Earthworm Jim II is a 1995 run and gun platform video game and the sequel to Earthworm Jim, and the second and final game in the Earthworm Jim series developed by original creators Doug TenNapel, David Perry, and Shiny Entertainment. It was released in late 1995 and early 1996 depending on region and video game console, initially being released for the Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo Entertainment System, before being ported to other platforms.^[11][12]

Gameplay – Earthworm Jim II

The purpose of the game is largely the same as it was in the original Earthworm Jim; traverse through the levels in order to save Princess What’s-Her-Name from Psy-Crow.^[13] However, gameplay is much more diverse than in the original game.

While the majority of levels are still based on run and gun and platform game elements, separate levels incorporate different gameplay elements as well.^[14] Some levels, such as the opening level, “Anything but Tangerines”, and the game’s eighth level, “Level Ate”, play largely the same as the original Earthworm Jim, with the exception of there being a larger variety of moves at the player’s disposal. Earthworm Jim II

^[15] For instance, there are more types of guns to use once found in a level, such as an auto-aiming gun, or the “Barn Blaster” gun which takes out every enemy visible on the screen.^[15] New power-ups include the chip butty, which increases Jim’s suit power to 200%.^[16] Additionally, Jim’s friend, Snott, travels with him and can be used to stick to and swing from other slimy green surfaces or as a parachute upon jumping.^[15] Earthworm Jim II

Other levels stray much farther from this formula. In the fourth level, “The Villi People”, the player must guide Jim, defenseless in the disguise of a blind cave salamander, through intestinal passages, while avoiding exploding sheep and hazards embedded in the floor and walls.^[14] The latter part of the level suddenly switches to a game show/trivia format, where the player has to answer nonsensical multiple choice questions that commonly have no logically correct answer. Earthworm Jim II

^[15] Another level, aptly titled “Inflated Head”, has Jim’s head inflated much like a balloon, and the player must control Jim as he floats upward, avoiding touching sharp objects which cause him to fall back down to the start of the level, all the while dodging Evil the Cat’s attacks.^[17] Earthworm Jim II

Yet another, “The Flyin’ King”, plays as an isometric shooter, with Jim again on his “pocket rocket”, where a balloon with a bomb must be directed to the end of the level, and defended from enemies, in order to defeat Major Mucus. Earthworm Jim II

^[14] The last level of the game is not a typical boss fight, but rather, a race against Psy-Crow through an obstacle course, to get to Princess What’s-Her-Name.^[15] The game ends with Jim saving the Princess, but all three characters eventually turning randomly into cows