Earthworm Jim. Now that’s a title I haven’t heard in a long time. I wasn’t really a big fan of the series, mostly because I preferred to play the original Crash trilogy on my original PlayStation, but I do remember some good times playing Earthworm Jim 2. It’s a really cool 2D shooter and platformer, combined with surrealist humor and a highly irreverent art style. You might even say that for a millennial like me that never got to play on the Nintendo 64 (PlayStations were much more popular in my country) that this title was my Conker game.
However, what I didn’t really think about until now is just how popular the series is. I always saw it as a somewhat niche title, albeit with a very solid fanbase, overshadowed by far more popular 2D platforming titles. It suffered even more when it didn’t transition as smoothly into 3D as, say Donkey Kong and Super Mario. In spite of this, it turns out that Earthworm Jim is popular enough to warrant a new title, and one that’s releasing exclusively in an upcoming console that is certainly niche itself.
A new Earthworm Jim game (no details on whether it’s a reboot or a sequel) is being developed and worked on by the original team that developed it. The team includes Doug TenNapel, David Perry, Tommy Tallarico, Nick Bruty, Mike Dietz, Tom Tanaka and Joey Kuras, all of whom worked together for the last time with 1995’s Earthworm Jim 2. The catch? Well, the title will be an exclusive for the Intellivision Amico.
The Intellivision Amico is an iteration of the original Intellivision console, which launched first back in 1979. It will be like a ‘futurized’ Intellivision console, but will primarily be used to play remastered early home games. This is quite exciting news for players who want to experience the legendary console in a modernized format. The president and CEO of Intellivision Entertainment is now Tommy Tallarico, so it would make sense that he wants the Earthworm Jim title to catch some interest in the upcoming console.
While there is not much news with regards to the newest Earthworm Jim game, the Intellivision Amico is set for release next year, October 10, 2020. Its pricing point is between $149 and $179, with all its exclusive titles costing anywhere between $2.99 and $7.99. Those prices may be a pretty sweet deal, considering the legacy brand that is Intellivision.
