Twenty-eight years after the game ToeJam & Earl made its way to Sega Genesis, the two least-scary aliens of the '90s came back to planet Earth in a big way in 2019. Unfortunately, a lot of would-be players completely overlooked these two popular game characters' return, proving humans truly are as dense as the ones ToeJam and Earl encounter in this game series.

ToeJam & Earl: Back in the Groove isn't exactly struggling, but it’s certainly not out there topping the charts, either. For what it’s worth, it's a great game that’s worth at least a playthrough or ten.

It’s a long-anticipated sequel of sorts. But in many ways, it’s also a throwback to the original — a sort of a remake, if you will.

A ToeJam And Earl Timeline

The series as a whole has had its ups and downs. While the first game was fun, it was still an early Sega game, which means it had its own limitations in terms of replayability, gameplay mechanics and so on. And, in the game itself, swarms of bees and aggressive tornados that appeared frequently, making the game rather frustrating at times. Still, many people (including the team here at TheGamer) consider it one of the Sega Genesis' best games ever.

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Still, the game accumulated a fanbase of people who loved these weird alien characters whose spaceship crashed on Earth. There was ToeJam, a skinny alien Flava Flav knockoff. And then there was Earl, the original thicc boi who was slower and grosser than his three-sneakerhead homie.

In 1993, the aliens would appear on their home planet in the game's second installment, ToeJam & Earl in Panic on Funkotron. In this game, the creators sought to create a side-scroller, but one that kept the dynamics of present-hunting while adding in a new approach to gameplay. While generally well-received, it traded the “fish out of water” aliens-on-Earth concept that made the first game so delightful and turned it into something that was, in many ways, “safer.”

After a series of delays due to the Sega Saturn console's poor performance, ToeJam & Earl III: Mission to Earth made its way to Xbox in 2002. That game featured a return to Earth, where the aliens sought to recover the “Sacred Albums of Funk.” While players appeared to have enjoyed the game, reviews were overall mixed.

Getting Back in the Groove

In 2015, HumaNature Studios announced there was a new ToeJam & Earl game in the works. Fans were excited. Via Kickstarter, backers contributed more than half a million dollars to ToeJam & Earl: Back in the Groove. HumaNature originally scheduled the game for release in 2016. Adult Swim Games signed on to publish the title but later stepped down as the game's publisher.

Unfortunately, the game faced a number of development delays, and HumaNature eventually pushed the to 2019. At some point, former child star-turned-media company owner Macaulay Culkin got involved, enlisting support via the gaming offshoot his media brand, Bunny Ears. He’s credited as an executive producer on the final product, and has even posted on Reddit that ToeJam & Earl is his favorite game. Celebrities: They’re just like us!

Marketing dollars can only go so far for a video game, and, even with the momentum of the "Home Alone kid" (or, the most prominent member of a pizza-themed Velvet Underground cover band, depending on your universe of knowledge), it didn’t quite gain the steam it needed to turn heads. In fact, the game had been out for several weeks before I even realized it was released, despite my high level of anticipation for the game.

Wake Up, Everyone!

So, what makes it the most slept-on game of the year?

For starters, it’s really, really fun. The new version is, in many ways, a throwback to the original (hence, the title Back in the Groove). It's rooted in the level-based map concept but offers a number of different difficulty levels and offers unique incentives to play the game over and over again.

There are tons of different present types, and the game also introduces new playable characters. These characters have different skill levels and special abilities.

via: HumaNature Studios / Nintendo

It brings back the split-screen two-player mode fans loved, and there are even several perks players can only unlock by playing the game with friends.

via: HumaNature Studios / Nintendo

Perhaps most notably, it got rid of those pesky bees — something that the game even calls out as its own inside joke.

via: HumaNature Studios

But overall, it feels a lot like the original. Players can still find money, fall of ledges and have presents identified by a man in the carrot suit. They can still open items like rocket skates, innertubes, rain clouds, total bummers (which cause an inescapable death) and Icarus wings. The music is also great, to the point that many consider it to be a rhythm game.

via: HumaNature Studios

It may not be a Game of the Year contender, but it deserves recognition for what it brings to the table. It’s an extremely entertaining take on the classic game, modernized for a new generation of players. The music, the voice acting, the animation and the gameplay make it a special experience in this era of copycat titles.

A lot of people slept on this game. But, like a ToeJam that has just fallen asleep while reading a school book, it's time to “Wake up!”

via: HumaNature Studios

Toejam & Earl: Back in the Groove is available on Steam, Xbox, PS4 and Nintendo Switch.

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