Worms W.M.D. PC Game Review
Summary: What's more dangerous than a worm? A worm in an armoured mech!
4.3
Mechanised Worms?
First there was Scorched Earth… free to play, simple and silly. Then Team 17 took that idea and swapped tanks to worms and added “character”… but the core game was the same. Over the years those worms have gone through some changes, from 2D to 3D and the ever changing (or more accurately expanding) arsenal of weapons available. So we now come to Worms W.M.D. I believe the first worms game to use vehicles, crafting and buildings (as in you can now enter buildings as a form of cover… not just part of the static background art).
A big part of the worms series has always been the weapons and it’s always fun to see what the latest crazy addition is… I don’t want to spoil things but we have a return of the sheep and the granny and some other additions… but the biggest change is the crafting. Crafting not only allows you to break down items you have to recompose them into different tools or weapons… it allows you to make new versions of your weapons. Where previously you had simply a bazooka, a grenade, holy hand grenade etc… you can now make variations of these that might also burst into flame, or put out a gas or do some other form of added damage. This addition automatically increases your potential arsenal and also adds another degree of strategy to weapon choice.
But the vehicles (and to an extent the weapon mounts) are a very interesting addition. Jump into a mech suit and stomp around the battle field and smash holes in the environment. Climb into a helicopter and bring death from above… they really add a new flare to the game and can result in some pretty awesome victories.
The buildings are a bit interesting in that they may have been more suited to the last worms game (or at least the last one I played) Worms Revolution used a sort of 3D visual style that gave the scenery some depth… buildings in Worms W.M.D. only really reveal what is in them when you enter them… it’s not a huge issue and it clearly is used to hide potentially very useful items (wanted posters being the best example there as they then lead to extra missions/challenges).
Overall I’m kind of glad they went back to the more 2D art style… it just feels much more like the worms of old and the new gameplay enhancements just add to the fun of it all. The actual game is broken down into sections, there’s the main challenge where you will play level after level aiming to get the best result possible (and in so doing, unlocking special items for customizing your team). There are challenge levels in which you are set a specific task and given limitations on how you can perform them. There are also bonus missions that set a specific task that is no always simply about destroying the enemy team… sometimes you need to obtain a specific crate or perform some other action to claim victory.
Just when you think they can’t really add anything else to make the game more fun… they find a way! The variety of weapons and weapon variations automatically make this a worms to add to your collection, especially if you haven’t visited the Annelid’s for some time, this is a great game to get back into their world… it is both familiar and new all in the one lovely funny and destructive package.
Worms are dead… Long live the worms!
About the Author
Chris O'Connor Father of four, husband of one and all round oddity. Gaming at home since about 1982 with a Sinclair ZX Spectrum. Moving on to the more traditional PC genre in the years that followed with the classic Jump Joe and Alley Cat. CGA, EGA, VGA and beyond PC's have been central to my gaming but I've also enjoyed consoles and hand helds along the way (who remembers the Atari Lynx?). Would have been actor/film maker, jack of many trades master of none.
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