Earthworm Jim Wiki
Register
Advertisement
Gfh

"Inflated Head" (Sega Genesis port)

Inflated Head is the sixth level in Earthworm Jim 2.

Description[]

Circus of the Scars[]

Whilst chasing Psy-Crow, Earthworm Jim becomes trapped in the depths of the "Circus of the Scars" (alternatively known as the "Carnival Of Scars"); a twisted and sadistic carnival/amusement park owned by Evil the Cat's cousin, Flagitious.

The main part of this level is a steady vertical ascent through some uneasily narrow passages. Jim must use the various helium air balloon refilling machines to inflate his wormy head. This enables Jim to "float" like a balloon upwards, super suit and all, while avoiding giant exploding light bulbs, and spitballs fired by Flagitious himself which can "pop" Jim's inflated head.

Jim can slow or accelerate his ascent by blowing out or breathing in, and finding more air pumps, to control the speed, lower into secret areas, and help avoid obstacles. As many mealworms as possible should be collected by the player for the later section. Towards the top of the circus, Flagitious will begin to repeatedly teleport himself above Jim, throwing himself into Jim's path, and can be difficult to dodge unless Jim keeps moving.

Hammer Head[]

This last section of the level is entitled "Strength Test", "Hammer Head", and "Hammer and Bell Competition", depending on the port or region of the game.

When Jim successfully gets to the top of the circus, he will deflate his head back to normal and there are no more dangers to face, although Jim will be faced with a machine resembling a High Striker, or fairground "strength test" machine. This can be activated by repeatedly whipping it, or jumping on it, with the latter action getting better results.

Power-ups will begin to pass by overhead, in increasing levels of speed and rarity. The High Striker can be used to punch the items out of the sky as they pass over, and Jim can then collect them, but this requires some very precise timing. Since one mealworm will enable a single strike, the amount of items that can possibly be collected is dependent on how many mealworms Jim has collected during the previous section. When all mealworms are used, Jim will call a taxi out of there.

Manual Description[]

"Circus of the the Scars

"Managing Heck can be a pretty tiring job, even for Evil the Cat. That's why, in the off-season, he changes jobs with his cousin Flagitious and runs the traveling "Circus of the Scars". Wait in the turnstile lane of despair, evade the pea-shooting cat carnies, eat way too much fried food before going on the Tilt-a-Whirl, and hopefully catch Psy-Crow before he gets away again! Show off your strength at the Hammer and Bell Competition. Laugh at the horribly deformed Elephant Man... wait a second! Don't do that! Recognize him as a man, and not an animal! See his inner beauty... hey! Hurry up! Psy-Crow's getting away!"

ProTip: Evil the Cat doesn't have his pilot's license yet and isn't too maneuverable in the air, so try avoiding whatever spot he goes off the screen, 'cause that's where he comes back down."[1]

Gallery[]


Trivia[]

  • Flagitious is the only hostile enemy encountered in this level, although he is a recurring enemy, in a level with a very dangerous environment.
  • The game manuals of Earthworm Jim 2 contradict the in-game information, suggesting that the enemy encountered in the Circus of Scars is actually Evil the Cat himself, and not his cousin Flagitious, who was running Heck in return. With Evil and Flagitious being identical in appearance, it is unclear either way.
  • The PS1 and Saturn versions of this level have the clouds ominously forming Psy-Crow's head alongside the moon.

Music[]

Game music composer Tommy Tallarico based the music of this level on popular musical composition from the end of the 19th century "The Clarinet Polka".


Earthworm_Jim_2_(PS1)_Soundtrack_-_Inflated_Head

Earthworm Jim 2 (PS1) Soundtrack - Inflated Head

References[]

  1. North American Earthworm Jim 2 Nintendo SNES instruction manual
Advertisement