ToeJam and Earl may be the very definition of the term cult classic. Long before the procedurally generated universe of No Man’s Sky, there were two funky aliens dealing with randomly generated maps on their quest to reassemble their spacecraft and leave the surrealist depiction of Earth. Leaning heavily on bizarre graphics and a funky soundtrack, it makes sense that Adult Swim Games has picked up the next entry of this series as a publisher.
The last 16-bit ToeJam and Earl game came out very nearly 20 years ago (In the distant time of 1994), and, despite the great title (ToeJam and Earl: Panic on Funkotron), the game met with mild reviews and limited success. So, when ToeJam and Earl: Back in the Groove debuted on Kickstarter, it was a bit of a surprise. The Kickstarter was a success, finishing in March of last year and netting a half million for developer Humanature Studios. Today, with a snappy new trailer, Adult Swim Games announced that it will be publishing the game, and you can expect a playable demo at PAX West.
ToeJam and Earl: Back in the Groove promises to take the best bits of both the first and second games and present them to new audiences in a distinctive visual style reminiscent of the 90’s underground comic book scene. So, once again, you’ll be jamming around Earth, avoiding deranged Earth-folk while trying to piece your RapMaster Rocketship with a decidedly classic control scheme. This time, though, the game will offer up to four player co-op, 3D terrain, and elements that persist from playthrough to playthrough, so you don’t always have to start from square one.
In the past, Adult Swim Games has brought us a whole host of weird and wild games, Robot Unicorn Attack, Duck Game, and the recent Headlander, so it looks like the perfect fit for something like this.
ToeJam and Earl: Back in the Groove will be coming to PC and consoles in 2017.
