ToeJam & Earl is an action game. It was developed by Johnson Voorsanger Productions. The game was published by Sega for its Sega Genesis on October 15, 1991 in North America. The game was rereleased a few times over the years. First on December 8, 2006 for the Wii's Virtual Console. On November 7, 2012 the game was released for the Xbox 360 via Xbox Live Arcade and Playstation 3 via the Playstation Network. Finally on December 16, 2021, the game was also released on the Nintendo Classics service. This is the first game in the franchise, the first appearance of the two titular characters. The game has spawned multiple sequels and in 2022 a movie adaptation was announced.
I never owned this game, but I did rent it growing up. I loved the split-screen aspect, two players could explore two entirely different levels, and it was ahead of its time.
ToeJam & Earl Gameplay and How It Works
ToeJam & Earl is a roguelike exploration game where you descend through a stack of 25 randomly generated floating islands to recover the ten scattered pieces of your crashed Rapmaster Rocketship. Each level, you hunt for ship parts and the elevator that drops you to the next island while dodging Earth's bizarre inhabitants, pelting them with tomatoes and other thrown items rather than fighting them head-on. The constant risk-reward comes from the presents scattered everywhere, since you never know if the one you open holds rocket skates, a helpful power-up, or something that backfires, all wrapped in the game's funk soundtrack and goofy humor.
This game is so funky you just can't help but dance.
ToeJam & Earl Story and Ending Explained
Earl's bad piloting sends the ship into an asteroid and crash-lands the two titular aliens on Earth. To get back to their home planet, Funkotron, they have to scour the planet for the ten pieces of their wrecked spaceship, scattered and hidden across the levels. The game map tells you whether a piece is on your current level, but not where, so finding each one means exploring the island until it turns up. Ship pieces sit on a raised pedestal marked by a sign of arrows pointing down at them, so once you're on the right level you'll spot the piece when it comes into frame. Once the pieces of the ship are found, the two blast off back to their home planet.
ToeJam & Earl Achievements
- Word Up! Back To Outer Space! - Cleared a Random World.
- Smell Ya Later, Earth! - Cleared the Fixed World.
- The Long Road To Funkiness - Obtained a rank of FUNK LORD.
- The Mailbox Ate My Mail - Defeated a Demon Mailbox.
- Fallen Angel - Defeated a Cupid.
- Wh-wh-what Time Is It!? - Woke up from a nap.
- This Earth Food Isn't Half Bad! - Ate all of Earth's delicacies.
- It's All About The Kicks - Dashed with the Super Hitops.
- We're Unstoppable - Flew across water using the Rocket Skates.
- Up, Up, And Away - Flew using the Icarus Wings.
- Even Adults Like Presents - Snagged some goodies from Santa.
- Lovin' This Earth Lifestyle - Jumped in the bath on Floor 0.
- Peace Returns To Our Home - Cleared the game.
- Inner Child - Cleared "Lil' Kid Mode".
- Take Back The Skies - Defeated a duck on a flying carpet.
- I'll Just Go On Ahead - Found a Warp Room.
- Clean Better, Faster, Easier! - Sucked up 4 or more things at once with the Funk Vacuum.
- FeeLiN' KRaZy! - Went into Panic Mode.
- The Jingle Of Change - Used some Coins.
- Shake, Rattle, and Fall! - Shook 5 presents out of a single tree.
- Sorry, I Just Can't Help Myself! - Had a laughing fit.
- Treasures Just Out Of Sight - Used the Funk Scan.
- Can't Hide From Me! - Found an Earthling hidden in a plant.
- A Big Wet Kiss - Gave a blowfish an underwater kiss.
ToeJam & Earl FAQs
Is ToeJam & Earl a roguelike?
Yes. ToeJam & Earl was heavily influenced by the 1980 game Rogue and pulls its core ideas from it, randomly generated levels and randomized items, which is why it's often cited as one of the earliest console roguelikes. You explore a different layout every time in random mode, and a bad run can end fast when the Earthlings swarm you.
How many levels are in ToeJam & Earl?
There are 25 levels, stacked as floating islands you descend through one at a time. You reach the next level by finding the elevator hidden somewhere on the current island.
How do you beat ToeJam & Earl?
You beat the game by collecting all ten pieces of the Rapmaster Rocketship, which are scattered across the 25 levels and sit on marked pedestals. Once you have all ten, the ship reassembles and ToeJam and Earl fly home to Funkotron.
What planet are ToeJam and Earl from?
ToeJam and Earl are alien rappers from the planet Funkotron. They crash-land on Earth after Earl's driving sends the ship into an asteroid, and getting the ship pieces is how they get back home.
What do the presents do in ToeJam & Earl?
Presents are scattered across every level and stay unidentified until you open one, so each is a gamble. They range from helpful items like rocket skates and extra lives to ones that backfire, and once you identify a type, every future present of that type is labeled.
Can you play ToeJam & Earl with two players?
Yes. ToeJam & Earl has two-player co-op, and its split-screen is unusual for the era, since both players can wander onto entirely separate parts of a level and the screen splits to follow each one independently.
What platforms can you play ToeJam & Earl on?
ToeJam & Earl launched on the Sega Genesis in 1991 and was later re-released on the Wii Virtual Console, Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network, and Nintendo Switch Online's Genesis library.
Who made ToeJam & Earl?
ToeJam & Earl was developed by Johnson Voorsanger Productions, the studio of Greg Johnson and Mark Voorsanger, and published by Sega. Johnson has said the idea came from a dream, and the game was built in a little over a year.
