Retro Lookback: Toejam & Earl in Panic on Funkatron

Developer: Johnson Voorsanger Productions
Publisher: Sega
Platform: Mega Drive/Genesis, Wii (Virtual Console)
Release Dates (US): 1993 (Mega Drive/Genesis), June 4, 2007 (Wii)
Genre: Platformer

Toejam & Earl in Panic on Funkatron is the sequel to the original Toejam & Earl, but it is a radical departure from the first game. Does this make it better?

The story is a direct continuation of the first game. After Toejam and Earl fix their ship, they fly away from Earth and return home to Funkatron. However, they also dragged home Earthlings without their knowledge. Because of this, the Funkapotamous has gone into hiding and the Funk is fading away from the planet. Toejam & Earl must nab all the Earthlings and send them back to Earth in order to clear their names and save the planet.

The gameplay is completely different from the first game. Whereas the first game was a free roaming exploring game, Panic on Funkatron is a 2D Platformer. Because of this, there is less to explore and is more direct and linear. The main goal is to use the Jars to capture the Earthlings. Each Earthling takes different amounts of Jars to become trapped and are easier or harder to trap and do different amounts of damage with different attacks. Once the Earthling is in a Jar, you have to go and pick it up before the Earthling breaks out again. In order to complete each level, you must capture all of the Earthlings and make it to the end of the level. In order to help, there is an arrow that points to the closest Earthling, and once all are collected, it prompts you and points you towards the end of the level. There are also some Underwater section which are used to travel to other parts of the level. You have to avoid drowning by finding fish to replenish your oxygen, and also some bonus presents can be found. If you drown, it is an instant death, which is kinda harsh. Throughout the levels you collect presents which contain either Points to add to your score, Coins to use in Coin Slots, Funk Power to use, and a fe w Power Ups. Interacting with the environment is key, you find several presents with extra goodies and some Earthlings. Coins are used at Coin Slots which do various different things to the environment. Buttons act the same as Coin Slots, except don't cost anything. Funk Power is used to do a short teleport maneuver or to use the Funk Scan to see hidden secrets and items, each use of the Teleport or Funk Scan costs 1 Funk Power, and once it is depleted neither can be used. Mega Jars are sometimes in presents, this power up supercharges you jars for a finite number to capture any Earthling with one jar. Two special moves can be collected from Presents as well. The Panic move makes you invulnerable and you constantly throw jars for a short period, but the downside is that you constantly run for the duration. The Funk Vac is a sort of a power item, it sucks in all Earthlings present on screen and captures them in jars. Handy for when you are overwhelmed, but just make sure to pick up the jars afterwards! Both special moves are harder to come by, so use them wisely. There are a few bonus mini-games to play as well. The Hyperfunk Zone is a bonus area that is hidden throughout the levels. A door will appear for a short while and you jump into it before it vanishes. The Hyperfunk Zone is a place to get lots OD presents. What you do is that you automatically travel right, and you have to collect the presents and clocks to reach the end of the Zone and avoid the barriers and exit portals. This is a good place to stock up on inventory and earn points. The second mini-game is a dancing game. Throughout the levels you will find coin slots next to NPC with a boombox. You insert a coin and you initiate the mini-game. It is sorta a slim version of Parappa the Rapper. The NPC performs a set of moves in a rhythm and you must repeat as close as possible. You are graded on a gradual scale for each section. If it is Lame, you get no bonus, if it is Awesome, you get bonus items or points. The more awesome, the more you earn. The third mini-game is where you jump on certain fungus patches for points. You do flips in the air, and the judges score after a few jumps. If your score is high enough, you get bonuses. There is also a second objective on top of capturing the Earthlings. The Funkapotamous has special items hidden throughout the levels, and if you collect enough, you can coax the Funkapotamous out of hiding. You can complete the game with or without the required number of items, but you get the good or bad ending respectively. The game can be played in Single Player or 2 Player Co-op play. You can do a few things in 2 Players that a Single player cannot. If you both have uneven healths, you can high-five each other to split your health. Example, one has 90% health and the other has 10% health, a high-five will bring both to 50%. Also, when both players are traveling by bubbles or on high platforms, if one player falls off the screen, the player can press start and return to the other player. Either player can participate in the mini-games, but only one can at a time. There are two modes of play, the regular mode starts you off with 3 lives to share and you earn extra lives with certain point totals. If you lose all the lives, you can continue or quit, you have 3 continues to use. The other mode is Kid mode, where you have infinite health, but the game stops after level 5. Kid mode is sort of like practice for the regular mode.

The Graphics are bright and colorful, with different types of environments to play in. The Music is fitting as well, with funky grooves. Both the graphics and the music fit the game well.

Bottom Line: Toejam & Earl in Panic on Funkatron is very different from the first game, but it is still just as fun. The Platforming gameplay works nice, but the style of the first game feels more right. Panic on Funkatron is an entertaining experience, especially with a second player. I say it's worth a play.