The retro gaming "mad scientist" BillyTime!Games has released his latest Mega Drive / Genesis ROM hack and this time he is focusing on giving an exciting overhaul to the beloved action "roguelike" classic Toejam & Earl.
Originally released in 1991, Toejam & Earl sees up to two players taking control of a pair of alien rappers who have crashlanded on a bunch of floating islands representing Earth.
Players have to travel from one island to the next via special elevators, with the ultimate goal of the game being to collect all the pieces of wreckage from their ship and make their escape. This will involve avoiding a bunch of bizarre enemies, like possessed mailboxes, angry hamsters, and ice cream trucks, as well as occasionally picking up power-ups hidden inside wrapped presents to unlock helpful abilities.
BillyTime!Games' hack of the game, which he is calling Toejam and Earl – Funkotronic Remix, is essentially that same formula you know and love, but with some noticeable gameplay tweaks here and there as well as a wealth of new cheats to provide more options to tailor your experience.
The hack, for instance, changes the title so that Earl now begins the game with fewer presents in his inventory, adds the option to randomize the starting items, and increases the duration of items to last 3 times longer than they did in the original. You can also now skip the flying ship at the beginning of the Sega Logo for a faster startup, and the Santa enemy who drops presents is now far easier to sneak up on.
In addition to this, there are also various cheats for you to unlock. These include the ability to randomize all enemies across all floors (even the ones you've already visited), identify all items from the start without having to use them first, and access specific items at any time.
You can grab the patch yourself by heading over to the ROM Hack Plaza.