Earthworm Jim 2 - Villi People level
1995 |Virgin | Mega Drive/Genesis, SNES
The second of the 16-bit platformers on the list, and the second swimming level, but being an Earthworm Jim game (ie. fundamentally mad in the face), this one does things rather differently.
You’re an earthworm. In a humanoid super suit. Inside a salamander costume, swimming around an intestine. But the whole thing’s just so warm and relaxing that after a minute or two you won’t even notice the rabid lunacy staring unblinkingly into your eyes.
Partly it’s the controls. All you need to do is aim and prod a button to make salamander Earthworm Jim rise sedately up through whatever juices he happens to be swimming in (best not to ask). Everything’s very slow, very calm and has an almost dreamlike feeling of weightlessness to it.
The thing that really makes the experience shine as a calming gaming experience though (or should that be softly glow?) is the soundtrack. In a flash of off-kilter genius, Shiny chose to use Beethoeven’s Moonlight Sonata as the musical accompaniment to the level. It shouldn’t work, but it really does, and once you reach the dimly-lit section towards the end it’ll be impossible to shake off the feeling of a candle-lit night by the fire in an 18th century country house. Check it out below.
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