ToeJam & Earl
System: Genesis
Release Date: October 1991
Developer: Johnson-Voorsanger Productions/Nu Romantic Productions
Publisher: Sega
Genre: Action
Get your funk on as two charming aliens stuck on Earth in ToeJam & Earl! Earl asked to drive the rocketship and ToeJam reluctantly agreed. An asteroid collision later and the rocketship burst into 10 pieces and stranded our heroes. Together or alone, ToeJam & Earl need to traverse 25 levels collecting rocketship pieces and avoiding wacky Earthlings. You should never let Earl drive. Will you be able to get back to planet Funkotron before the Earth does you in?
ToeJam & Earl is better as a two player game, but you can choose to play as either of them. Unless you want to take a diversion and jam out to the funky grooves the game throws your way, you can choose the fixed world or a random world to go through. When I was a kid, I wasn’t familiar with the roguelike genre, but now I see this is a roguelike game with it’s randomness and replayability. The first level is always the same with four presents waiting for you on a small island and an elevator to level 2. The goal of each level is to find the elevator and a ship piece if there happens to be one. You can always check your location and the layout of where you’ve explored by pressing Button C. As you uncover squares on the map, you earn points and as you reach certain milestones you rank up granting more health and the occasional extra life.
There are 27 different present types that you’ll find strewn across the countryside. Some of these are helpful for getting around the level, like super hitops, icarus wings, or the innertube. Others give you some defensive help, like tomatoes, a decoy, or the boombox. Others can downright hurt you, like total bummer, the randomizer, or the rain cloud. Utility presents like the fudge sundae or money are nice to come across, as well. Every present box will only contain a specific present each time you play, but the boxes randomize each time. You’ll also come across a lot of food and the occasional dollar bill. Appetizing food will heal your health with fudge sundaes and burgers being more effective than watermelon or a candy cane. Unappetizing food will harm you, so stay away from moldy bread or slimy fungus.
The supporting cast of Earthlings are mostly charming… or downright annoying. They start out pretty benign when you’re avoiding the Lil’ Devil or Killer Bees. But things get a lot more heated when the Boogie Man or Nerdherd start chasing you down. The most dangerous enemies are the Phantom Ice Cream Truck and Chickens with Mortars. The truck is fast and relentless, while the chickens are powerful tomato launchers. I did find it weird that they added my wife, child, and I into this game with the Crazed Shopper and Fat Man with Lawnmower. The Wahini can force you to stop and dance, while Cupidus Stupidus can confuse you with love, but you can knock him out of the sky if you have some Icarus Wings. Not all Earthlings are bad, though. The wizard will heal you for a buck, the Wiseman will identify your presents for two bucks, and the Opera Singer will pop all enemies on screen for three bucks.
I think what I like the most about ToeJam & Earl are all the little things that come together to create atmosphere. If enemies are sleeping, you can tiptoe past them by holding Button A, but be careful, because you’ll randomly sneeze, waking them all up. If you’re playing two player, ToeJam & Earl will sometimes talk to each other when they get back on the same screen or have some funny banter when riding the elevator. You can be knocked off the edge of a level and dropped back down to the previous. Sometimes you’ll get stuck on an island and have to drop down further, but more often than not there are hidden land bridges for you to unlock. There’s a hidden level zero, as well, that houses a free life in a lemonade stand and a hot tub with a couple Wahini’s. I remember thinking how cool it was finding this secret when I was a kid. Much like this game. Really cool.
Graphics: 3.5
The graphics are charming, the animations are very nice, and I even like the space background.
Sound: 4.0
The music and sounds are top notch. I’ll jam to the soundtrack any day!
Gameplay: 3.5
Aiming tomatoes is my only real gripe, but that’s down to an 8 direction d-pad.
Difficulty: 3.5
It takes a little long to get through a game, but the difficulty curve is pretty spot on.
Fun Factor: 4.0
Even by yourself this is a great time, but it transcends when you have a friend to explore with.
Overall Rating: 3.7
ToeJam & Earl earns an A-. This is one of my favorite games from my youth and I think it holds up really well 35 years later. Highly recommended!