Earthworm Jim HD (XBLA) Review

Earthworm Jim HD is the right way to do a retro remake. It leaves everything you love about the original untouched while adding in a plethora of fun, new features which improves upon the original in every way.

If you grew up in the late 1990's, then there's a very good chance you know who Earthworm Jim is. The star of his own television series and a trio of sadistically difficult games, Earthworm Jim is the Epitome of badass. Gameloft, a company that usually creates mediocre cellphone ports of popular games, has created a fantastic remake of the original Earthworm Jim, complete with alternate difficulty settings and a new multiplayer feature.

Welcome to Heck!

For those who don't already know the story, You play as Earthworm Jim, who began as a regular Earthworm and gained fantastic powers when Ultra-High-Tech-Indestructible-Super-Space-Cyber-Suit falls from the sky onto him.

The gameplay is a mix between run-and-gun shooting and basic platforming, but the surreal elements are what tie the game together. You traverse a variety of strange locales and fire your laser-gun at several bizarre enemies, all while collecting power-ups and avoiding a variety of treacherous pits. One of the news features is the inclusion of four difficulty modes, Which range from Easy to Original. Even on easy, the game provides quite the challenge, this is a game firmly rooted in 1990, when games were actually challenging.

When a game is described as HD, usually the graphics are improved and Gameloft did a good job on that. The visuals are beautifully redrawn and crisp, bringing the surreal world of Earthworm Jim to life. The sounds and music have been redone as well, though minor is comparison to the graphics, are just as fantastic.

Three's Company. But four is a party.

Probably the biggest new feature in Earthworm Jim HD is the inclusion of a new Multiplayer campaign, which is playable with up to four players locally or Online. Think of The Legend of Zelda: The Four Swords only with Earthworm Jim instead. The game plays smoothly both locally and online. Which is great for a downloadable game.

If you're looking for a fun downloadable title that's gorgeous and doesn't hold back on the challenge, Earthworm Jim HD is the game for you. The game has fantastic single and multiplayer experiences, all for the groovy price of 800 Microsoft Points. Give it a shot.

- Kyle K.