Toe Jam & Earl in Panic On Funkotron - Overview

Overview

The plot of the game follows on from that of its predecessor, which followed the adventures of alien protagonists ToeJam and Earl after they crash landed on Earth. After escaping to their home planet of Funkotron, the characters discover that antagonistic Earthlings have stowed-away on the duo's spacecraft. A sub-plot involves ToeJam and Earl's attempt to lure Lamont the Funkapotamus back from the Funk Dimension, where he is hiding from the invading Earthlings. ToeJam, a "three-legged red alien", wears a gold medallion and backwards baseball cap while Earl, a "fat orange alien", dresses in high-tops and oversized sunglasses, both outfits being "over-the-top appropriation" of 1990s urban culture.

ToeJam & Earl in Panic on Funkotron is a side-scrolling platform game, in which ToeJam and Earl must hunt down Earthling antagonists, which include a "pneumatic-drill-crazed construction worker, a camera-wielding tourist, our old friends the bogymen, pea-shooter armed kids and a rather rotund woman with ankle-snapping poodles." Capturing Earthlings involves rummaging for them in bushes and trees, before pelting the antagonist with "jars" which imprison them. The player completes a level by catching all the at large Earthlings and sending them back to Earth via spacecraft. There are ten secret objects to be found, belonging to Lamont the Funkopotamus, "the source of all funk in the universe".

The player can use points, earned by capturing Earthlings, to buy power-ups such as the "Funk Scan" or "Funk Move". The former is a "radar view", which "applies a warped, colorful filter over the screen, revealing hidden power ups". The "Funk Move" allows the protagonists to teleport, thus dodging enemies or passing through walls. Bonus minigames can also be found throughout the game. "Jam Out" involves repetition of a rhythm in an effort to score points. The "Hyper Funk Zone" sees the characters propelled forward in search of bonus points, while "Fungus Olympics" is "not unlike synchronized swimming".