PixlBit

When Earthworm Jim initially launched in 1994 it was lauded for its great gameplay and surreal level and character designs. 16 years later, Gameloft has ported Earthworm Jim to DSiWare and while the game is mostly faithful to the Sega Genesis and SNES versions, it unfortunately features many technical faults, which makes this version disappointing and inferior to the original versions.

For those who aren't familiar with the game, Earthworm Jim is a 2D action-platformer staring an Earthworm in a large robotic suit that is trying to defeat the evil Queen Slug-for-a-Butt who is threatening to destroy the universe. The game features many unique characters and boss battles that weren't common in the 16-bit era. In addition to the side-scrolling action, occasionally players are treated to a small racing segment in the Andy Asteroids where Jim races on his trusty Pocket Rocket space craft against Psy-Crow, Jim's nemesis. These levels along with all of the others from the original game are retained perfectly.

There are a few new additions found in the DSiWare version. In each level you will see a camera stand, these will allow you to initiate an optional mini-game where you try to match Jim's facial expression. This obviously takes advantage of the DSi's camera and facial recognition technology. If you are successful you will be rewarded with five plasma shots. This feature feels very gimmicky and is often useless given the placement of some stands near the end of a level. One nice new feature is a level select screen, which allows players to revisit levels once they have been beaten.

Unfortunately this port has many faults, the most annoying one being the unresponsive controls. While the game is playable, the biggest control issue results from trying to activate Jim's helicopter mode which allows you to glide and in many cases is required to traverse a level. Sometimes the helicopter doesn't activate even though the correct button is pressed at the correct time. This is unacceptable for any game, but even worse here because precise controls are so important.

Aside from the control issues, there are also various inexplicable technical issues. The most obvious ones are the random instances of slowdown. Those who really remember the original will also notice that the animation is also off, as frames are clearly missing. Similarly, the soundtrack feels as if it is missing something, but you would only notice this if you had played the original.

Another disappointing omission is the lack of a hard mode, which was present in the original title. Instead, there is a normal mode, which is actually the easy mode, and the original mode is the normal mode from the original game. For those like myself who have played the original title, these difficulty modes being mislabeled is confusing.

The DSiWare version of Earthworm Jim is riddled with many inexcusable issues and ultimately a disappointment. There are many superior versions of this game such as the original Sega Genesis version, which is available for Wii owners on the Virtual Console.