ToeJam & Earl: Back in the Groove - new details on characters, gameplay, mini-games and more

- nine playable characters to choose from, including both new and retro ToeJam and Earl.
- play as Earl’s mom
- each character has a slightly different set of starting stats for speed and health
- search in the bushes for presents and cash
- the wise carrot man will help you identify presents
- a repairman will fix presents that are broken
- ringing telephones reveal new portions of the map
- there are little devils running around and bogeymen leaping out of the bushes
- higher levels will have a bigger variety of Earthlings
- secret doors will take you into one of several rhythm-based minigames
- this includes the Hyperfunk zone, a two-dimensional endless runner that hands out free presents the longer you’re there
- there's also the “beat battle” minigame that uses Guitar Hero-style musical cues in a competitive way

The following comes from Nathan Shorts, lead artist on the project....

“We had a lot of great feedback from players last year at PAX West. People wanted to have a little more control over what they were playing. So we added the ability to make your own beat, which is actually hearkening back to the little jam game in the first game. We wanted people to be able to feel that again, so you can make your own beat and then play it back.”

- to enter a beat battle, players find a Funkotronian lost on Earth and sidle over to their boombox
- when the battle begins, players compose a beat and the Funkotronian tries to match it
- play goes back and forth, beat for beat, until someone wins
- lots of time being put into secrets like the first game had
- there will also be a lavish version of the planet Funkotron waiting at the end of the game
- features random worlds comprising 25 levels
- intro mode for newcomers to the series and a hard mode

“The hard mode has new types of Earthlings that we’re calling ‘Deadly Earthlings’. Remember the Ice Cream Truck? There’s now a Deadly Ice Cream Truck. So, if you’re a glutton for punishment that’s the game type for you.”