Proto:Earthworm Jim 2 (SNES)/Apr 24, 1995 Prototype/Carnival Ride

This is a sub-page of Proto:Earthworm Jim 2 (SNES)/Apr 24, 1995 Prototype.

General Differences

• This level has been significantly reduced from the prototype to the final. Only two out of the seven sections remained in the final: 5A Inflated Head and 5C Hammer Head.
• Two of these sections (5D and 5E) have already been skipped/removed in the prototype.

Background Differences

Prototype	Final

• The Circus of the Scars is overall less detailed; the merry-go-round lacks its bottom, and the moonlight has a more gradual shine. The final also crops part of the left side and does not scroll.
• Since the background does scroll in the prototype, the player can see the colored tiles from the second background after the skull tent scrolls away.

Carnival Ride

• This level was completely cut from the final game. It looks like it was meant to be a "rail cart" segment similar to Donkey Kong Country where the player dodges obstacles while riding in a cart. Coincidentally (both games being released close to each other in the same year), Donkey Kong Country 2 also includes a carnival level with a skull cart.
• There are no enemies nor obstacles. In a preview from Mean Machines Sega magazine, an unused enemy with a fork hangs on a bony structure similar to this skeletal railing.

• The level spawns Jim away from the cart. The player can place Jim on top of a cart by Map View Mode or quickly helicoptering when the level loads.
• When on the cart, Jim can rotate the cart in place and fire his gun, but can't move it around. Jim is also stuck until the player resets.

• It looks like there were meant to be several other rooms Jim can access (possibly to the various games) that could only be explored by taking certain routes with the cart. However, the level lacks warps and return points so their purpose is unknown.

• The roller coaster has three "layers":
  • The bottom layer has one door.
  • The middle layer has two doors.
  • The top layer has no doors. Instead, an arch with a blank sign on top is placed near the end of the track. There's also no platform after this track, so either the level/segment ended here with the camera locked or the cart fell onto the middle layer.
• This stage cannot be completed.

Inflated Head

General Differences

• Despite the Carnival Ride level being removed, this section is still referred to as level 5A in the final.
• The layout is mostly different. A few set pieces from the final are present.
• The section where Evil the Cat tries to ambush from above is placed at the center. In the final, it is set as the second half of the level.
• Evil does not appear from inside the beast statues nor does he fall from above.
• There are no lightbulbs.
• There are no air tanks which allow Jim to become a "balloon", so the stage is only explorable through Map View. It is noted that Jim's balloon sprites has him able to reinflate his head after deflating without the use of a tank by plugging his mouth and pushing air upwards. Presumably, Jim's ability to inflate his head at will was a natural ability in early versions instead of requiring an air tank.

Level Differences

Prototype	Final

• The entrance door is different.

Prototype	Final

• The bottom area is not present although there are some platforms Jim can stand on.

Prototype	Final

• The first platform from the start is placed on the right with the first beast statue placed in level of the platform. In the final, the platform is on the left, and the beast statue is moved upwards so the player has some reaction time.
• The hidden room with the Chip Butty is not present.
• The checkpoint in the final is strange as it is positioned very close to the start. This is possibly an oversight from removing the Carnival Ride section.

Prototype	Final

• The structure to the left is replaced with an air tank. In early previews, Jim floated through this tank-less area.

Prototype	Final

• There's a third platform above the small alcove with four lightbulbs in the prototype. This was replaced with a shortcut.

Prototype	Final

• The large platform before the falling Evil segment in the final is two smaller platforms placed after the segment in the prototype.

Prototype	Final

• The exit to this level was a door instead of a teleporter.
• This stage cannot be completed.

Hammer

• A simple room with an inaccessible platform below. An Ultra Atom appears on that platform if Jim runs to the door and comes back.
• Below the staircase is an invisible upwards staircase which is accessed by going to the bottom platform and carefully jumping over an invisible barrier.

Chicken Head (Hammer Head)

Prototype	Final

• Still referred to as level 5C in the final despite the Hammer level being removed.
• Similar to the hammer and bell stage in the final game, but is unimplemented in this prototype.
• The beast statue where the items come out of its mouth is not present.
• The high striker and the door's positions are mirrored.
• The high striker lacks the glove and lever.
• The room is slightly wider. The minigame is in a lower platform while the door is higher up.
• In both versions, Jim starts out in the middle of the room. A secondary entrance point is available in the final by entering through level select. In this case, Jim starts from the door.

Breakout

• Known as level 5F in the level select; there is no level 5D and 5E.
• This level was completely cut from the final game. It's nothing more than a simple game of Breakout using similar mechanics to the Puppy Love stages. Jim bounces around a puppy breaking blocks to move on to the next stage. Later previews that featured this stage had multi-colored dog bones instead of plain blue bricks.
• Even though there is a counter, it doesn't count up under any circumstances. This was presumably meant to count up when the puppy lands on the floor.
• The music in this stage is "Moonlight Sonata (1st movement)" (which might possibly be in error since the next stage in the list is "Villi People").
• If Jim spawns in the air from Map View Mode and dives, he'll drop to the floor, drop his giant marshmallow, and not move.
• Even though the player can clear all the bricks, the level doesn't end.