As was quietly revealed at this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo, gaming's most beloved invertebrate is set to star in a new
adventure that returns him to his 2D roots -- on the PSP, no less, and from the original development team at Shiny. Thanks to the return of characters like Princess Whatshername, Psycrow and Professor Monkey For A Head, the development team's charm is all over the new game. Old levels, such as New Junk City which appeared as the first level for the original game, have been re-designed with new layouts and new power-ups, but still retain a retro feel, while there will be plenty of new areas for players to explore as well.
One of the biggest changes for the series with the
PSP game is that it takes place in 2D environments with polygonal characters and environments, placing it alongside games like
Pandemonium! and
Klonoa 2 in its look. At this early stage, the polygonal graphics look great and animate well, but they don't have quite the same "cartoony" look that the classic Earthworm Jim
games are famous for, so the developers are considering going in a slightly more cartoony direction with black outlines on the characters or something of that nature.
Shiny intends for
Earthworm Jim to be a rewarding experience for everyone, especially players who experiment. Simply goofing off with the controller might result in unlocking an Easter Egg called "Groove Time," wherein Earthworm Jim takes a minute out of his adventure to boogie down to disco tunes. "Groove Time" is more than just a break for Jim, though -- players can use it to enter cheat codes and interact with bosses in an undisclosed means. Adding in a bit of
multiplayer support, two players will be able to compete with each other for high scores, and the game's 12 levels will contain plenty of secrets and different types of gameplay. The game is tentatively scheduled for release early next year; head over to our
media page to check out the first screens and we'll be back with more on the game soon.
