The Flyin' King

The beginning of The Flyin' King (Sega Genesis port)

The Flyin' King is the fourth level in Earthworm Jim 2.

The Flyin' King is unique, differing from the standard "platformer" layout of the other levels, instead becoming more of a scrolling, isometric shooter.

Earthworm Jim spends this level flying high above different landscapes on his Pocket Rocket. Jim can move the Pocket Rocket, reverse its direction, and fire plasma from it.

Description

The level begins over pleasant blue ocean, coastal chalk cliffs and sea grottoes. Later, both the land and sea are entirely covered in green slime, before reaching Major Mucus at the end, who is situated on a pillar above a massive abyss.

There are a large number of hostiles in this level, which come from both the air and from ground level. Jim must avoid cannonballs fired from below by pirate ships; sumo wrestlers launched from catapults at ground level; and globs of snot flung by the also airborne Snott U.F.O.s.

The aim of this level is to guide the hot air balloon/blimp with the attached explosives from the beginning to the end of the level, without the balloon exploding. Jim moves the balloon by bouncing it (which isn't dangerous in and of itself), but it will explode if it takes too much damage from either Jim's Pocket Rocket, or from hostiles. If the balloon explodes, Jim will have to return to the beginning of the level for a new balloon.

The "express lane" power-ups give the Pocket Rocket large bursts of speed, and fortunately also work for the balloon if it comes into contact with one.

At the end of this level, Major Mucus is defeated by blowing up the balloon near him, collapsing the pillar he is standing on, and causing him to fall into the abyss below.

Manual Description

"The Flyin' King & Peter Pain

"Jim, on his trusty pocket rocket, flies over the lochs and castles in search of his Princess. Psy-Crow has warned the mayor, Major Mucus, of Jim's arrival. Jim has to get through the planet's defenses and dethrone the Major so that he can continue after his beloved princess. From homing missiles, cannon balls, and flying sumo/Roman centurions, Jim has to evade them or shoot them out of the sky in order to stay alive. Guide the blimp to its destination and drop the bomb. It ain't easy bein' in love..."

ProTip: Use the Express Lane on the bottom of the screen to get additional bombs from the level starting area to destroy Major Mucus."

Gallery

Jim start of The Flyin' King (Sega Genesis version)

The start of The Flyin' King (PS port)

A pirate ship firing cannonballs at Jim and the balloon (PS port)

Catapults firing sumo wrestlers at Jim (PS port)

As Jim enters slime territory, a Snott U.F.O. attacks (PS port)

Dodging airborne snot tsunamis (PS port)

Jim confronting Major Mucus at the end of The Flyin' King (DOS version)

Blowing up the balloon (PS port)

Trivia

• It unclear whether this level takes place on Major Mucus' homeworld, the Phlegm Planet seen before in the level Snot a Problem in the first game, or a different world which Major Mucus is in the process of taking over.
• This level contains one of the few instances of Jim utilizing the Pocket Rocket for offensive purposes. Another example of this is in Earthworm Jim: Menace 2 the Galaxy.
• Jim's Pocket Rocket has infinite ammo, but he should be careful not to shoot the bomb before he reaches Major Mucus. If he detonates it too soon, he'll have to go back to the beginning of the level for a new one.

Music

Earthworm Jim 2 (PS1) Soundtrack - The Flying King & Level Ate

• Game music composer Tommy Tallarico used an upbeat, Caribbean calypso-style theme for the music to this level.
• The music to this level is based on "Cuban Pete", a famous 1930s mambo song popularized by Desi Arnaz, and many decades later by Jim Carrey in the 1994 film The Mask.
• The same music also appears in the later level Level Ate.