Worms W.M.D (PC) Review

By Thomas Wrobel 24.08.2016

Review for Worms W.M.D on PC

Hands up who has heard of Worms. Right, well, that's pretty much everyone because even the most casual of casual gamers will have heard of the venerable Team17 series, just as most will no doubt know about titles from the likes of Lemmings, Pong, and even Super Mario Bros. What Team17 aims to do with Worms W.M.D, though, is bring the wriggly little creatures back into the mainstream eye, rather than being a memory from the past. Following on from an early preview, now Cubed3 delves deep into the final release.

Is a gimmick still a gimmick if it results in laughter? If some people roll their eyes, does it really matter if others get enjoyment from a feature? Worms W.M.D, on the surface at least, seems somewhat of a gimmick-filled release. One of the first examples of this is that Team17 appears to have roped in as many characters as possible, with pre-orders for the game receiving hats and weapons based around the likes of the Saint's Row series, Broforce, Goat Simulator, and even the upcoming ex-Rare-developed platform fest, Yooka-Laylee. Notable by its absence, however, is Earthworm Jim - possibly the one crossover that would have made the most sense. All of the licensed IP mentioned is on top of the already generous collection of hats and skins Team17 has crafted. There's an absolute abundance of skins for the team. Want to make the worms wear sombreros, or maybe all have rainbow unicorn heads? Not a problem in the slightest.

There's also the seemingly bizarre inclusion of a crafting system - as if there's a legal requirement for all games to have one these days. Collect materials, select the weapon of choice, and if you have all the parts, it will be in your possession for the next turn. It's easy to get cynical about games if you play a lot. Spotting trends and fashions such as when it's clear everyone's jumping on the same bandwagon. Worms W.M.D is doing this with its crafting, hats, and crossover IPs, but does any of this actually hurt?

In a word… no! Don't like something? It is possible to ignore it, or at least turn it off from the very extensive settings page; and even completely ignoring cosmetics, this is a very meaty release. Whatever time the team spent making the hats doesn't seem to have caused the gameplay to suffer in any other ways. In fact, with its plethora of new features, it's arguably the most significant version for many, many years.

Screenshot for Worms W.M.D on PC

There is, of course, a bunch of new weaponry - boosted significantly by the aforementioned crafting system. Each weapon now has a few variations, assuming the materials to make it are in-hand. The crafting system is even designed to allow for crafting during enemy turns - a smart move for a turn-based multiplayer romp. Then there are the vehicles - a completely new addition to the series, allowing worms to take control of helicopters, mechs, and tanks to provide a more mobile way to deliver carnage. Mechs can glide, helicopters can give off a pleasing rain of destruction below them, and tanks can… jump. You really do learn something new every day. Who said Worms wasn't educational, as well as being fun?

There are also gun-turrets, which work as expected, and what seems to be the most interesting new addition: buildings. Going inside buildings feels like the seamless expansion to the core mechanics rather than a new feature bolted on. Acting less like a garrison, and more like a simple cut-away of another part of the map, it would be a safe bet on buildings (more than tanks and gun turrets) making a return in all future instalments.

Aside from the buildings, a lot of these new additions are filler to gain people's attention alone. Not that they are necessarily bad things, as such, just not the 'meat' of the game. If something gives entertainment value in the moment, it doesn't need to revolutionise the genre in order to be worth having. The difference between a gimmick and a revolutionary feature, though, is simply what sticks around - and, at times in gaming history, what has seemed like a flash in the pan has gone on to become mainstream and 'expected.' Only Nostradamus would try to predict what will become future classic parts and what will merely fade away. That said, clearly buildings will be back...count on it!

Screenshot for Worms W.M.D on PC

Cubed3 Rating

8/10
Rated 8 out of 10

Great - Silver Award

Rated 8 out of 10

Worms W.M.D provides enough new features to keep it feeling fresh, with plenty on offer for solo players. Those with friends should also be more than content with the high amount of customisation, plus support for up to six players with eight worms each, potentially making matches of 48 worms. While it might not be a revolution, it is a very solid entry in the series, and at its core Worms is still Worms. It is to the TBS genre what Mario Kart now is to racing - both different and accessible enough for newcomers, in-depth enough for long-term fans, yet also enjoyable enough for those formerly not fans of the games. It's a title that's good to have in anyone's collection, ready for an unexpected batch of friends. For a lapsed player of old (or somehow having lived life to the maximum, without participating in mass wormicide), W.M.D seems a great time to ninja rope on over and join the creative carnage.

Developer

Team17

Publisher

Team17

Genre

Strategy

Players

1

C3 Score

Rated $score out of 10  8/10

Reader Score

Rated $score out of 10  0 (0 Votes)

European release date Out now   North America release date Out now   Japan release date Out now   Australian release date Out now   

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