Jim Power: More Barftastic Action from the Lost Dimension of 3-D
Although there were a lot of platformers for the Super Nintendo, none of them gave players as much motion sickness as Jim Power’s The Lost Dimension in. Although it’s not the best way to announce the re-release, this is the only way. Back in 1993, JimPower made many kids feel nauseated. The player-created the game’s unusual visuals wearing 3-D glasses, as the title suggests. This makes the background layers pop to different degrees. The game uses the Pulfrich effect, which requires motion to activate to make graphics look normal. JimPower is a bit awkward to view even without glasses. The 3-D effect disappears when you stop firing at enemies.
Following up on the Steam release of this game a few decades back, PIKO Interactive and QUByte Interactive have now re-released JimPower for the Switch and PS4 with physical editions from Strictly Limited. Many editions, including cartridges for retro consoles, are available as a limited physical release. But even putting aside all that stuff, this is a pretty cool archival release — it includes not just the original SNES game, but a remade NES version and the previously-unreleased Sega Genesis version of the game (until February of this year, when it and the NES version were added to the Steam listing). You can also use the standard visual filters to simulate playing on a CRT TV.
It is not clear if there will be an option to disable the nausea-inducing scrolling effects or reduce them. Although Steam claims that the product has been disabled in the Steam version, I cannot find any mention of the Switch or PS4 versions. The Special Edition only comes with 3-D glasses. However, they are the blue-red anaglyphic version and not the single darkened one that came with the original game. There’s an easy solution for anyone who orders the game’s standard edition or buys it digitally. Just get cheap sunglasses and take one of the lenses with you.
All of this being said, why would anyone want to play Jim Power. It’s a neat little project that is very different from the platformers made in Japan and America in the 90s. The game offers a variety of gameplay options, including side-scrolling run and gun levels, top-down stages such as those in Contra3, space shooter sections, and more. Chris Huelsbeck is the composer of the Turricangames’ incredible soundtrack. Jim Power is an unusual bird. It’s not one of the best SNES action titles. But it’s still something special. The Genesis version, as well as a specially-recreated 8-bit NES version, are nice touches.
Preorders for Jim Power in 3-D start Sunday, May 29, at Strictly Limited. The digital version of the game will be available for purchase on June 2 at $9.99. This is a reasonable price for three versions of the title. The standard version of the physical game has a manual, so I may have to grab that.
