Worms Rumble (PlayStation 5) Review

In terms of pure gameplay, Worms Rumble does justify the shift from slow paced strategy to faster 2D action. Gunplay is responsive, playing off the DualSense's unique properties, while generally being fluid to control. Aiming is done with the right analogue stick, worms shoot with R2, roll with L2, swing their bat with Circle, and jump with Cross. Every action is responsive, immediate, and plays off one another to feed into frantic gameplay.

Worms are understandably more acrobatic as a result. Players can wall jump to scale vertical shafts, hook onto ziplines, and seamlessly switch from gunplay to clubbing their fellow worms. Stages also feature a variety of different set pieces across wide maps that encourage mixing in platforming with combat. Conceptually, all the pieces are set for an entertaining - if a bit unnecessary - redirection for Worms. Unfortunately, Rumble neglects to pack itself with enough content.

Launching with only three game modes, with no means of playing offline or even privately with friends, the gameplay loop resigns itself to repetition. Making matters worse, Deathmatch, Last Squad Standing and Last Worm Standing all make use of the same basic principles - ostensibly three variations on the same game mode. The fact that there are only three arenas recycled through each game mode doesn't exactly help in the variety department, either. Save for cosmetics, players can comfortably see just about everything the battle royal has to offer in just an hour of play time.

For what it's worth, it is easy to get lost in the gameplay loop. Deathmatch is a frantic game mode that pits worms against each other as they instantly respawn upon death. Last Squad Standing actually encourages strategic play by forcing players to work in a team of three. Finally, Last Worm Standing is just a more extreme version of Deathmatch with respawns disabled. But these are still three game modes played across the three same stages with little of the charm found in the rest of the franchise.

Far worse than the shift in gameplay, Rumble gets rid of destructible environments altogether. This is clearly done to emphasise the battle royal-esque gameplay, pitting players against each other on a familiar map, but this is done at the expense of the series' traditional level design. Players can no longer use their weapons to create underground bunkers, trap their opponents, or outright knock fellow worms off stages. Grenades end up losing quite a bit of their usability as a result, along with weapons being stripped of their secondary environmental features.

Franchises should be allowed to evolve, but Worms Rumble fails to do so naturally. Turning its back on so much of what defined the series up to this point was a mistake that will only serve to alienate fans. Releasing with so little content is in itself a recipe for disaster that will keep the player base from growing due to sheer repetition. Rumble has the bones to be a fine battle royal, but it does little to justify its use of the Worms IP.