In 2009, Gameloft developed and released a remake for mobile phones and Nintendo DSi which was later ported to PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 as Earthworm Jim HD.

The game incorporates a large variety of villains in the boss battles, including Hickboy, Psy-Crow, Queen Slug-for-a-Butt, Evil the Cat, Bob the Killer Goldfish, Major Mucus, and Professor Monkey-for-a-Head-exclusive Robotic Chicken.

Two villains made their only appearance in this game: Chuck, a junkyard man with a tendency to vomit bizarre objects; and Doc Duodenum, a crazed organ of a giant alien.

The player must direct Jim on his rocket, in a race against Psy-Crow, through a tube-like structure while collecting items and boosts and avoiding asteroids.

[12] Playmates Toys, finding success with the license for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, wanted to start their own franchise.

[12] Inspired by the success of the Sonic the Hedgehog series with its first and second installments, they decided that they wanted to start the franchise as a video game, a rare approach at the time.

[12] From there, the game's design actually started with Douglas TenNapel's simple sketch of an earthworm that he presented to Shiny Entertainment.

[13] Impressed, programmer David Perry and the rest of Shiny bought the rights to Earthworm Jim from TenNapel and started developing the game.

[14] The game was developed simultaneously for the Genesis and Super NES using a "custom heterogeneous programming language" created by Shiny Entertainment.

For instance, "Princess What's-Her-Name" was a parody of how numerous video games had throw-away female characters that needed to be saved.

[16] The game was released in Japan physically only on Super Famicom on June 23, 1995, published by Takara,[17] while the Japanese Mega Drive version was available exclusively via the Sega Channel service on December 1, 1995.

[12] These versions were also the only ones to contain alternate endings when winning on the "Easy" or "Difficult" modes, in which a narrator (Doug TenNapel) rambles on about many (false) facts on worms or congratulates the player in a similar absurd manner respectively.

[12] Another special edition of the game was released exclusively through the Sega Channel for a contest dubbed The Great Earthworm Jim Race.

Despite the extra power of the Game Boy Advance, this version still ran very poorly, with bad animation, and missing details, and was widely criticized.

The remake was made entirely from scratch, without using the original game's code, and featured overhauled and smoothed graphics, a remixed soundtrack, a re-recorded voice of Jim, and touchscreen controls.

[citation needed] The Gameloft remake was also later released digitally on Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network as "Earthworm Jim HD".

[11][52][54] GamePro argued that the game has "the most innovative gameplay since Sonic first raced onto the Genesis", backing up the point by noting "In the first level, New Junk City, Jim leaps off old tires, climbs strange crevices and cliffs, swings from chains, and creeps through a maze of garbage - and that's the most traditional level in the game!

"[52] Electronic Gaming Monthly gave rave reviews for both the Genesis and Super NES versions, praising animations, long levels, and a warped sense of humor.

Obtaining a moderate difficulty level and establishing itself with stylish humor, Earthworm Jim was a financial and critical success for Interplay and Shiny Entertainment.

GamePro and Electronic Gaming Monthly remarked that whereas most Sega CD ports simply add enhanced music, Earthworm Jim included many worthwhile additions such as new animations, new levels, and the new homing missile weapon.

[39] GamePro also felt the two-button control to be a serious problem, but concluded the Game Gear version to be "Overall ... fine for fans who want to take their EWJ show on the road.

[41] Computer Game Review remarked, "If you found Pitfall, The Mayan Adventure entertaining, you'll want to check this one out.

[58] Next Generation reviewed the Sega CD version of Earthworm Jim: Special Edition, and stated that "While a prepackaged, presold character, who's as cynically calculated for hip success as Earthworm Jim does rub us the wrong way, we admit there was a cracking good game to back him up, and this new CD version is even better.

IGN and GameSpot both said the surreal art style and animation stood the test of time, but felt some gameplay aspects and controls were dated in comparison to modern platformers.

They felt that the game's free-form shooting and platforming kept it fresh and relevant and called it "a jolly side-scrolling adventure".

An enhanced remake, Earthworm Jim PSP, by Atari was planned for a 2007 release for the PlayStation Portable, but was ultimately cancelled.