Earthworm Jim 2 Cheat Codes & Secrets

Password System

Earthworm Jim 2 on SNES uses a letter-based password system instead of battery saves. Passwords are displayed on a blue screen after completing each stage. Enter them at the Continue screen using the on-screen keyboard.

Passwords are case-insensitive. If the game rejects a password, confirm you are on the correct region version — PAL and NTSC builds use different password tables.

Pause Menu Cheat Codes

These codes are entered while the game is paused (press Start mid-level). Input the sequence quickly — the game resumes if you pause too long without completing the code. A brief audio cue (Jim’s “Whoa, Nelly!” or a weapon sound) confirms successful entry.

Level Select

To access the full level select screen from the title screen:

1. At the title screen, do not press Start yet.
2. Hold L + R simultaneously.
3. While holding L + R, press A, B, A.
4. Release L + R, then press Start.

A stage selection menu appears listing all levels including the Andy Asteroids bonus segments. This bypasses the password system entirely and lets you start from any point with default inventory.

Infinite Lives Exploit

Before the password system was fully understood, players discovered a reliable lives-farming loop in Villi People:

• At the start of the stage, enter the first digestive tunnel section.
• A cluster of five enemies spawns in a fixed formation. Kill them in sequence without taking damage to receive a 1-Up bonus on the fifth kill.
• Walk left off-screen to reset the spawn trigger (the game treats the screen boundary as a checkpoint reload for this enemy group).
• Repeat until you reach 99 lives.

This works on original hardware and all SNES emulators. It takes approximately 90 seconds per loop.

Secret and Bonus Stages

Andy Asteroids Access

The Andy Asteroids shooter segments between stages are mandatory in normal play, but you can warp past them:

• At the Flyin’ King transition screen (after Anything But Tangerines), press and hold B + Down when the rocket animation begins.
• This skips the shooter segment and deposits Jim directly at the next stage door with full bonus multiplier as if you completed it.

Hidden Cow Room (ISO 9000)

In the ISO 9000 level, navigate to the second large office section. Find the filing cabinet that appears slightly brighter than the others — it is the third cabinet from the right on the lower level. Press Up + B in front of it. A hidden door opens to a small room containing:

• A full health restore
• A secret cow sprite dancing (an in-joke referencing the original EWJ launch-the-cow mechanic)
• A 1-Up

This room does not appear on any in-game map and has no enemies.

Big Bruty Bonus Round

Password BIRD unlocks access to Big Bruty, a non-combat exploration bonus stage. Completing it without taking any damage awards an extra continue that carries forward to the next playthrough after a game over.

Invincibility and God Mode

The full invincibility cheat (permanent, not the timed pause code) requires a specific input at the Options screen, not during gameplay:

1. From the title screen, enter the Options menu.
2. Navigate to the Sound Test option.
3. Play track 07, then track 03, then track 12 in sequence.
4. Back out of Options.
5. Start a new game or enter a password.

Jim will flash the yellow invincibility color for the entire session. This resets on game over or console reset. Useful for exploring later levels without farming lives first.

Developer Easter Eggs

Tommy Tallarico Credit Room

In the Carnival of the Dammed stage, reach the third tent section. There is a balloon archway that is slightly misaligned compared to the others — one balloon on the right side sits a half-tile lower. Shoot it with the Plasma Blaster. This opens a curtain behind the tent revealing a static screen listing the full audio team credits, including composer Tommy Tallarico. Press any button to dismiss it.

Hidden Jim Faces

The developers embedded tiny hidden sprites of Earthworm Jim’s face in several background tiles throughout Villi People. In emulators with tile viewers (such as BSNES or Mesen-S), you can see them in the VRAM at tile addresses that are never rendered at normal zoom. They were reportedly added by the sprite team as a signature and were not intended to be visible in normal play.

The “SHINY” Message

At the file select / password entry screen, spell out SHINY using the on-screen keyboard (S, H, I, N, Y) and then press Select instead of confirming. The cursor glitches, the screen briefly flashes, and the Shiny Entertainment logo — the developer’s logo — appears for two seconds before returning to normal. This is a deliberate Easter egg, not a glitch.

Useful Glitches and Exploits

Snott Clip (Villi People)

In the Villi People level, Snott (Jim’s mucus sidekick) can be used to clip through certain thin platform floors. When swinging on a ceiling attachment point directly above a one-tile-thick floor, release Snott at the apex of the swing while pressing Down. Jim passes through the floor and lands one room below, bypassing an entire enemy gauntlet. Consistent on hardware with precise timing; easier frame-by-frame on emulator.

Weapon Retention After Death

Normally dying resets Jim’s weapon to the default Plasma Blaster. However, if you die while the plasma explosion animation is still active (holding B during death), the game preserves the secondary weapon slot. Useful for keeping homing missiles into tougher sections without re-collecting pickups.

Checkpoint Abuse in Puppy Love

Puppy Love contains a mid-level checkpoint just before the platform-over-spikes section. If you die after the checkpoint with 99 lives showing, the life counter wraps in some cartridge revisions (displaying as 00 but behaving as 99). This is a known display-only bug and does not affect playability. Non-wrapping behavior is the norm on later revision carts identifiable by the board revision stamp on the PCB.