Toe Jam & Earl III: Mission To Earth - Gameplay

Gameplay

The game has been called both a platform game, and an action-adventure game. GameSpot asserts that it combines elements of ToeJam & Earl and its platformer sequel, ToeJam & Earl in Panic on Funkotron, while GameNOW and Electronic Gaming Monthly liken it to the former game. The game features both single- and two-player modes; in both, players control one of the three protagonists. ToeJam moves quickly and jumps high, but has weak attacks; Earl is tougher and has more powerful attacks, but is slow and jumps lower than ToeJam; Latisha ranks between the two in terms of athleticism, and gains additional power-ups later in the game. In the game's two-player mode, the camera moves between single and split-screen as players maneuver their characters away from each other. Characters can share power-ups when in close proximity.

The game's randomly generated levels are connected together by hubs. Additional levels can be downloaded from Xbox Live. Level exploration is based around collecting items: the player searches for the Sacred Albums of Funk, and for keys that grant access to more levels. Enemies include rabbit ninja, a "demented chicken", and "psycho cheerleaders", who the player combats with Funk-Fu and Funk Notes. Funk Notes are projectiles that render enemies "funkified", or harmless; more powerful than Funk-Fu, they require the player to gather ammunition. The player may also find wrapped presents, which contain power-ups such as rocket skates, spring shoes and food; these variously grant greater defensive abilities, access to certain areas, and additional health. Another power-up involves a simple rhythm game, and leaves nearby enemies "funkified" if the player successfully copies on-screen rhythms.