Copyright: Copyright ©


About This Game

The Story

Earthworm Jim for Windows 95 is a direct port of the popular Sega CD version using the Exodus Video Gaming Technologies created by Kinesoft Development. The technology consists of highly optimized programming libraries that allow for the conversion of console games into Windows 95 primarily using 486 assembler code for the main game logic and C++ for the shell... blah, blah, blah. Okay, enough of the technobabble. Here's the story. Activision wanted to make some really cool games for Windows 95 because... well, there have never been any cool 2D side-scrolling action games for Windows. So, because the guys at Microsoft made Windows 95 a gaming platform in addition to an operating system, Activision hired this company in Chicago called Kinesoft Development, who had just developed this really great technology for porting console games to Windows 95. Still raking in the dough for its popular game Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure, Activision then released a Windows 95 version that was not only able to fully capture the speed and gameplay of the original but contained lots of enhancements. So, after seeing what could be done in the new operating system, Activision called their buddies at Shiny Entertainment and licensed the rights to do a Windows 95 version of Earthworm Jim... which accounts for why you are reading this now. Anyway, like Pitfall, all of the speed, gameplay and fun of the original has been captured AND a bunch of enhancments have been added to make your gaming experience more pleasurable. So, on behalf of Activision, Kinesoft and Shiny... HAVE FUN!

The Cool Stuff

Here are some of the cool features of Earthworm Jim for Windows 95:

256 color graphics! The backgrounds and animations have been painstakingly updated from 64 to 256 colors. That's a whopping 192 extra colors that provide for PC-quality graphics!

CD-quality music! The game features a CD-quality soundtrack that contains over 50 minutes of cool music by the guys at Tommy Tallarico Studios. You can even listen to the music on your standard CD player. So, do Tommy a favor and pop in the Earthworm Jim CD whenever you go cruising down your local boulevard.

A new weapon! Help Jim blast his way through all of the levels using a new homing rocket not included in the cartridge versions.

A new level! Manuever Jim through an entire new level complete with new enemies and hidden goodies not included in the cartridge versions.

An Earthworm Jim Desktop Theme! Customize your Windows 95 desktop with this really cool Microsoft Plus! desktop theme that was created by the ever-productive Tin Guerrero. Now you can install Earthworm Jim animating cursors, sounds, icons and wallpaper... which will automatically make your computer better than anyone else's.

The Team

Here is some background information on key members of the team... mostly for the purpose of enhancing egos and embarrasing those people who spent many, many, many long days and nights to bring you this game.

Scott Krager (Producer): Used to be a sitcom writer, but moved into video game industry because he prefers reaching a more intellectual audience. Also was lead level designer on Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure in addition to producing the Windows 95 version. Prefers the plasma rifle to the rocket launcher.

Tin Guerrero (Associate Producer): Once skipped school during the 5th grade to score a million points in Laser Blast. Called it "Career Day." Was lead tester and associate level designer on Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure in addition to associate producing the Windows 95 version. Can associate any occurance in life with a quote from Fletch.

Andy Glaister (Programmer): Born and raised in England, this self-taught programming miracle worker created one of the first game development systems in the early eighties which became widely used in what was then a fledgling industry. Also created the technology behind the Exodus game engine in addition to programming the Windows 95 version of Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure. Convinced that Hatman really exists.

Danny Matson (Art Director): Couldn't decide between playing guitar or being an artist when growing up. Has amazing ability to master any art program in less than a day. Rendered sprite animations on Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure in addition to art directing the Windows 95 version — is there a pattern forming here? Prefers the rocket launcher to the plasma rifle.


Contents
The Worm Has Turned Into a Super Hero

Preparing For Your Adventure

Worming Your Way Around

Items

The Levels

The Cast of Characters

Hints and Tips

About This Game

Hey — Who Made This Mess?


Difficulty
This page allows you to select between three difficulty levels. Keep in mind that switching difficulty levels in the middle of a game will result in immediate death... no, wait! Actually, here's what happens: Let's say that you've played through half of the game in Easy mode, then you get courageous and decide to switch to Difficult mode. You will start a new game from the first level in Difficult mode... BUT the game will automatically save your last level played in Easy mode. So, you can now switch between two separate games by switching difficulty options. Get the idea?

Easy: You can’t even watch fishing shows. Salt makes you cringe. You don’t own any Earthworm Jim action figures. You still haven’t figured out the hamster gags.

Normal: Okay, you’ve ordered the action figures. You juggle fishing lures. You call him EWJ even though it’s more syllables than Earthworm Jim. You’ve been caught in long underwear tying your hair to a curtain rod to see if you can swing from your head just like EWJ. You begin to make hamster jokes yourself...

Difficult: You go swimming in trout-infested waters. You sunbathe at the beach on the hottest day of the year and swim in the Dead Sea. You’re a stud, you’re tough, you’re a Lumbricus terrestris.


Display
This option allows you to choose from pre-determined window sizes. Hot Keys for the various sizes are included.

Current Settings:	This setting saves the current window size

Standard Window:	This window is 320 x 224 resolution	(F5)

Double Window:	This window is 640 x 480 resolution	(F6)

Full Screen (Fast):	This window is 320 x 200 resolution	(F7)

Full Screen (Smooth):	This window is 320 x 224 resolution	(F8)

Full Screen mode allows you to play the game while suppressing Windows 95 in the background. This provides for maximum display combined with better performance. Full Screen (Smooth) mode will prevent the game from "tearing" as the screen updates, and is recommended for use on Pentium machines. Full Screen (Fast) mode is designed for maximum speed and display. This option is recommended for machines with a 486 processor.

The game window can also be stretched to your liking by using the mouse to drag the lower right corner. For optimum performance, it is recommended that the game be played in Full Screen mode.


Game Priority
This option allows you to devote a higher percentage of processing power to Earthworm Jim, and is recommended for systems that have a high frequency of multi-tasking or are linked to a network.

Normal:	Standard amount of processing power is devoted to game

High:	Above-standard amount of processing power is devoted to game

Real Time:	The processor devotes maximum power to the game

Enabling High or Real Time modes will divert processing power from any applications that are running in the background. It is therefore recommended that downloading and other similar functions not be attempted while running the game in these modes.


Hey  Who Made This Mess?
Hey — Who Made This Mess?

Producer: Scott Krager

Associate Producer: Tin Guerrero

Windows 95 Programming: Kinesoft Development

Programmer: Andy Glaister

Additional Programming: Bill Dempsey

Exodus Video Gaming Technologies: Kinesoft Development

Quality Assurance Director: Jon Doellstedt

Quality Assurance Manager: David Arnspiger

QA Project Lead: Kenny Ramirez

Testers: Abraham Heward, Douglas Jacobs, David King, Nancy Matson, Guillaume Sireta and Nadine Theuzillot

Development Tools: Andy Glaister, Dan Chang and Bill Dempsey

256 Color Art Conversion

Art Director: Danny Matson

Background Art: Danny Matson

Background Cleanup: Saffire Corporation

Artists: Ruth Stahnke, Sterling Hirsch and Mary Gurr

Animation Rendering: Karen Johnson Productions

Producer: Denise McKee

Artists: Mary-Kay Omelina, Robert Churchill and Ron Schulz

Additional Audio Engineering: Tin Guerrero, Michael Schwartz, Paul Supkoff and Kelly Rogers

Earthworm Jim Desktop Theme: Tin Guerrero

SHINY ENTERTAINMENT

Original Sega CD Programming: Andy Astor, David Perry and Nicholas Jones

Original Concept: Douglas TenNapel

Level Designer: Tom Tanaka

Directing Animator: Mike Dietz

Animators: Edward Schofield and Douglas TenNapel

Art Director: Nick Bruty

Lead Artist: Steve Crow

Ink and Paint: Eric Ciccone and Mike Pilotti

Cleanup: Clark Sorensen, Ryan Silva and Nicky Wilson

Assistant Artist: Lin Shen

Music and Sound Effects: Tommy Tallarico Studios, Inc.

Additional Arrangements: Mark Miller and Mical Pedriana

Mixed at Group 4 Recording Studios Hollywood

Mastered at A&M Studios Hollywood

Mastered by Dave Collins

Mastering Assistant: Pat Sullivan

Special Thanks: The Activision Marketing Gang, Mary Eubank, Alan Gershenfeld, Brian Kelly, Robert Kotick, Howard Marks, Tonya Lyle, Mark Achler, Peter Sills, Tex Avery... and especially Michael Koelsch, Andy Astor and David Perry!


Hints and Tips

Try not to stay in the same place too long. As a moving target, Jim is a lot tougher to hit.

Limit your firing to short bursts of plasma. This will help you save much needed rounds for later.

Use your head — literally! Your whip-like head can do more than destroy your enemies. You can use it to swing from place to place. Hmmm... what sort of thing could you swing from?

Don't be afraid to make a leap of faith. With a part-time propeller for a head, Jim can gently glide down a chasm that he's leapt into — even though you may not see where he is going to land.

Sometimes hanging around isn't such a hot idea and you'll need to get out of somebody's way. Just pull yourself up by your bootstraps — you'd be amazed at how many enemies don't look up.

Surrounding yourself with Earthworm Jim action figures, watching the television show and buying anything by Activision and Shiny Entertainment will automatically make you the coolest person in your neighborhood.

Gather as many atoms as you can before the end of each stage. You'll need as much energy as you can get to defeat the bosses. And watch your plasma gun's energy level — recharging only seems to take longer when you're in a jam.

Open your eyes and search around. There are many secrets to be found. Closely look at what you see, for many secrets are off the screen.

There are a ton of goodies on each level. If you can't find a way to get to something you see, the answer may lie just ahead, or below, or above you, or this-away, or that-away...

To keep Psy-Crow out of the action, you've got to beat him in the asteroid... race. Otherwise he'll give you problems on every level. (Lose a turn for not laughing at the asteroid joke.)

Defeating the Queen involves stopping her from laying eggs. Now, how can you do that? Don't you wish you stayed awake during health education?

Most of the time, keeping Peter moving along is the best plan of action. But how can you stop him, or slow him down, when you need to? Click.

Making cookies with butter-flavored shortening rather than butter or margarine keeps them from flattening out too much during baking.

Finding the can of worms is one way to get a continue. The other... well, that's fuel for thought.


Items

Plasma Power

Each time you pick up one of these you get an additional 250 rounds of plasma power. Plasma shots are limited so get as many of these as you can find!

Mega Plasma

The Big Wally of plasma detonation! This weapon will generally wipe out anything you can point it at! Every time you collect one of these you only get one mega-shot, so use them wisely!

Homing Shells

The smart missile. This weapon will track down the closest enemy and blast it with Mega Plasma power. You get three missiles for each one of these you pick up.

Suit Power

Atomic energy that the suit needs to function. Collecting these items increases your overall suit energy. More healthy than a big bowl of chicken soup.

Super Suit Power

We’re talking full suit power. Like a double espresso and a hunk of cheesecake, prepare to be energized to the extreme!

Asteroid Shields

During Andy Asteroids, grab these to protect yourself from colliding with the asteroids.

Atomic Accelerator

Catch one of these power gems to throw yourself into overdrive. Useful for a quick burst of speed to avoid Psy-Crow.

Fuel Pods

While racing, grab these items for fun and profit. Better than selling Grit (America’s Family Newspaper) and much easier. Collect 50 and get a free continue.

Extra Life

Hidden throughout the vast levels are these items that will give you an extra try at rescuing the princess.


Joystick
 This page allows you to enable the use of a gamepad or joystick by clicking the Enable Joystick checkbox. To configure the joystick to your liking, select a game action and press the button on the gamepad or joystick with which you want to control the selected action. You may also assign various actions to the keyboard while enabling a gamepad or joystick.

To ensure that a gamepad or joystick functions correctly, you must first calibrate the controller using the Joystick Properties page located in the Control Panels section of Windows 95.


Keyboard
 This page allows you to enable the use of the keyboard by clicking the Enable Keyboard checkbox. To configure the keyboard to your liking, select a game action and press the key on the keyboard with which you want to control the selected action. A gamepad or joystick cannot be used when the keyboard is enabled.


Preparing For Your Adventure

The File Menu

This pull-down menu allows you to access levels of the game that you have already completed. As you progress through the game, the completed levels will become active in the menu. Once you have completed the entire game, the menu will allow you to begin at any level.

Reminder: Using the File Menu to start a new level will reset the weapons, continues, energy level, enemies and other collectables to their default settings.

The File Menu also allows you to access the Properties Box.

The Status Bar

On the bottom of the game window is a status bar that displays the name of the current level. You can also access specific pages in the Properties Box by clicking on the assorted icons.

Go directly to Joystick page.

Go directly to Keyboard page.

Go directly to System page.

Go directly to Sound page.

Go directly to Difficulty page.


Properties Box

This dialog box allows you to configure Earthworm Jim according to your personal preferences. You can select various options by clicking on the assorted tabs. The game will automatically save your current settings and store them for use the next time you launch the program.

Click on the option below to display information about it.


Sound
 This page allows you to enable or disable sound effects and CD music.

Sound Effects:	Standard sounds used throughout the game

CD Music:	CD-quality musical soundtrack


Sync Full Screen To Monitor
This option forces Earthworm Jim to synchronize all game functions to the refresh rate of your monitor. This helps to produce a smoother scrolling effect when playing the game. This option is only available on Pentium machines and is recommended for systems with a processing speed of 90 MHz or higher.


System
 The following features can be changed in the System page.

Display

Sync Full Screen to Monitor

Game Priority


The Cast of Characters

Earthworm Jim

Just an ordinary earthworm caught in a suit he doesn’t understand. Faced with the daunting task of keeping the super-powered suit out of the evil clutches of his vicious enemies, you’ll have to use everything you can just to keep Jim alive! Like weapons, whips, plasma blasters, hamsters (umm...) and other hi-tech stuff!

                           Chuck & Fifi

Fifi is no lovable poodle. Try a psychotic, four-legged chainsaw with a rusty chain and you’ll know what we mean. Fifi wants to keep strangers away from his master’s junkyard. Chuck will throw up anything he can to keep you from surviving. You’ll need to keep your wits in order to dethrone him.

Evil the Cat

Born with no heart, the ruler of Heck lives to torture others. Filling Heck with corporate lawyers and dreaded elevator music, Evil has seen to it that Jim doesn't stand a snowball’s chance. Evil’s snowmen are a good example of how twisted this cat really is!!! If you thought Heck was bad before, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet.

                Psy-Crow

Jim was hunted by crows all his life, but never one with a gun!! Psy-Crow is determined to get that suit back for the Queen at any cost. Because of his persistence and his twisted crow mind, you’ll never know when he’s gonna turn up!!! If he gets his worm hook into you and pulls you out of the suit, Jim is as good as bass bait. Keep your eyes open and stay on guard!

Major Mucus

From the distant phlegm planet, Major Mucus will stop at nothing to get Jim’s suit. Bouncing wildly from a tiny thread of goo, the Major is bound to be trouble. Watch out — if he gets a hold of Jim, the snot will really hit the fan!

Peter Puppy

Peter may first look like a cute, cuddly puppy, but when he transforms into his alter ego there’s nowhere to hide. This isn’t going to be just another walk in the park with Peter! Jim’s super suit helped him survive the trip through the black hole to Peter’s world, but its powers might not be enough to help him get back...

Professor Monkey-For-A-Head

You’d be pretty mad too if you had a monkey sharing your head, or is the Professor sharing the monkey’s head? Whatever you do, don’t call him "Monkey Professor-For-A-Head" or he’ll get really steamed! This guy is totally bananas and he’s willing to destroy Jim to prove it.

                        Bob & #4

Bob is a goldfish with plans... plans to steal Jim’s powerful suit so he can rule the universe. He can’t harm Earthworm Jim directly, but that’s what the drone cat #4 is for!! This brute packs a mean punch! Whatever Bob wants, #4 gets — and Bob wants that suit!

Big Bruty

Blind as a mole rat. Fat as a beached whale. Dumb as a rock. That’s Big Bruty. If he gets one whiff of you though, he’ll come after you like a runaway freight train. Your best bet is to stay out of his way, because he’s always hungry and he always chews his food 30 times before swallowing.

                  Doc Duodenum

Tired of life as an alien’s internal organ, Doc Duodenum took off on his own. The Doc would like to have Earthworm Jim over for lunch. Or was it over AS lunch? Hmmm. Jim needs to escape soon, or he’ll make his final exit as an entree for Doc. Other than the deadly bile that oozes from his body, Doc is actually a tidy person although not the sort you’d bring home to meet your parents...

Princess-What’s-Her-Name

Twin sister of the Queen, she got the good end of the genetic pool. A truly bodacious babe of the highest magnitude! When asked about her favorite activities, she sweetly replied "Save the space whales. I’m a Libra. Will you buy me a spaceship?"

The evil Queen Pulsating, Bloated, Festering, Sweaty, Pus-Filled, Malformed, Slug-For-A-Butt

Adjectives escape us as we try to encapsulate the utter putridity of her being. Let’s put it this way: she’s big, she’s bad and she’s in the mood for earthworm burgers!! She has a face not even a mother could love, and a body to match. She’s Jim’s ultimate nightmare! How can she be defeated? Is it possible? You know she has a twin sister, don’t you?


The Levels

New Junk City

Menacing crows, giant mutant garbage cans, the junkyard’s owner Chuck and his dog Fifi all want to welcome you to the junkyard in their own special way — by trying to kill you. Bounce from tire to tire, or slide across zip lines to grab extra power-ups. Watch out — compared to Fifi’s bark, those bites are even worse!

What The Heck?

Welcome to Planet Heck. As Evil the Cat dances, you wander through the devilishly tricky maze. Step quickly... it can get a little too hot for Jim even in his indestructible suit. For an uplifting experience, take a jog on a gem, but don’t let Jim get a hot foot! There’ll be a hot time in the old town tonight for sure!!

Big Bruty

What’s a Big Bruty, you say? You’ll know one when you see one, that’s for sure. Then all you’ll have to do is figure out how to get by him without ending up like a big piece of chewing gum. Here’s a hint: use his enormous weight and momentum to your advantage. Even if you do get past him, you still had better bee-careful — you wouldn’t want to get stung.

Down The Tubes

Bob the Goldfish knows that EWJ’s super suit could make him ruler of the world. Maybe even the universe!!! Controlling the drone cat minions in his underwater lair, Bob will use his servants to find you wherever you hide, high or low. Don’t let the size of Bob’s kitten guards fool you — they’re just as powerful as the cats! Hamsters galore!

Snot A Problem

Bungee jumping is scary enough without Major Mucus trying to bash you into the walls, but that’s exactly his plan. As your bungee cord gets thinner and thinner, your life hangs on a few measly threads!!! But that’s not all. Mucus Phlegm Brain is waiting for you to get too close to the pool of snot or fall in — he’s waiting for lunch!

Level 5

The Professor would love to have Earthworm Jim on the dissection table, but that darn super suit keeps him safe. The Professor wants that suit back — after all, he designed it for the Queen. Of course, he could make another one... if only that darn monkey hadn’t eaten the blueprints. That’s another can of worms entirely. You’d better keep an eye out for the professor’s creepy science experiments, they’re everywhere. Careful when the lights go out! Remember when you were afraid of the dark? Relive the horror (if you can find it) and find your way out!

Andy Asteroids

Ready for a wild ride through space? Well, hold on to your seat because between each level Psy-Crow is right on your tail! Dodge the asteroids and try knocking Psy-Crow off his rocket backpack to help you get to the finish line alive. Grab the Atomic Accelerators along the way to leave Psy-Crow eating your heavy ions. Of course if you’re traveling that fast, you’ll want to stock up on shields... unless you’re an expert pilot.

For Pete’s Sake

Walking the dog was never like this!!! If you let little Peter fall, watch out — his temper gets the best of him and he mutates into a ravenous hulking giant! If the meteor showers don’t rain on your parade and the flying saucers don’t blow you away, then maybe, just maybe you’ll make it through okay. Oh, did I forget to mention that the tentacles of the Unipus (like an octopus but with one arm) can kill you...?

Intestinal Distress

Disgusting gross bad guys (like you were expecting less?) Flying fish? And a boss that will put a major squeeze on you! Now, would you like to see what you just had for lunch?

Buttville

It’s dark, there’s lightning in the distance and you’ve got to keep your head in order to stay alive. You’re now facing the Queen and her minions head to head, so use yours. The Queen is using her control over all the insects in order to stop you. Everywhere you turn, one of her followers is going to be there. You may think it’s hopeless, but it’s Snot. Try to control your every move here. Any mistake will probably be your last.


The Worm Has Turned...
The Worm Has Turned Into a Super Hero

It’s a day like any other. A crow is chasing a worm, a worm named Jim. Today the worm escapes to safety and the crow eats dirt.

Meanwhile, in outer space...

Psy-Crow is chasing a small renegade ship. The ship’s pilot has stolen an ultra-high-tech-indestructible-super-space-cyber-suit. Psy-Crow overtakes the renegade ship and they face off head to head. Psy-Crow pulls his gun. The renegade pulls an even bigger gun. Wrought with gun envy, Psy-Crow pulls out a huge monster gun. The renegade, realizing he has been outmatched, pleads for mercy. But Psy-Crow, under direct orders from the evil Queen Pulsating, Bloated, Festering, Sweaty, Pus-filled, Malformed, Slug-for-a-Butt, blasts the renegade and his entire ship to smithereens. The suit falls gently to a strange planet below. The strange planet is our planet. PLANET EARTH.

Back on earth, our slimy hero is wondering if it’s safe, and if he has eluded the crow. Jim looks left, then right. It seems he has given the crow the slip. Jim returns to his normal daily life, cruising about avoiding crows and doing other general worm-like things.

Until...

Jim is suddenly struck by a very large ultra-high-tech-indestructible-super-space-cyber-suit. Through sheer luck, Jim rests safely in the neck ring of the suit. Suddenly, the ultra-high-tech space particles of the suit begin interacting with Jim’s soft wormy flesh. A radical light-speed evolution takes place.

Jim soon realizes he is in control of the suit, and we witness the birth of Earthworm Jim.

Jim checks out the suit and he notices a red thingie attached to his side, which just happens to be a plasma blaster. He pulls it out of the holster and starts playing with the buttons. Meanwhile, off in the distance, the crow is still looking for his lunch. Jim finds the trigger and lets loose with a plasma blast. BLAMO! The crow is torched!

Taking a moment to gather his thoughts, Jim leans up against a tree. Due to the suit’s incredible power, Jim forces the tree over, right on top of the now barely conscious crow. His lifetime nemesis is never to be seen again.

Our hero thinks he’s got it pretty easy now, but... he hears something in the distance. Psy-Crow, the intergalactic bounty hunter, is standing over a burn in the grass which the suit had left behind. Peering over the toppled tree, Jim sees Psy-Crow talking to the Queen, informing her that the suit is very near. The Queen knows that the suit will make her even more beautiful than her imprisoned twin sister, “Princess-What’s-Her-Name.” Jim decides he needs to meet this Princess and dashes off to find her before Psy-Crow can find him and the suit...


Worming Your Way Around

The following are the default control settings upon launching Earthworm Jim for the first time.

Action	Key

Jump 	W

Fire	E

Whip	Q

Up	Up Arrow

Down 	Down Arrow

Left	Left Arrow

Right	Right Arrow

You may configure the keyboard controls to your liking by using the Keyboard page in the Properties Box. You may also enable the use of a gamepad or joystick by using the Joystick page in the Properties Box.

Regardless of the controller, Earthworm Jim will automatically save all of your current settings and store them for use the next time you launch the game.

Game Status

To see how Earthworm Jim is doing on his adventure, just check out the top or bottom of your screen.

Earthworm Jim (top left): This is the number of additional Jim lives you have left to complete the game. There are many hidden free lives to help you on your quest to save the Princess. Look everywhere for them!

Spinning Atom (top left): This is the percentage of energy the suit has left. Whenever you are attacked by an enemy, touched by an enemy or generally do something stupid, this number goes down. If this number reaches zero you will lose one life. Additional energy can be found floating throughout the levels, or when you defeat an enemy.

Plasma Gun (bottom left): This is the number of rounds of plasma energy you have left to fire. Additional energy clips can be picked up while you are playing, but you must use your shots carefully as many enemies await you. If you run completely out of shots, the plasma gun automatically recharges itself very slowly by gathering energy from around it, but it is strongly advised not to let the gun run out of ammo.