A wacky cartoon platformer full of gags and savory bad taste. Short but packed with brilliant ideas.
Your verdict
Category
Platformer1 player7+
Description
Platformer featuring Jim, a worm in a spacesuit, traversing zany planets. Published by Playmates Interactive, released in Japan in 1994. Levels with extravagant themes and princess What's-Her-Name to rescue, whip combat, racing and bike levels, creative bosses and cartoony animated visuals. One of the most creative platformers on Super Nintendo.
Earthworm Jim review
MAX
Art direction
★★★★★
"Iconic"
MAX
Music
★★★★★
"Legendary"
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.
Signed by Tommy Tallarico, the music of Earthworm Jim deploys a zany rock-funk groove perfectly in tune with the space worm's absurd humour. From the famous main theme to the most madcap passages, each track sparkles with an irresistible energy. This sonic creativity remains one of the most striking on the SNES.
Gameplay
"Excellent"
Fun
"From the very first seconds"
Playing a worm in a space suit, whipping enemies with his head and crossing utterly deranged levels: the cartoon humour and unbridled inventiveness make all the flavour. Hilarious animations, absurd ideas and improbable bosses chain without let-up. Funny, stylish and packed with surprises, a unique platformer like no other.
The Japanese Super Famicom edition of Earthworm Jim, the source release of David Perry's Shiny Entertainment platformer. As with most big 16-bit hits, the SFC pressing remains the most common and most affordable of the three markets, making it the ideal entry point to the cartoonish earthworm. Desirability rests above all on the original SFC cardboard box and an intact spine card, and on character animation that stayed remarkable even against the finest Super Famicom titles.
Is Earthworm Jim still worth playing in 2026?
Earthworm Jim by Shiny Entertainment remains one of the most striking Western productions on the SNES, namely a cartoon platformer with proudly silly humor and flamboyant rotoscoped animation. The stages keep shifting, from motorized hamster races to shooting sequences, and the writing embraces its bad taste with joy. The handling stays lively. The cartridge keeps a singular 1990s American comic flavor. Recommended to fans of wild 2D design and satirical tone.
