It’s very hard to get away from Worms. The series has been running now for over twenty years and there’s been a new Worms game every couple of years. It is said that a new generation of consoles has not officially “arrived” until a Worms game is available on that. Worms WMD is the second Worms game on Xbox One and PlayStation 4 and while this is still very much imbued with the same DNA, the enhancements have made Worms WMD a great continuation of the fun party-style gameplay.
Developed by Team 17 and out now for Xbox One and PlayStation 4, Worms WMD is the same 2-d turn-based combat that you may be familiar with. Teams of Worms take turns to essentially kill each other on destructible environments. Gone is the gloopy water of previous iterations which reduces some strategy. To be honest though, this water aspect of the game was never really as enjoyable as it could have been so the fact that it’s not present in Worms WMD allows for more emphasis on just the destruction of the environments.
What makes Worms WMD so much fun is the slight change that have been implemented that has made it more enjoyable. Normally, between each turn and while you are waiting for your own turn you have to watch the other players take their turn. Now, you can collect crates in the map that not only gives you weapons as they normally do, but they can also give you crafting parts. These crafting parts can now be used to create your own weapons in the menu while other players are taking their turn. This adds a great mystery to your arsenal as normally, every player knows what every other has in their inventory, this new mechanic means that you can add some extra strategy without your enemies knowing what you might have up your sleeve.
The other added mechanic is that throughout the map there are vehicles to jump into as well as stationary turrets. These offer opportunities to cause massive damage to your enemies but it can be risky. Being in a stationary turret means you cannot move to safety. The vehicles can be tricky to maneuverer over the terrain, especially when a banana bomb or two has decimated some of the landscape. They add a great layer of depth to risk entering a vehicle rather than using up some of your supply of weapons.
There are a ton of modes and options in Worms WMD in terms of its single-player. There is an extensive tutorial as well as a campaign, challenges, and bonus missions. These will take a couple of hours and act as an excellent way to become proficient in everything Worms has to offer for the main event: the multiplayer.
Worms WMD doesn’t change too much. Visually it looks a little better than the last one and the enhancements definitely do add variety but it’s the hilarity when you play with others, especially friends that makes it such an essential play. It’s hilarious watching your friends think of their scheming plans to take each out other. Everything from naming and customising your worms to how each turn unfolds is what makes every single match a belly-laughing good time, even after the two decades and multiple iterations. There’s nothing quite like Worms and if it never appealed to you, it never will and nothing the game can do will help. For fans, this is another excellent Worms game with enough new features to keep the fun going for the next while.
Worming its way into multiplayer mayhem fun. 4/5
★★★★☆
Jason Redmond
Worms W.M.D at CeX
Get your daily CeX at
