A Shiny Entertainment gem starring an earthworm in a spacesuit, absurdly hilarious. Beautiful animation and varied level design, a must-play classic.
Your verdict
Category
Platformer1 player7+
Description
Earthworm Jim battles super-villains in crazy levels in this Shiny Entertainment Mega Drive platformer. Published by Virgin, released in Europe in 1994. Inventive platformer with alien worm Jim, comic weapons, varied levels and absurd bosses with off-beat humour.
Earthworm Jim review
MAX
Art direction
★★★★★
"Iconic"
4/5
Music
★★★★★
"Excellent"
3/5
Story
★★★★★
"Solid"
Elastic, delirious cartoon by Shiny: hilarious animation, absurd creatures and vivid colours compose a surrealist universe full of humour. The suppleness of the line and the visual inventiveness overflow with energy. This art direction, unhinged and polished, stands as a masterpiece of interactive animation.
Tommy Tallarico cuts a soundtrack for grown-up cartoons: nervy rock in the junkyards, a dragging blues around the cows, a breathless race theme in the tunnel. The style shifts follow the gags to the second, and the FM chip sounds surprisingly fat under its synthetic guitars. One of the machine's sonic peaks.
Earthworm Jim PAL is the European edition of the Shiny Entertainment/David Perry game, regarded as one of the stylistic peaks of the late Megadrive. Its collector value comes from the cult status of the Shiny/Perry game and from the fact that the Megadrive version remains the original before the SNES ports, which altered several visual and technical elements.
Is Earthworm Jim still worth playing in 2026?
A 2D platformer by Shiny Entertainment, Earthworm Jim imposes an earthworm hero in a robotic suit in a wacky universe inspired by American cartoons. The iconic cartoon art direction, absurd humour and varied handling make this title an absolute classic of the Mega Drive catalogue. Levels like What the Heck or Snot a Problem have become mythical. For anyone fond of humorous and inventive nineties platformers, an absolutely essential recommendation today still without any hesitation here truly indeed for any fan.
