You can go home again.

That’s the sentiment that silently filled my chest as Chris Gampat and I met with Gameloft representatives at their New York City headquarters. Why? We were given hands-on time with Earthworm Jim HD, Gameloft’s remake/update of Shiny Entertainment’s classic 16-bit platformer.

The demo kicked off with a confirmation that yes, the rumored multiplayer mode that recently made the internet rounds was in fact legit. Three of us each took control of a different colored Earthworm Jim and proceeded to jump over spikes and shoot enemies in one of the included 15 multi-player stages. Similar to New Super Mario Bros. Wii, team work will help solve simple puzzles, but there’s also a competitive component; the game rewards the best overall player at the end of the session with major props.

Despite the new additions, Earthworm Jim HD is Earthworm Jim through and through. This game, much like the original, is a hyper-animated 2D masterpiece; only this time it’s running in glorious HD. The sprites, however, aren’t redrawn–they’ve just been upscaled–according to Gameloft reps. The memorable soundtrack (filled with everything from classical to elevator music) has also been remastered, and it sounded great.

The demo we played wasn’t as aneurysm-inducing as the original title, but there are four difficulty modes (including the hard-as-nails version we played years ago).  Simply put, if you liked Earthworm Jim,  you’ll probably dig Earthworm Jim HD when it becomes available for purchase on June 9th for 800 points.  Check back soon for a full review.