Worms Revolution Review
Developer: Team 17
Format: PS3/360/PC
Release Date: Out Now
Worms is one of those iconic gaming franchises that embodies the fun and insanity that most gamers like to associate with multiplayer party games. Celebrating outrageous levels of chaos combined with new game mechanics, Worms Revolution gives the series a graphical overhaul but does it compete with its highly regarded predecessors?
If there is one thing Team17 do well, it’s creating fun games. I grew up playing Worms on the playstation and very few gamers I know haven’t sunk a few nights into it with friends, gleefully backstabbing allies and cheerfully nuking foes. Worms Revolution is no different, supplying the player with ridiculous, over the top weapons to allow you to blow your enemies to bits as well as taking chunks out of the landscape. For those unfamiliar with the series, typical weapons include sheep that run and explode on command, grenades, handguns, bazookas, air strikes and everything in between.
Even some signature moves such as fireballs and flaming uppercuts, ninja ropes to traverse the levels, all the way down to a simple prod, used to push people over the edge. Literally in this case, and usually into pits of lava or down into a watery grave. Revolution doesn’t stray too much from the winning formula of its earlier iterations but there are a few new and interesting features.
For one, water is far more involved as a game mechanic in this game. Water has always been present as a one way trip to a soggy grave but in Revolution, water becomes a weapon. It’s not the most realistic of representations, resembling jelly or frog spawn more than water, in both appearance and physical properties. This becomes somewhat confusing with the physics engine as the “water” doesn’t act as expected. It sticks when sliding down slopes, it can actually roll up some slopes and its effect on enemies can be unpredictable, sometimes enveloping them in the water, other times propelling them across the map.
Possibly the most interesting development in this game is the addition of Classes of worms. The sluggish Heavy as the powerhouse, the speedy scout and the healing scientist join the ranks of the average worm, drastically changing the strategy for the game in both single and multiplayer battles. The attributes of these new classes take a little while to get fully used to but it does open up new levels of strategy when tackling the game and your friends, which brings us on the main gameplay mechanics.
Worms has been using the same engine for their gameplay for years and years and this has made the transition between the games seamless for some. Everyone knows the guy who’s practically a sniper with a grenade regardless of the game he’s playing. These mechanics are obviously successful or we wouldn’t be on the 17th or 18th iteration of the series and yet, it has….changed. Not necessarily for the better or worse but just different. The weapons have been tweaked to act more realistically which, while not a problem for someone just starting their adventure with Worms but for us seasoned with previous incarnations, we want our arcade style, unrealistic yet satisfying control. I probably shouldn’t have a negative slant on this but having an established playing style spanning a decade at least, I don’t think this is what they needed to change in this version.
The single player campaigns are good fun but the difficulty seems random rather than progressing along a learning curve, and the puzzles are really very polished, embracing the newer game pieces available and a great way to properly get to grips with how the game has been tweaked and adjusted. But as with any of the previous games, multiplayer is where Worms Revolution shines. While not blown away by Revolution, showing my 8yr old his first experience with worms was nothing short of hilarious. The humour in the game that has become an established staple was an absolute blast to watch being digested afresh. The sheer randomness which we all were blown away with in the origins of the series still delivers when viewed by fresh eyes. Similarly, the multiplayer is simply effortless to play, and could be endlessly repeated. This is where Revolution truly succeeds and a statement I’ll stand by now, I’d have stood by a decade ago as well, you’d do well to find a better party game than a Worms game.
So in conclusion, I’m not sure Worms Revolution is a worthwhile investment for someone who spends 90% of their gaming time alone, but for those out there that are social gamers, as with anything stamped with Worms on it, you can’t go wrong with this.
Score 8/10
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