Earthworm Jim 2 (SNES)

Earthworm Jim 2
Developer: Shiny Entertainment Publishers: Playmates (US), Virgin Interactive Entertainment (EU) Platform: SNES Released in US: November 1995 Released in EU: January 25, 1996 This game has unused code. This game has debugging material. This game has a hidden sound test. This game has a hidden level select. This game has regional differences. This game has a prototype article This game has a prerelease article

COWS. So many cows.

The sequel to Earthworm Jim takes the weirdness and cranks it up to 11. It's long, it's frustrating as hell, and it has no real password system...but overall, it's one of the best games of the 16-bit era.

Well done, Shiny.

Sub-Pages

Prototype Info

Prerelease Info

Super Cheat Menu

During gameplay, pause and press Select, Left, Right, A, X, X, Left, Right.

Menu item	Operation
CHEAT MODE	Enables invincibility.
START ON LEVEL	Use A and B to select a level, then press Start to begin.
PAUSE / DIM	Prevents the game from dimming the screen when paused.
MAP VIEW MODE	Use the D-Pad to move the camera around the level; press A to move Jim to the current location.
SOUND EFFECTS	A sound test!

The level select uses early names for some levels:

Early	Final
Tangerines	Anything but Tangerines!
Puppy Love 1/2/3	Puppy Love Part 1/2/3
The Flyin King	The Flyin' King
Uddderly Abduct	Udderly Abducted!
Cathedral	See Jim Run, Run Jim Run!

It is important to note that in the level select for the Sega Genesis release, "Cathedral" was changed to "See Jim Run", a still early but more close to final name for See Jim Run, Run Jim Run. Additionally, Villi People is called "Jim Is Now A Blind Cave Salamander!" in the Genesis release, however, the cheat menu was not updated to reflect this and still says "Villi People" on that version of the game.

Broken Cheat Code

Pause the game and press A, B, X, Select, Select, X, B, A. Once entered, the level will restart showing no level name, causing the game to lock up. If you quickly press Start when the screen appears, it's possible to skip to the main menu, though this causes graphical glitches.

Its purpose may have been "Suicide", a cheat code present in the PlayStation and Saturn versions.

Regional Differences

Extra Cheat Code

The European release adds the Y, A, B, B, A, Y, A, B Nick Jones code from the previous game, presenting random tips of the day this time around.

Tip
TRY USING THE MANTA MODE. PRESS UP AND A TOGETHER
LOOK OUT FOR THE HIDDEN ROOM IN LEVEL ATE.
COLLECTING THE COLOUR T.V'S WILL GIVE YOU REALLY STRANGE COLORED LEVELS
WHEN CARRYING AN OBJECT, TRY JUMPING AROUND THE LEVEL. ITS A LOT FASTER
NEVER EVER EVER GET A HAIR CUT LIKE NICK'S
TWO PIGS + ONE PLATFORM = ONE RAISED PLUG
ALWAYS CHANGE YOUR SOCKS DAILY. THEY TEND TO SMELL IF YOU DON'T
MOO!

Television Item

US	EU

A rare item found in a few levels changes the palette of everything except for sprites to grayscale. Collecting this on ISO 9000 changes the dull environment to a more colorful one instead. Grabbing another TV in the same level or traveling to a new area reverts the colors back to normal.

It is noted that the TV item is mentioned in the US manual but does not appear in any level.

Playmates Interactive Logo

US	EU

The European release adds a wave effect on the logo's reflection.

Lorenzo's Soil

Pressing Up + X to deploy the Manta Shield right before the timer hits zero and holding on while the rocks fall deals no damage to Jim. While this is also possible in the US version, it is far less consistent and often damages Jim.

Villi People

US	EU

Getting near the villi distorts the entire level at different speeds depending on the proximity like in the Genesis version. The US release only speeds up the villi.

Flyin' King

US	EU

The game loads the lake graphics much faster in the European release.