Worms W.M.D review for Xbox One, PS4

Worms has always been one of those games that you either love or hate. It’s turned based style and quirky characters may delight some, while simultaneously putting others off. Personally I have always been a fan, and Worms W.M.D is another great entry in the series.

Worms is a side-scrolling turn based strategy game where one team has to eliminate the other by using a vast arsenal of weapons, and items. The overall charm of Worms is found in the characters themselves. They are cute little creatures that have plenty of sharp British wit to keep you laughing as you are blowing up a handful of them. Before you begin, you can actually customize your little worms with hats and other gear to make them your own. This is a cool feature, but is somewhat limited. I would have liked the ability to change their personalities and their overall features, but what is offered is okay.

Gameplay in Worms W.M.D consists of hopping, parachuting and flying over the highly destructible stages, positioning yourself within range of an enemy and Blasting them, and the surrounding area, with Uzis, bazookas and grenades. Your skill and perseverance will be your only friend on the battlefield as you also have to make sure your team doesn’t get squashed by everything the enemy army is tossing your way. You have the ability to craft new weapons during battle, mostly while your enemy is taking their turn, but the system is a bit flawed as it not easy to determine what you actually can build, but after a little trial and error, you can make some neat offensive and defensive weaponry.

In this new release, you now have vehicles at your disposal like helicopters, big tanks and even mech-suits to really deal some damage. These new rides come at a price, since you are now a larger target, and also mobility can get very limited as more of the battlefield gets destroyed. Sometimes, you can accidentally shoot off a missile that deals more damage to you than the enemy, but this is due to the games slightly awkward controls which we will discuss shortly.

There is a countdown clock when it’s your turn, and it seems that the computer controlled players (and some players online) like to wait for that to hit almost zero before pressing a button. In this instance, games can take way longer than they should, and it made playing through a match a little frustrating. I can understand if someone is making a new weapon, or really thinking about their next move, but in almost every battle I was in, this was not the case. Online play is decent, but was a little hard to find people to play with. I kept getting disconnected and only managed to have a few matches before I gave up and returned to the single player modes.

Getting back to the controls, they are good for the most part, but not very well explained in the training modes. Pressing a button to quickly or holding it down for two long, can result in a missed shot or untimely death. There are times where lining up a shot takes small movements with the right Stick and even smaller movements with the Left Stick to get it right, and it’s not easy to make small adjustments. Moving your worms around the map and positioning them can be difficult as well, as a slight movement will send them into a pit, or trap them behind an object. It takes a lot of practice to control everything here, and even then you can still make mistakes that can cost you a match. Visually, the game is simple, with most battlefields being small islands with random hills and buildings you can climb on or into. Animation is done really well, and you really get a sense of satisfaction watching these little guys get blown up or shot, as grim as that sounds, it’s is mostly due to the little one liners they constantly spew out during battle. Sometimes what they say to you, deserves a rocket between the eyes.

Worms W.M.D is a fun game. Sometimes it’s silly, sometimes it can be frustrating, but no matter how the battles go, you manage to have fun. It’s quirkiness and overall fun factor give it a charm that not many turn based games of this caliber can even come close to. It does have some issues with control and online stability, but in the end, it’s still a great time. If you are a fan of Worms, be sure to check this one out as it’s a great addition to the franchise, and if you’re one of those who never tried this series out you might wanna give this one a look as well. You just might become a fan after playing.