Earthworm Jim 3D (1999 Video Game) User Reviews (2)

Earthworm Jim and the King of Thieves

[madill-evelyn · 4/10 · 11 April 2021]

Earthworm Jim 3D is like the straight to VHS movie of the franchise, sometimes it's a diamond in the rough, other times it turns into a CGI dinosaur saying "ALAN!", this was the product of a troubled development.

Lets go over the story, While Jim plays his accordion in the middle of a blue backdrop, a rouge N64 logo (Replaced with a fridge in the PC version) falls from the sky and hits him, followed by a cow. Jim is then knocked into a coma and has his brains all scrambled, which leads to the 4 bosses and their closeted leader taking over, (None of them had their voices listed but we figured them out, and I actually figured out the final boss's actor) and its up to Jim to save himself from a concussion. Besides the cow and accordion, the plot really does NOT fit a character like Earthworm Jim, the plot sounds like it fits in one of those sitcom episodes.

Now we run into the main course, the radical, definitely not dated, 3D gameplay! IT TASTES LIKE A BURNT GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICH. For starters, all the new moves from Earthworm Jim 2, they're completely missing! Including the ability to switch weapons, so yay, were stuck with whatever weapon you have and can't switch. If that wasn't bad enough, Jim's normal gun is a complete joke, the stage Death Wormed Up has WAY too many things going on here, (there's even a level within a level), Jim moves around as fast as an actual worm, (They're really slow) the Power Pack segments were downright shameful (where you have to eat a can of beans and fart yourself to the top), The bosses were poorly designed and reused, I could applaud the two original characters IF THEY WERN'T SCRAPPED VILLIANS FROM THE CARTOON, the camera is BAD, OH MY GOD THE CAMERA DIDN'T AGE WELL, it gets stuck everywhere, and would be better if you could lock on to things in 1999, but instead you get a 1st person view where the stick was SO sensitive and it was stuck on inverted Y-axis (Why?) but most of all, where's Princess What's Her Name? (I'm not being forgetful, that's her real name)

But I must bring a couple of positives to the table, as I saw some joy out of it as a enormous EWJ fan. One, the soundtrack was absolutely AMAZING and was composed by Ged Grimes, a former member of Simple Minds (Don't You Forget About Me) , Two they brought back the voice actors from the cartoon for voice work, (Including Dan Castellaneta!) Three, I can't believe I'm saying this, but the final boss is a good representation of transgender people. The game takes place in Jim's head, and the final boss is a side of Jim was, according to the games dialogue " Suppressed for years and is fighting for dominance over his consciousness" and what is this side? A female version of Jim, taking the name of Earthworm Kim.

Over all do I like this game? No, it has its shining moments here and there, but that's about it, its filled with untapped potential and poor execution, and could be better if it was modded/remade entirely.

A truly inspired game...

[Miketada6116 · 9/10 · 30 January 2007]

Earthworm Jim 3D is an entirely 'unique' experience, to say the least. Though not as technically sound as its predecessors, this game is fun, addictive, and all-around mind boggling.

Earthworm Jim's legacy was quite well-established long before this game was released. He had two classic platformers, a line of great action figures, and two seasons of his own Saturday morning cartoon show to his credit. So, why bother bringing him to 3D in 1999, years after the peak in popularity? I've found myself asking this question since I first bought the game, but I've also been so excited about playing it, that I haven't really had time to find out the answer.

Here's the nitty-gritty on this game: The visuals are great, it's all about surreal cartoon imagery, and the things you see here will stick with you. The characters are blocky, but it never deters you from wanting to watch what they do next.

The gameplay is fun, albeit mildly repetitive. I've never been turned off from playing a level twice in this game.

The sound is great, except for the music. The individual sounds are all strange and memorable-- chickens, eggs, cows, pigs, whips, gunfire, and all the like have unique and suitable effects. The music tracks are just looped guitar solos that change only in intensity, and are largely fun-sounding at first... just boring after about 45 minutes.

The controls/camera are where this game falls apart. Sometimes, your ability to aim or move in 3d is hindered by the fact that you can't always see what you're trying to shoot, and you can't always land the character where you expect him to land. That's pretty important in a game that is essentially still a platformer.

All-in-all, if you're a big fan of Earthworm Jim's comics and cartoons, then buy this game and give it a try, I think you'll appreciate spending a little more time in his world. If you're more a fan of his original platformers, you may want to hide from this title, because the controls, sound, and level design will not satisfy you.

I've always loved this game, and I still play it constantly. It has not grown stale for me over the last 6 or 7 years, and I doubt it ever will.