3/5 ★ – Manic_Zucc's review of Earthworm Jim.

Earthworm Jim is a frustrating game. This is partially due to the high difficulty, but also because it feels like the game could have been so much better than it is. The game absolutely oozes style and humor. The game made me laugh out loud on more than one occasion and the character animations are some of the most fluid and detailed I’ve seen on a 16-bit system. The core gameplay is also fun with the platforming meets run and gun style working well. Sadly the game falls apart in level design. Some levels are solid enough (the Hell level being my favorite)but many throw so much at you visually it’s hard to tell what hurts you, what’s a platform, and what’s just in the background. The gimmick levels are the worst offenders, such as the submarine section and the bungie cord fight against a booger monster. These go from tough to bull crap real quick and the pace of the game suffers greatly from it. Ultimately even the standard platforming levels had a few moments that just seemed janky, especially any section that requires Jim to swing in hooks as hit detection there was very inconsistent. In the end I get why Earthworm Jim was so loved in the 90s, but I don’t think it’s level design is one of those reasons. If this looked like every other 16 but game I’d probably give it 2 stars but the style really carries the game so I’m giving it a whole extra star for that. Also the ending actually cracked me up.