New Junk City

Jim in New Junk City, cow traffic warning signs included (Nintendo SNES version)

New Junk City is the first level of the original 1994 Earthworm Jim video game, its various ports, the 1995 Special Edition of the game, and the 2010 HD remake.

Description

New Junk City is a city or planet filled with junk and trash, as its name implies. It is a parody of both pollution and New York City. It is where Billy the Bin, flocks of crows, and Chuck and Fifi reside. In the very beginning, you launch a cow, possibly the same one that lands on Princess What's-Her-Name at the end of the game.

Chuck is the owner and main/final boss of this world-wide junkyard. It is especially plentiful in worm-hungry crows, mountains of tires, Moose Heads, toilets, conveyor belts, tubas, trombones, televisions, gears, scrap metal, broken glass shards, wooden spikes, stones, chains, refrigerators, goldfish bowls, shrapnel, zip lines, faucets, cow bells, wooden crates and anvils.

Game manual description

"Menacing crows, giant mutant garbage cans, the junkyard's owner Chuck and Fifi want to welcome Jim to the junkyard in their own special way - by trying to kill him. 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!"

Other appearances

Jim swinging away from Fifi on a Moose Head's antlers (Earthworm Jim HD)

For the 1995 Special Edition version of the game, New Junk City was featured once again as the opening level, including with improved sound, graphics and background art. There are added features, such as wrecked yellow school buses. It also includes a new area, "New Junk City Part 2", where Jim loses his Super Suit and is forced to transverse a new area of New Junk City with only his wormy head.

In the 2010 HD remake of the original game, New Junk City was re-rendered in high definition along with the rest of the game, and retains the "Part 2" from the Special Edition. The online multiplayer mode of Earthworm Jim HD also includes new and unique levels, some of which use New Junk City as their template, such as The Junks Are Back in Town!.

Gallery

About to launch a cow (Sega MegaDrive version)

The mini-boss, Billy the Bin

The owner of the junkyard, Chuck

Level map

Trivia

New Junk City - Earthworm Jim Special Edition Music Extended

Tommy Tallarico's remix of Mark Miller's music for the level from the Sega CD edition

• Mark Miller's music for this level is also used for the music on the main game screen. The sequel had its own music for its title screen.
• The name of the level could be a pun on New York City, or the film New Jack City.
• New Junk City is said to be Earthworm Jim's hometown according the manuals of the game. It is also implied that New Junk City is Jim's hometown in the comic book mini-series. It is also directly stated in the cartoon-like opening prologue of Earthworm Jim HD, which makes it clear that New Junk City is also where the super suit first fell from space, and Jim first got into it. (In the animated television series, Jim's hometown is said to be Terlawk.)
• Before it was cancelled in 2006, Earthworm Jim PSP was going to feature New Junk City again, as seen in the promotional material. It would also have included a rebuilt and much more intimidating Billy the Bin.
• An early concept art of this level shows that New Junk City was going to take place in a beach rather than a canyon. The main enemies were also supposed to be seagulls rather than crows. The same concept art also shows Psy-Crow's ship was also originally going to appear in the level turning trash into enemies as well Earthworm Jim hiding under cars from enemies.
  • Also in the same concept art, Chuck (the level's main boss) was going to have a pet spider attacking Jim as well as having Fifi helping him to attack Jim too.
• This level was coded by David Perry for the Sega Genesis version and converted by Nick Jones for the Super Nintendo version.