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Preview: Worms W.M.D.

Worms may enjoy the occasional round of golf or pinball but there is only one area they really shine: turn based warfare. Worms W.M.D. is your father’s Worms, a classic turn based slugfest that tastes as smooth as the series’ 21 year vintage would suggest. That extends right down to recreating the physics of the classic games, including the original ninja rope.

Worms W.M.D. leans into the crazy end of the Worms series, offering up some all new heavy duty vehicles and mounted artillery amongst the standard Worms arsenal that is, of course anything but. Crazy Sheep, Concrete Donkeys, Bunker Busters and Banana Bombs are all here, plus the wind assisted, curling bazooka shots that nobody will ever believe you perfectly judged despite how often you pull them off.

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Worms has been a standout multiplayer game for two decades, largely thanks to the turn based nature that forces your couch bound opponents to watch your well placed prod that sends three worms to a watery grave and cackle at the more than occasional bazooka goof. Now they can enjoy laughing at you spraying gunfire from a wonky chopper, barely hitting your intended target but activating every mine and barrel of napalm next to your own team. Matches can include up to six teams of eight worms for utter chaos and includes local and online play.

Single player gamers aren’t forgotten, with a 30 level campaign that sees you take on a variety of set pieces and challenges. All of these include fully voiced and themed opposing teams and a number of bonus goals such as “kill three worms in one shot” or “finish the last worm with an airstrike” to make things all the tougher on you. Also new to the series is crafting, as mid-level pickups can now be turned into new and improved weapons. This can be done on enemy turns allowing another layer of strategy and adaptability as the level changes.

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At its heart, Worms W.M.D. is the Worms of your childhood. Sure there are modern crossovers with nearly a dozen games from Broforce to Yooka-Laylee to Saints Row, there are vehicles, interior environments, dozens of weapons and fancy, rather pretty new graphics, but Worms W.M.D. will feel instantly familiar to anybody who has played Worms before. That will be enough for plenty of fans, and gamers that haven’t experienced the joy of dropping dynamite on your mates head while dangling from a bungee rope will find a great first experience in Worms W.M.D..

Worms W.M.D. arrives 23 August for PC, Xbox One and PS4 for $29.99 USD.


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About the author

Stuart Gollan

From Amiga to Xbox One, Doom to Destiny, Megazone to Stevivor, I've been gaming through it all and have the (mental) scars to prove it. I love local multiplayer, collecting ridiculous Dreamcast peripherals, and Rocket League.