D platformer Earthworm Jim is seen as a cult classic while being praised by fans and critics for various quality such as gameplay, graphics along being an adventurous title that gamers of any age could easily sink their teeth into. Finding hard copy retro titles such as Earthworm Jim is rare when visiting used game stores which only proves how valuable it was approximately 25 years ago. If anything Earthworm Jim was arguably one of the best non-Sonic or Mario platformers of the 16-bit era and is one that which will remain a classic in the eyes of many people.
Gaming Hearts Collection 