Gaming

Fantastic JRPG Inspired by SNES Classics Re-Releasing After 8 Years

Ports and remasters are a great way for players to get in on a niche but respected title or a cult classic. And while there’s an obvious monetary benefit to re-releasing games, a thoughtful and well-timed re-release can be positioned to garner new fans. Jimmy and the Pulsating Mass is one such game, as this JRPG-inspired throwback is finally get a wider and more content-rich release nearly eight years after its debut on PC.

Videos by ComicBook.com

Although it is retaining the same name without any new moniker or subtitle, Jimmy and the Pulsating Mass is coming to PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch on February 5th. No price was announced, but the currently released PC version is $14.99. It was previously confirmed for consoles in April 2025, but a more firm release date has been withheld until now. Trophies for the game have already come online, too. The list is somewhat notable because the Steam version does not support achievements, making this trophy list the first peek at what players across all non-Nintendo consoles can expect for their platform-specific achievement systems.

Jimmy and the Pulsating Mass Is Heavily Inspired by EarthBound and Other Similar Games

The above trailer coincided with the release date announcement. It gives a fairly concise breakdown of the game but also touches on new content players can expect. This enhanced edition with sport upgraded visuals, more levels, new font, a CRT filter, an expert difficulty mode, additional enemies, and more.

This new content will snake its way back into the PC original at some point down the line, but is unclear when. Kasey Ozymy, the developer of Jimmy and the Pulsating Mass, spoke about this when responding to someone on social media and said that the new features will “definitely” come to the game’s debut version down the line. However, the team is still busy working on the PC and Mac versions of the upgrade, so a more specific date isn’t currently available.

Said PC original came out in August 2018 to decent acclaim. It garnered an average score of 86 on Metacritic and is currently sitting at a “Very Positive” rating on Steam with 500 reviews. Jimmy and the Pulsating Mass was praised for its clever writing, solid turn-based battle system, and striking (and often horror-soaked) pixel art.

These positives more or less make it comparable to indie darling Undertale (and Deltarune), and that’s not an accident. These games pull from the Super Nintendo Entertainment System era of JRPGs that included titles like EarthBound, which is explicitly called out in Jimmy and the Pulsating Mass‘ Steam listing. Final Fantasy 5, the Breath of Fire series, and Yume Nikki are also called out by name.

Jimmy and the Pulsating Mass, like EarthBound, is an RPG with an unconventional premise since it plays out in the dreams of an eight-year-old boy when aliens invade. It is up to little Jimmy to take out the Pulsating Mass, which makes for a physical and mental threat. The youthful protagonist and strange take is what makes it so similar to EarthBound, as well as similar titles that came after like Omori and Undertale.

Ozymy assembled a team and is currently working on Hymn to the Earless God after its successful Kickstarter run that raised $139,349 (its goal was $120,000). This title is also a retro-inspired RPG that takes cues from the Paladin’s Quest (or Lennus, as it was known in Japan) series that came out during the SNES era. It was also a niche franchise that’s not often spoke about in the modern day, and its sequel was never officially released outside of Japan.


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