Earthworm Jim 3D

Earthworm Jim 3D from 1999 brought the cult worm from the famous 2D platformer series into a fully three-dimensional environment for the first time. The game was developed by studio VIS Entertainment after the rights to the brand passed from the original creators to new owners, and the result is a platformer built on the same absurd humor, bizarre enemies, and exaggerated action as the previous entries, this time however with free movement through 3D levels, jumping between platforms in space, swimming, and new weapons including the iconic whip-gun that Jim wields with his own body.

The move to 3D also brought a change of pace - compared to the fast, linear 2D playthroughs of the previous entries, Earthworm Jim 3D places greater emphasis on exploring larger levels, collecting items, and solving simpler puzzles using Jim's special abilities than on purely action-oriented platform jumping. The game was released first for personal computers in 1999 and a year later also for the Nintendo 64, with the console version having to limit texture resolution, camera range, and the number of simultaneously displayed effects due to weaker hardware, though the core game, levels, and story remained unchanged. That is precisely why the standalone N64 version is not included as a separate entry - it is the same title with unchanged content, just with lower technical parameters adapted to the weaker console. The individual levels take Jim through the bizarre environments typical of the series, from organic caves to industrial complexes full of traps, and the playthrough is regularly interrupted by fights with oversized bosses who require a different approach and different weapons than fights with ordinary, smaller enemies.

Why play it: Earthworm Jim 3D is for fans of the series curious how the absurd humor and action work in a fully three-dimensional space, as well as for players with a soft spot for late-1990s platformers with distinctive graphics and a bizarre sense of humor.